Developing Chinese EFL learners' intercultural communicative competence through a pedagogical model integrating language and intercultural competence

With the rapid acceleration of globalization and internationalization, the development of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) has become a central objective in foreign language education. In China, ICC is explicitly incorporated into national curriculum standards across all educational levels. However, effective pedagogical models for fostering ICC in foreign language classrooms remain insufficiently explored. This study aimed to propose and evaluate a four-phase pedagogical model designed to foster ICC among Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. The model comprised four phases: intercultural acquisition, intercultural comparison, intercultural engagement, and intercultural reflection, which was grounded in Byram’s ICC model and Newton et al.’s principles of intercultural communicative language teaching (ICLT). A mixed-methods approach adopted in the study involved 319 senior EFL learners and was conducted in three phases: The initial qualitative phase explored the role of language competence in ICC development; the quantitative phase assessed changes in ICC following instructional intervention; and the final qualitative phase investigated the participants’ perceptions of the model’s effectiveness. The results revealed that language competence is integral to ICC, facilitating the development of knowledge, attitudes, skills, and awareness. The pedagogical model significantly enhanced students’ ICC, with participants reporting positive learning experiences, greater intercultural understanding, and stronger engagement in communication tasks. These findings suggest that language competence and intercultural competence should be more systematically integrated into curriculum design and classroom practice to enhance ICC development. This study provides further insight into Byram’s model by empirically demonstrating how language competence intricately interacts with the development of other ICC dimensions, contributing to a more integrated conceptualization of ICC. Practically, the pedagogical model provides a structured framework that unifies language and intercultural competence, offering concrete teaching objectives, procedures, and activities to guide effective classroom practice