From language learning to sustainability: enhancing intercultural competence and global skills through foreign language education

Purpose This study aims to examine how integrating sustainability content in foreign language education and exposure to foreign culture through language learning impacts students’ intercultural competence and global learning skills related to sustainability among Chinese students learning Japanese. Design/methodology/approach A pre-posttest experimental design was used. Fifty Japanese language major students from a large university in Shanghai participated in a six-month curriculum that integrated sustainability content through three phases: sustainability vocabulary learning, Japanese cultural value discussions (e.g. mottainai) and case studies of Japan’s sustainability initiatives. Pre- and postintervention assessments measured changes in intercultural competence and global learning skills. Findings Both the integration of sustainability content and exposure to Japanese cultural values in language education enhanced students’ intercultural competence and global learning skills. Participants demonstrated improved understanding of sustainability concepts and increased ability to engage with environmental issues from cross-cultural perspectives. Originality/value This study advances foreign language learning literature by exploring sustainability in relation to intercultural competence and global learning skills. It uniquely examines how exposure to cultural values through language learning shapes learners’ engagement with environmental and social issues.