ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7661-2885
Date of Award
Fall 2025
Language
English
Embargo Period
11-30-2027
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College/School/Department
Department of Educational Theory and Practice
Program
Curriculum and Instruction
First Advisor
Reza Feyzi-Behnagh
Committee Members
Alex Kumi-Yeboah, Mary Dinh
Keywords
Formulaic language (FL), Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC), FL-oriented instructional design, ICC development, Vietnamese EFL learners, Vietnamese EFL higher education.
Subject Categories
Curriculum and Instruction
Abstract
Intercultural communicative competence (ICC) has long been acknowledged to develop not only knowledge of cultural frameworks and attitudes but also the ability to mobilize appropriate linguistic resources in authentic intercultural encounters (Byram, 1997; Deardorff, 2006). Although ICC has long been recognized as a key outcome of language education, most ICC research has emphasized broad cultural awareness and general communicative strategies rather than the role of language form itself in ICC development. Within this realm, formulaic language (FL), comprising idiomatic expressions, collocations, and culturally embedded routines, has been increasingly acknowledged as central to pragmatic competence and intercultural interaction (Wray, 2002; Bardovi-Harlig, 2009). This feature of FL suggests that explicit FL instruction can be posited as a potential pathway to foster ICC by enabling learners to both recognize and enact culturally embedded ways of speaking. This theoretical alignment provides the foundation for investigating how FL-focused pedagogy can serve as a bridge between linguistic proficiency and ICC in English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) education. However, little is known about how explicit instruction in FL can systematically foster ICC, especially in contexts where intercultural encounters are limited, such as Vietnamese higher education.
In recognition of this gap, the current study is set out to investigate the impact of FL-focused instructional design on the development of ICC in Vietnamese EFL contexts. On the sample of 60 non-English major students from two Vietnamese universities, the study employed a mixed-methods quasi-experimental design, involving a control group and an experimental group in the pre-test-intervention-post-test paradigm. Data sources included Nguyen et al.’s (2013) FL assessment and Ang et al.’s (2007) Cultural Intelligence Scale administered in the pre- and post-tests to both groups as well as reflective journals and semi-structured interviews conducted with the experimental group. Qualitative data from reflective journals revealed that students engaged meaningfully with culturally embedded expressions, demonstrating the ability to interpret FL through their own cultural perspectives, emotionally connect with differing cultural values, and critically reflect on intercultural differences. Semi-structured interview responses further indicated that FL-oriented instruction fostered students’ perceived growth of ICC by promoting openness to various cultures, ethical reflection, and contextualized cultural understanding, even within monocultural Vietnamese classrooms. Students were also found to develop heightened sensitivity to various cultural nuances and greater self-awareness in navigating intercultural interactions. Quantitative findings complemented this perspective, showing that FL instruction significantly enhanced students’ FL knowledge and contributed to measurable gains in intercultural attitudes and knowledge. Regression analyses confirmed that FL knowledge positively predicted these two ICC components. Together, the findings underscore the pedagogical value of embedding FL instruction into EFL curricula to promote both language proficiency and ICC. The study offers original contributions to research on ICC in EFL contexts by evidencing the integrative potential of FL in fostering ICC development.
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Vu, Ngoc Tung, "Instructional Design to Promote Formulaic Language for English-as-a-Foreign-Language Students’ Intercultural Communicative Competence" (2025). Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present). 340.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/etd/340