The Interplay of Context-Practice in Intercultural Education: Insights from Moroccan EFL Classrooms

Abstract

The problematic nature of failed cross-cultural communication has emphasized the necessity for a pedagogical paradigm that mediates the oscillatory intersection of the range of variables that inform the communicative process; thus, intercultural education has been posited as a crucial pedagogical framework to respond to this concern. The assumption/rationale for advocating intercultural education as a significant educational approach is rooted in its capacity to validate cultural heterogeneity and proactively negotiate in cross-cultural dialogue. Morocco’s ongoing commitment to expand its global engagement and enhance its role as a key continental/international stakeholder has reinforced the necessity to adopt intercultural education as a mechanism to achieve these objectives. To enact this vision within applied contexts, Moroccan EFL high school teachers are faced with the challenge of integrating intercultural education into their teaching practices. In order to adequately fuse intercultural education within the current Moroccan educational landscape, it is crucial to meticulously examine the key factors that govern teachers' instructional practices. This study aims to investigate (a) the various factors and influences that inform or shape Moroccan high school teachers' beliefs about intercultural education, and (b) the extent to which these beliefs manifest in classroom praxis.  Through a qualitative research design, the study combines non-participant classroom observations with follow-up post-observation interviews involving five Moroccan EFL high school teachers. The data is analysed thematically to explore teachers' perspectives, identifying, categorizing, and mapping key recurring themes. The findings will indicate that (a) various contextual/systematic factors shape educators’ implementation of intercultural education, and (b) these contextual/ systematic factors compromise the consistency of educators' practices concerning intercultural education.