Raising Self-Awareness and Developing Intercultural Competence by Activating Personal Filters (article)
Scott-Monkhouse, Anila & Rigamonti, Enrica. (2015). Raising Self-awareness and developing intercultural competence by activating personal filters. CASALC Review.
Abstract excerpt: "Language is a reflection of the self, and of the culture and people it belongs to, thus when learning a new language each individual is approaching a different identity and culture with personal filters which act on the learning process. Learning involves approaching something new and inevitably leads to some change, which may occur without conscious awareness but is affected by the individual’s attitude towards novelty and diversity. . . The objectives [of this study] were to verify if . . . filters [of language learners] are subtly expressed in their way of seeing themselves, their own language and culture, and the ‘other’ language and culture, and also raise their awareness of them. This hopefully is a stepping stone towards discovering aspects of their personality, developing sensitivity to differences and recognizing factors to be exploited to become more efficient learners."