Developing communicative and intercultural competence through integrating art in language teaching

Abstract

The article explores the development of communicative and intercultural communicative competencies in language education with the help of the integration of artistic practices. In the context of the sociocultural theory of language education, the development of communicative competence is an operational language construct, while the development of intercultural communicative competence is a meta-construct that regulates language use. The integration of art is understood not as a supplementary teaching tool, but as a pedagogical mediator that transforms learning processes through experiential engagement, symbolic interpretation, emotional involvement, and reflective dialogue. The article is based on a mixed-methods approach that incorporates a quasi-experiment, control group, and experimental group of students. The results of the study suggest that there is a correlation between the art-based instruction and an increase in communicative activity, intercultural competence, and students’ own reflective capacity. However, the results are seen as indicative rather than causal. The results of the study support the pedagogical value of instruction that is oriented towards art as a means of creating a culturally rich and dialogic learning environment. However, the results also highlight the need for future research into how different art forms influence the development of competence.