BEYOND THE GEOGRAPHICAL DIVIDE: THE IMPACT OF INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES AND AUTHENTIC EXPOSURE ON INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE OF URBAN AND RURAL EFL STUDENTS.

Abstract

This study examines the disparities in Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) between urban and rural high school students in Quang Tri province, Vietnam, and investigates the influence of instructional practices on these outcomes. Employing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, data were collected from 240 students and 17 EFL teachers at two representative upper secondary schools: Dao Duy Tu High School (urban) and Le Hong Phong High School (rural). Quantitative analysis revealed a significant geographical divide, with urban students outperforming their rural counterparts in cultural knowledge and interaction skills ($p < .001$); however, a paradoxical finding emerged as no significant difference was found in intercultural attitudes ($p > .05$), indicating that rural learners possess high openness but lack performative skills. Crucially, triangulated data exposed a substantial disconnect between rural teachers’ self-reported use of authentic materials and students’ actual classroom experiences. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis confirmed that authentic exposure and instructional methods are significantly stronger predictors of ICC than school location alone. The study concludes that geographical disadvantages can be mitigated by shifting from textbook-centered pedagogies to context-sensitive approaches that maximize authentic exposure, thereby offering practical implications for bridging the educational gap in disadvantaged contexts.