Empowering Intercultural Communication Competence for Foreign LanguageMajoring Students through Collaboration-Oriented Reflection Activities

The changes in educational theory and practice have been made to be compatible with the global and integrated context of nations. In teaching a foreign language, intercultural communication competence (ICC) has been considered an imperative factor influencing the 21st century learners' academic achievement. Consequently, a great number of teaching approaches have been endorsed to facilitate students to enhance ICC. This paper focuses English major students' evaluation of the significance of collaboration-oriented reflection activities (CoRAs) in the ICC course; examines the influence of CoRAs on students' intercultural communication motivation and practice; and explores students' beliefs about the feasibility of collaboration-oriented reflection activities in overcoming the challenges of learning the ICC course. A mixed-research method was implemented with the research instruments, such as questionnaires, interviews, paper-based tests and performance-based tests. The results indicated that collaboration-oriented reflection activities brought about various benefits. Integrating collaboration-oriented reflection activities into teaching culture had positive effects on students' intercultural communication motivation and competence. From the qualitative data, participants manifested that applying CoRAs in the course was and will be feasible, effective and prospective despite the challenges they had to encounter. Accordingly, exhaustive solutions for teachers and students were recommended to fulfill the course properly.