Abstract:
The English teachers must develop intercultural awareness and competence
in the era globalization. However, comparative studies that specifically focus on the
experiences of foreign English teachers are limited. Thus, the research aims to
investigate and compare the similarities and differences of the intercultural
awareness and practices of Indonesian and Ghanaian English teachers in the context
of English language teaching. This research used qualitative methods within the
framework of a comparative study design and data were collected through semi
structured interviews. The participants were 2 EFL teachers from Ghana and
Indonesia. The researcher analyzed it to identify patterns by organizing, coding and
summarizing the data into themes. The findings of this research indicated that the
integration of intercultural awareness in English language teaching is very
important element that must be recognized and valued. However, the Ghanaian
teacher focuses on global cultural acceptance and integrates various international
cultures into classroom activities or called as intercultural awareness. In contrast,
the Indonesian teacher emphasizes understanding and preserving local culture
within English language teaching or basic cultural awareness. Thus, motivating the
teachers to strive to create an inclusive and tolerant learning environment with using
teaching materials and techniques that appropriate where students from different
cultural backgrounds feel valued and understood. Based on the findings it is
recommended that future research can explore these aspects more broadly and
varied.
