Student Perception towards the Importance of Cultural Knowledge in Intercultural Communication

A trend that is unavoidable in an era of widespread international integration across numerous professions is intercultural communication. Cultural understanding is crucial for assessing the success of communication efforts when interacting with people from different cultures. The purpose of this study, which was carried out at a university in Hanoi, was to ascertain the degree to which students recognised the value of cultural knowledge in cross-cultural communication. To gather information, a Google Form questionnaire was created and given to first- and second-year English language majors. The findings indicate that even though the students who responded to the survey believed they were competent in cross-cultural communication, their proficiency was still quite low. Although they grasp the significance of language, they fail to recognise the extralinguistic components of communication, such as social norms and nonverbal cues. In order to better prepare students for their interactions with the outside world, the author of the article suggests that cultural knowledge content be integrated into instructional programmes and that learners’ understanding of the importance of cultural knowledge be further enhanced.