Intercultural Competences and Language Assessment

Reflections from Foreign Language Teachers

Abstract

In recent years, intercultural competence (IC) has gained prominence in foreign language (FL) education, reflecting broader societal shifts toward global interconnectedness and the need for culturally responsive pedagogy. This article investigates how FL teachers in Denmark conceptualize, teach, and assess IC within the existing framework of national curricula that emphasize global citizenship and intercultural understanding. Based on analyses of the national FL curricula and data from the Teachers’ Literacy in Language Testing and Assessment (LiSE) project (2020–2022), which included a nationwide survey and follow-up interviews with English, French, German, and Spanish teachers, the study explores the cognitive and practical dimensions of teachers’ engagement with IC. Findings reveal a strong commitment among educators to fostering students’ intercultural awareness, yet highlight persistent challenges in aligning instructional practices with assessment strategies due to limited guidance and consensus on evaluating ICC. The article discusses these tensions and offers implications for enhancing language assessment literacy and supporting the integration of IC in FL education.