1 Introduction

Emphasis was placed on the importance of intercultural communication skills in the context of globalization, and it was pointed out that the "Teaching Guidelines for Undergraduate Foreign Language and Literature Majors in Ordinary Higher Education Institutions" consider it as one of the core competencies of foreign language majors. The paper explores how to effectively cultivate this ability in teaching, mentioning various teaching strategies such as online and multimedia teaching methods, ethnography cross-cultural foreign language teaching methods, and blended learning models. The research consensus is that experiential teaching can help improve students' cross-cultural communication skills, and the cultivation of this ability needs to go beyond the classroom and expand learning space. Foreign scholars have provided experience for the development of cross-cultural communication skills through cross-cultural partnership programs and online real-life interactions. The internationalization of Chinese universities provides the possibility for designing authentic cross-cultural communication, and the research aims to explore how to utilize international student resources to enhance students' cross-cultural communication skills. The PEER model proposed by British scholars cultivates cross-cultural communication skills through a series of activities, emphasizing communication effectiveness and cultural critical awareness. This study improves the PEER model based on the actual situation of Chinese students, and takes English major college students as the research object to explore its application effect in China.

2. Cross cultural Communication Competence and PEER Model

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization defines intercultural communication competence as an understanding of a specific culture, an awareness of issues related to interaction between different cultures, a positive attitude, and interactive skills. Scholars generally believe that this ability includes four dimensions: knowledge, attitude, skills, and consciousness. Byram's model emphasizes the importance of critical cultural awareness in foreign language teaching. The PEER model was proposed by Holmes and O'Neill, which involves six or more communication activities with international students from different cultural backgrounds, divided into four stages: preparation, communication, evaluation, and reflection, with the aim of enhancing students' cross-cultural communication skills. This model emphasizes students' autonomy and the dual role of practitioners, helping students form a clear understanding of cross-cultural communication skills through practice and reflection.

3 Research Design

This chapter introduces the practical research on cultivating cross-cultural communication skills among English major students based on the PEER model. The study was conducted at an applied undergraduate university, selecting 39 third year English major students. After completing two years of professional study, their language abilities were comparable to those of international students in the school. The research aims to explore whether the PEER model can effectively enhance students' cross-cultural communication skills, and analyze the specific changes in cross-cultural knowledge, attitudes, skills, and critical awareness.

4 Research Results and Discussion

By analyzing students' reflection logs and interview content, this study explores the effectiveness of the PEER model in enhancing cross-cultural communication skills among English major students. Research has found that the PEER model has achieved positive results in enhancing students' cross-cultural attitudes, knowledge, skills, and critical awareness. Students exhibit a spiral upward trend from fear to confidence in cross-cultural attitudes. In terms of cross-cultural knowledge, they expand their understanding of different cultures through communication with international students. In terms of cross-cultural skills, they enhance their cultural interpretation and interaction abilities through practical communication. In terms of cross-cultural critical awareness, they strengthen their ability to objectively evaluate cultural phenomena through cultural comparison activities. In addition, the PEER model has stimulated students' enthusiasm for self-directed learning, enhanced their motivation for English learning, and cultivated patriotic emotions. Overall, the PEER model has been highly recognized and positively evaluated by students as an effective way to cultivate cross-cultural communication skills.

5 Conclusion and Suggestions

This study combines the PEER model with cross-cultural communication teaching for English majors in Chinese applied undergraduate universities. Through sixteen weeks of teaching practice, students' cross-cultural communication skills have been effectively improved. Despite limitations in the research, such as the lack of quantitative data analysis and representativeness of research subjects, suggestions for improving the PEER teaching model in the future have been proposed. Suggestions include: using "Internet plus" teaching resources, such as Future Learn platform and Slow application, to create a real cross-cultural communication context for students; Give full play to students' initiative, stimulate their learning enthusiasm and improve classroom interaction through teaching evaluation and flipped classroom methods; Future research can collect evaluations from international students to comprehensively assess the development of their cross-cultural communication skills.