The Relationship between Iranian EFL Learners’ Cultural Intelligence and Their Reading Comprehension Ability

This study investigated the relationship between Iranian EFL learners ‘cultural intelligence and their reading comprehension ability. Furthermore, the study investigated the predictive power of four sub-scales of cultural intelligence on EFL learners’ reading comprehension ability. To this end, eighty EFL learners, both male and female from universities of Shiraz and Sistan and Baluchistan, participated in this project. For gathering the research data, Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) developed and validated by Ang et al (۲۰۰۷) and TOFEL reading comprehension tests were used. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple regression analysis. The results of this study revealed that there exists a significant relationship between EFL learners’ cultural intelligence and their reading comprehension ability. Finally, among sub-scales of cultural intelligence, motivational cultural intelligence was found to be a predictor of Iranian EFL learner reading comprehension ability.The findings of this study highlight the key role of cultural intelligence in ۲۱st century and including cultural contents in instructional materials to motivate EFL learners to become familiar with other cultures.

Keywords:

Cultural intelligence , Reading comprehension ability , EFL learners