Framing Intercultural Reflection in the Language Classroom

Abstract

Intercultural (communicative) competence (ICC), defined as the ability to communicate and behave appropriately and effectively across cultural contexts (Deardorff, 2006), is widely recognized as an essential component of language learning. However, because ICC resists standardized, objective measurement (Deardorff, 2011, 2021; Byram, 1997), educational institutions have historically struggled to incorporate it meaningfully into instructional programs (2015, 2023). This paper demonstrates how ICC can nevertheless be incorporated into curricula in a structured and transparent way through the use of SMART—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound—learning objectives, helping to make intercultural engagement visible without reducing it to simplistic metrics. To illustrate this approach, we draw on a classroom implementation of the cross-cultural simulation game BARNGA, in which learners experience and analyze the consequences of differing unspoken rules. By aligning the activity with SMART objectives, we show how instructors can help students engage in key ICC processes, such as articulating underlying assumptions and practicing perspective-taking, in and through the target language. This structured approach offers a clear, pedagogically grounded way to embed ICC into language learning while meeting curricular demands for clarity and accountability.