Intercultural competence in Danish as a second language for adult migrants

Although studies on intercultural competence (IC) and teacher beliefs are relatively common, no research has yet focused on teachers of Danish as a second language for adult migrants. More broadly, second language teaching in migration contexts, especially for languages other than English, remains significantly underexplored (Ushioda 2017). The primary research questions guiding this study are: 1) How do teachers conceptualize IC? 2) How do they value IC? 3) How do they describe their IC practice? and 4) How does the way that teachers conceptualize and value IC relate to their classroom practices? Findings suggest that while teachers have a relatively broad understanding and recognize the value of IC, they face significant challenges implementing their theoretical knowledge about IC. Notably, there is a weak alignment between teachers’ stated beliefs and their observed classroom practices. These insights contribute to the broader understanding of second-language teaching in migration contexts beyond English-language instruction.