A study on ELT students’ cultural awareness and attitudes towards incorporation of target culture into language instruction

Serap Atasever Belli

Abstract


Culture and language are inseparable from each other as both in combination reflect shared cultural properties such as values, behaviours, and attitude inherent in the society we live and in language patterns we use. In this respect, it is highly valuable to integrate cultural elements into language education for intercultural understanding and welcoming different cultures. The aim of this research was to explore the attitudes of Turkish university students at English Language Teaching (ELT) Department towards culture and its integration into language teaching and their cultural awareness and to reveal if birthplace, gender, experience abroad and high school graduated had any influence on their attitudes. Data were collected from 96 participants through a questionnaire consisting of three parts (i.e. demographic information, multiple-choice questions, and 5-point Likert-type scale). For data analysis, descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage and means) and one-way ANOVA were conducted via SPSS and open-ended items were qualitatively analyzed. Overall, findings of the study yielded positive attitudes of significant numbers of ELT students towards culture and its incorporation in language teaching regardless of their birthplace, type of high school, and experience abroad. As for gender, female students had more positive attitudes towards culture than males. Additionally, participants were found to learn culture mainly to develop their cultural awareness and maintain better communication with people from different cultures. In the light of findings, necessary implications were provided for teachers and teacher educators regarding raising cultural awareness of students and developing positive attitudes towards incorporation of target culture into language instruction.

Keywords


Culture teaching; cultural awareness; attitudes towards target culture; learners of English as a foreign language; English language teacher education

Full Text:

PDF

References


Adaskou, K., Britten, D., & Fahsi, B. (1990). Design decisions on cultural content of a secondary course for Morocco, ELT Journal, 44(1), 3–10. DOI:10.1093/elt/44.1.3

Atay, D. (2005). Reflections on the cultural dimension of language teaching. Language and Intercultural Communication, 5(3 & 4), 222-237.

Atay, D., Kurt, G., Çamlıbel, Z., & Kaslıoğlu, Ö. (2009). The Role of Intercultural Competence in Foreign Language Teaching. Inonu University Journal of The Faculty of Education, 10(3), 123-135. DOI: 10.1080/14708470508668897

Aydemir, E., & Mede, E. (2014). Integrating Target Culture in EFL Classrooms. Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 5(1). 13-38. DOI:10.17569/tojqi.68001

Bada, E. (2000). Culture in ELT. Çukurova University Journal of Social Sciences, 6, 100-110.

Bayyurt, Y. (2006). Non-native English language teachers’ perspective on culture in English as a Foreign Language classrooms. Teacher Development, 10 (2), 233-247.

Bennett, M. J. (1993). How not to be fluent fool: Understanding the cultural dimension of language. The Language Teacher, 27 (9).

Brown, H. D. (2000). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. Fourth Edition. Pearson Education.

Byram, M. (1988). Foreign language education and cultural studies. Language, Culture, and Curriculum, 1(1), 15-31. DOI: 10.1080/07908318809525025

Byram, M., & Morgan, C. (1994). Teaching-and-learning Language-and-culture. Clevedon, Avon: Multilingual Matters.

Byram, M., & Risager, K. (1999). Language Teachers, Politics and Cultures. Multilingual Matters: USA.

Çalışkan, G. (2009). Creating cultural awareness in language classrooms. Unpublished MA Thesis. Hacettepe University: Ankara.

Çamlıbel, Z. C. (1998). EFL teachers’ opinions on teaching the target language culture: A survey study in Turkey. Unpublished M.A. Thesis. Boğaziçi University, İstanbul, Turkey.

Canagarajah, A. S. (1993). Critical ethnography of a Sri Lankan classroom: Ambiguities in student opposition to reproduction through ESOL. TESOL Quarterly, 27(4), 601-626. DOI: 10.2307/3587398

Corbett, J. (2003). An intercultural approach to English language teaching. Multilingual Matters Ltd. Great Britain.

Dweik, B. S., & Al-sayyed, S.W. (2015). Attitudes of Jordanian Students, Teachers and Educationalists towards Including Culture in EFL Classes and Textbooks “Action Pack 12â€. International Journal of Social Sciences, Languages and Linguistics, 40(1), 1126-1141.

Frank, J. (2013). Raising cultural awareness in the English language classrooms. English Teaching Forum, 4, 1-11.

Hammer, J. (1985). Culture and Language: The individual approach. Foreign Language Annals, 18(1), 53.

Hesar, M., P., K., M.Y., & Zarfsaz, E. (2012). Why and How to Apply Culture in an EFL Classroom? International Conference on Language, Medias and Culture (IPEDR), 33, 68-72.

Hofstede, G. (1984). Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J. & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. 3rd Edition, McGraw-Hill USA.

Genc, B. & Bada, E. (2005). Culture in language learning and teaching. The Reading Matrix, 5 (1). 73-84.

Işık, A. (2002). Affective Factors in Language Learning. Presented at International ELT Conference Doğu Akdeniz University. May, 10, Magusa, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Irıskulova, A. (2012). The investigation of the cultural presence in Spot on 8 ELT textbook published in Turkey: Teachers’ and students’ expectations versus real cultural load of the textbook. Unpublished M. A. thesis. Middle East Technical University: Ankara.

Kahraman, A. (2016). Teachers’ and Learners’ Attitudes towards Culture and Culture Learning in a Turkish Context. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 12(2), 01-12.

Karabınar, S., & Guler, C. Y. (2012). The Attitudes of EFL Teachers Towards Teaching Culture and Their Classroom Practices. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 2(2), 113-126.

Kramsch, C. J. (1983). Culture and Constructs: Communicating Attitudes and Values in the Foreign Language Classroom. Foreign Language Annals, 12, 437.

Kramsch, C. L. (1987). Foreign Language Textbooks’ Construction of Foreign Reality. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 44(1), 95-119.

Lessard-Clouston, M. (1996). Chinese teachers' views of culture in their EFL learning and Teaching. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 9(3), 197-224. DOI: 10.1080/07908319609525231

Larzénâ€Ã–stermark, E. (2008). The intercultural dimension in EFLâ€teaching: A study of conceptions among Finlandâ€Swedish comprehensive school teachers. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 52(5), 527-547.

McKay, S. L. (2003). The Cultural Basis of Teaching English as an International Language. TESOL Matters, 13(4).

Önalan, O. (2004). EFL teachers’ perceptions of the place of culture in ELT: A survey study at four universities in Ankara/Turkey. Unpublished MA Thesis. Middle East Technical University: Ankara.

Önalan, O. (2005). EFL Teachers’ Perceptions of the place of culture in ELT: A survey study at four universities in Ankara/Turkey. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 1(2), 215-235.

Reid, J. (1995). President’s message: Let’s put ‘T’ back in TESL/TEFL programs. TESOL Matters,3.

Rezaeifard, F., & Chalak, A. (2017). The Impact of Linguistic and Cultural Imperialism on Iranian ELT Context: Attitudes of Teachers and Students. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 4(6), 124-135.

Sarıçoban, A., & Çalışkan, G. (2011). The Influence of Target Culture on Language Learners. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 7(1), 7-17.

Stodolsky, S.S., & Grossman, P.L. (1995). The impact of subject matter on curricular activity: An analysis of Five Academic Subjects. American Educational Research Journal, 32, 227-249. DOI: 10.3102/00028312032002227

Şen, S. (2010). A profile of EFL teachers’ knowledge of the target culture from their epistemological sources to classroom applications. Unpublished Master’s Thesis. Hacettepe University: Ankara.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies
ISSN 1305-578X (Online)
Copyright © 2005-2022 by Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies