Addressing the intercultural via task-based language teaching: possibility or problem?

A frequent weakness of communicative approaches to foreign language teaching is a neglect of the intercultural dimension. Cultural knowledge is often treated as an addendum which focuses on learning facts about the target country. This article explores whether task-based language teaching (TBLT) can successfully address the intercultural dimension. Using findings that emerge from a series of one-to-one interviews, this article explores practitioners’ current understandings of cultural knowledge, and how these understandings influence their practices. It identifies strengths and weaknesses and considers the steps that may be necessary if TBLT is to be a more successful mediator of the intercultural dimension.