Teaching Across Cultures: Considerations for International Language Teachers in Kazakhstan

This study explores the expectations and possible mismatches that arise from cultural differences between local students and their foreign English language teachers with a global mindset in the classroom interaction as an important domain of the intercultural communication. The authors view the language classroom and teacher-student interaction as truly intercultural settings that need a close inspection which is likely to contribute to a high level of intercultural competence and improvements in the quality of language education. Thus, the aim of this study is to raise awareness in the English-medium intercultural communication in secondary and higher education ELT classes in Kazakhstan by describing several significant aspects of teacher-student interaction. The local and international teachers as well as the English language learners provided data on the role of the teacher, types of teacher guidance, attitudes to lateness, types of the tasks for assignments and exams, attitudes to cheating, responsibility for the learning process, teacher attitudes to students’ questions and the degree of student's initiative to describe local ELT classes. The study includes practical recommendations particularly for international teachers of English in Kazakhstan; however, local teachers and educational administers, who need to work cooperatively with international teachers, may find the implications quite useful as well