This study investigates higher education EFL teachers’ beliefs about intercultural competence and its integration into classroom practice in Karakalpakstan. Adopting a descriptive mixed-methods design, the research draws on data collected through an online questionnaire consisting of closed-ended and Likert-scale items, as well as open-ended responses. The study aims to explore how teachers conceptualise culture and intercultural competence, what intercultural teaching practices they report, and how their beliefs influence their pedagogical choices.
The findings indicate that most teachers demonstrate a generally positive orientation toward intercultural competence and define it as the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately across cultures. However, a minority of participants still associate intercultural competence with linguistic proficiency, suggesting some conceptual ambiguity. In terms of classroom practice, intercultural teaching is predominantly implemented through knowledge-based and teacher-centred approaches, with a strong reliance on textbook materials and factual cultural information.
The results further reveal a relationship between teachers’ beliefs and their teaching practices. Teachers who hold more static views of culture tend to adopt transmissive instructional methods, whereas those with more dynamic understandings are more likely to promote interaction and reflection. Nevertheless, a gap is observed between teachers’ stated beliefs and their actual classroom practices, indicating the influence of contextual constraints.
The study underscores the need for targeted professional development initiatives that bridge the gap between teachers’ beliefs and classroom practices. The findings contribute to a better understanding of intercultural language teaching in under-researched contexts such as higher education in Karakalpakstan.