THE IMPACT OF CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING:A STUDY OF TEACHER PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES

Abstract

This research paper examines how cultural intelligence influences the English language teaching practices among the teachers in the Pakistani educational institutions. The ability to operate in culturally diverse environments, which has been defined as cultural intelligence has become an essential skill among English language teachers who are faced with the difficult role of balancing between the local cultural context and global language needs. The study utilized a quantitative research design, which surveyed 240 teachers of English language in the public and private schools who work in three big cities in Pakistan. A structured questionnaire was used in data collection with a good culture intelligence scale and teaching practice scales that have been validated. The results indicate that, there are highly positive correlation between the levels of cultural intelligence of teachers and their pedagogical effectiveness, strategies of student engagement and cross-cultural communication competencies. Findings have shown that culturally intelligent teachers are more flexible when it comes to curriculum implementation, more sensitive to the cultural backgrounds of students, and have a greater ability to develop inclusive learning environments. The analysis presents the important gaps in teacher training programs in terms of the development of cultural competency and the necessity of a systematic incorporation of the elements of cultural intelligence in professional development programs. The findings are part of an already developing collection of literature on culturally responsive pedagogy and offer empirical support to integrate cultural intelligence training into English language teacher education programs in the Pakistani educational setting.