The CATESOL Journal

This article addresses the issue of culture within the field of Teaching English as a Second or Other Language (TESOL), suggesting that it is essential that English as a Second Language (ESL) professionals understand students as both members of cultures and as individuals. It also discusses two dimensions from the field of intercultural communication that impact the ESL classroom: individualism/collectivism and power distance. Each dimension will be defined and illustrated with classroom situations in which intercultural misunderstandings have occurred. The misunderstandings will be explained from the point of view of each culture (the teacher’s and the student’s) and will demonstrate the need for ESL teachers to understand the intercultural dimensions operating in their classrooms.