The Relationship Between Transcultural Competence and Stereotyping in Foreign Language Teaching

Abstract

The aim of the study was to show the relationship between transcultural competence and stereotyping in foreign language teaching. In a series of studies, the use of visual reading was to demonstrate the shift in meaning of stereotypes in order to clarify their importance for the development of transcultural competence. Stereotypes are fixed images in the cognitive system and their cancellation or new connotation is very difficult. In language teaching, cultural voids that have arisen due to stereotypes can hinder language action. For this reason, the correct classification of culture-dependent self-images, external images, and meta-images plays an important role, because this is the only way to prevent cultural misunderstandings. In an eight-week series of studies in the academic year 2017/2018 SS at Ondokuz Mayıs University, the feature list procedure was carried out to ascertain the stereotypes. The relationship between the components of visual reading, transcultural competence and stereotypes formed the framework for the study. The empirical study has shown that a transcultural competence in connection with visual reading can change the stereotype. Cultural gaps and misunderstandings can thus be filled and resolved