The Development of an Effective ICC Teaching Model Aims to Enhance the Intercultural Competence of EFL Tertiary Students in Thailand

The goal of this study was to develop a teaching model for intercultural communicative competence (ICC) that would effectively and efficiently improve Thai English as a Foreign Language (EFL) tertiary students in Thailand. The research and development (R&D) strategy was used as the research design for the study (Phusee-Orn, 2021). The study unfolded over three phases. Phase 1 involved the development of the teaching model; Phase 2 focused on the implementation of the teaching model; and Phase 3 involved the evaluation of the teaching model. In the 2023 academic year, students enrolled in the Bachelor of English Education Programme at Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University in Thailand were selected as research pilot study participants and experimental subjects. The research instruments comprised the ICC teaching model and three teaching modules. The data collection and analysis were assessed using three methods: 1. a questionnaire; 2. pre- and post-tests; and 3. in-depth focus group interviews. This study included a combination of qualitative and quantitative data analysis methodologies. The research results demonstrated that the ICC teaching approach had a substantial impact on improving the intercultural competency of Thai EFL tertiary students, who were studying English as a non-native language. The results indicated that students acknowledged the potential of the ICC teaching paradigm to improve their overall intercultural competence. They reached a consensus that teaching modules 1–3 has the capacity to enhance the intercultural competency of Thai tertiary EFL students. The superior quality (x̄ = 4.85) demonstrated an improvement in students' intercultural knowledge.