Raising intercultural awareness in Colombian Classrooms: A descriptive review

Abstract

The study of intercultural communication in foreign language teaching opens up opportunities for interaction with new language and cultural practices, thereby making language teaching and learning a more meaningful process. Given the growth of publications about intercultural communication in the Colombian context, this article aims to systematize and analyze research that fosters intercultural awareness through strategic pedagogical planning. To achieve this goal, I analyze publications related to the development of intercultural awareness in the Colombian context between 2012 and 2019. Specifically, I explore the population benefited, specific topics of concern for educators, types of studies conducted, major trends in the results of the articles, and gaps and considerations for future research. Additionally, I present previous studies on culture and intercultural awareness at the international and national levels to connect them with the articles I selected. This inquiry systematizes and discloses advances in the field and analyzes what needs to be done to raise intercultural awareness in Colombian language classrooms. This serves as a good starting point to propose alternatives for a more comprehensive, meaningful, and just language learning and teaching experience.