The Association between Culture-Based Instruction on College Students' Perceived Linguistic Proficiency and Intercultural Understanding

Background: Culture and Language are interrelated aspects in language learning; however, there is little information that has been obtained regarding culture-based instruction, intercultural communication, and linguistic competence among students in higher education institutions.Purpose: This study investigated the relationships between Culture-Based Instruction, Cultural Content, Authentic Cultural Materials, Culturally Embedded Group Activities, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Positive Attitudes towards Culture, Intercultural Understanding, and Perceived Linguistic Proficiency.Method: A mixed-methods approach was adopted for the study, whereby 532 purposively sampled university students from China participated. The methods of data collection involved the use of pre- and post-tests, structured questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews. Data analyses involved SPSS and R software. These methods included Fisher’s z-test, mediation regression, spaghetti plot, and pair plot. The qualitative data were collected from 24 students and thematically analyzed using QDA Miner Lite software and VOSviewer.Results: Perceived Linguistic Proficiency increased from a pre-test mean of 3.18 to a post-test mean of 3.94, while Intercultural Understanding increased from 3.12 to 4.07. The association between Culture-Based Instruction and Perceived Linguistic Proficiency increased from r = 0.258 to r = 0.576. The regression model explained 47.0% of the variance in Perceived Linguistic Proficiency (R² = 0.470; F(7,524) = 66.490, p < .001). Intercultural Understanding partly mediated the association of Culture-Based Instruction with Perceived Linguistic Proficiency (B = 0.079, 95% CI [0.045, 0.119]). Novelty: The model distinguishes culture-oriented learning approaches, with Intercultural Understanding as a mediator.Conclusion: The interconnected relationships among culture-based instructional features, Perceived Linguistic Proficiency, and Intercultural Understanding within an integrated analytical framework, highlighting the theoretical and pedagogical relevance of culture-based instruction for language learning in higher education.