Enhancing Students' Intercultural Competence through Project-Based Learning in Teaching English for Tourism

Ahmad Nusi; Yelliza Yelliza; Asma Alhusna

doi:10.35445/alishlah.v18i2.9924

Enhancing Students' Intercultural Competence through Project-Based Learning in Teaching English for Tourism

Ahmad Nusi, Yelliza Yelliza, Asma Alhusna

Abstract

Intercultural competence is essential in English for Tourism because students are expected to communicate effectively with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. However, empirical evidence on the use of Project-Based Learning (PjBL) to develop intercultural competence in English for Specific Purposes contexts remains limited. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a PjBL model for enhancing students’ intercultural competence in English for Tourism.This study employed educational design research based on the Plomp model, consisting of preliminary research, prototyping, and assessment phases. The participants were 50 students enrolled in an English for Tourism course at Ekasakti University, West Sumatra. They were assigned to an experimental group (n = 26) and a control group (n = 24). Data were collected using intercultural competence questionnaires, achievement tests, expert validation sheets, and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, N-gain scores, and effect size analysis, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically.Preliminary findings showed that students’ intercultural competence was relatively low, particularly in skills and attitudes. Expert validation indicated that the developed PjBL model was valid, with Aiken’s V values ranging from 0.78 to 0.92. The assessment phase showed that the experimental group achieved significantly higher intercultural competence scores than the control group, t(48) = 4.27, p < 0.05, with a large effect size, Cohen’s d = 1.35. The N-gain results indicated moderate improvement in the experimental group.The findings suggest that PjBL can be an effective instructional approach for improving students’ intercultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes in English for Tourism. Future research should examine its long-term impact across broader educational contexts.

Keywords

project-based learning; intercultural competence; english for tourism; educational design research; english for specific purposes

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v18i2.9924