A Study on Correlation between Intercultural Sensitivity and the Acquisition of Culture-loaded Vocabulary for Junior High School Students

Abstract

As a crucially essential part of intercultural communication competence, intercultural sensitivity has been receiving extensive attention from scholars at home and abroad. English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education (2022 Edition) also clearly sets out the importance of “cultural awareness” and “intercultural communication competence” from a variety of perspectives. Language acts as the carrier of culture and vocabulary acts as the basic unit of language. Therefore, whether students can grasp the cultural meaning of vocabulary plays an important role in their acquisition of culture. This study aims to investigate the correlation between intercultural sensitivity and the acquisition of culture-loaded vocabulary for junior high school students using a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods. The results show that there is a significant correlation between intercultural sensitivity and the acquisition of culture-loaded vocabulary, and five factors of intercultural sensitivity (interaction engagement, respect for cultural difference, interaction confidence, interaction enjoyment, and interaction attentiveness) influence the acquisition of culture-loaded vocabulary to different degrees. This study not only inspires students on how to improve their intercultural sensitivity as well as their ability to acquire culture-loaded vocabulary but also provides suggestions for contemporary foreign language education researchers on how to enhance students’ cultural awareness.