scholarly journals Language in Multicultural Society

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 69-77
Author(s):  
Dr. Neerja Samajdar
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Human Interactions ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Target Culture

Learning a language, is not only learning sounds, alphabets and grammar, but it also means learning the customs and cultural norms. We all grow up in social circles, we informally learn how to use language expressions, gestures, tones. We get to learn the acceptable behaviors or language use in our society. We all speak Languages. We all imbibe Cultures. Language expresses a particular meaning that represents the culture of a particular social group. We interact with a language and culture becomes its reference point. Krober(1923) expresses, "Culture, then, began when speech was present, and from then on, the enrichment of either means the further development of the others". Hence, language and culture are complex, yet inseparable form of human interactions. Culture is complexly intertwined with language. Human interactions are defined as communication. The communicative force of culture works not only in representing aspects of reality, but also in connecting one context with another. According to the linguistic relativity principle, the way we think about the world, gets influenced by the language we use to express it and vice versa. Therefore, consciously or unconsciously, we show certain behaviors and carry certain language habits which are deeply rooted in our culture. Thus learning a language means learning and adopting that culture.   This paper deals with this very relationship of language and culture with a cross-cultural interaction, how teaching and learning a foreign language plays a role in learning the target culture. This paper will make recommendations for effective culture education in foreign language classroom to develop intercultural competence.

scholarly journals Student interest in cultural content of a foreign country

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 465
Author(s):  
Katarina Krželj
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Legislative Framework ◽  
Target Culture

The paper presents results of a study on the interest of students of non-philological faculties (of universities in Serbia) in contents from foreign cultures and how high importance students attach to learning about the target culture in foreign language teaching and learning at non-philological faculties. The goal of modern foreign language teaching at non-philological faculties, in addition to the development of communicative competence in the profession, is also to develop pluricultural competence. In order to test the chances of attaining this goal, it is necessary to perform an analysis of the legislative framework in which teaching foreign languages for special purposes takes place, an analysis of learning aims and the possibility of developing cross-cultural sensitization. An analysis of the needs for and interests in the contents of the target culture must be precededed by an analysis of the specificities of intercultural learning and intercultural competence. Based on these results, it is possible to establish the correlation between the elements of the culture already present in the existing teaching material and the interests and needs of the target group which these materials are intended for.The data thus obtained will serve as a basis for defining the guidelines for selecting contents of the target culture, which, on one hand, will be based on methodological and didactical principles of interculturally oriented foreign language teaching, and on the other hand, will reflect the real needs and interests of the students from a number of non-philological faculties.

scholarly journals An Investigation of Intercultural Teaching and Learning in Tertiary EFL Classrooms in Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Si Thang Kiet Ho
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Culture Learning ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Efl Classrooms ◽  
Language Teaching And Learning

<p><b>Intercultural competence has become an important goal of foreign language education in response to the need for learners to function effectively in an increasingly multicultural world. Language and culture are seen as interwoven and inseparable components and therefore learning a foreign language inevitably means learning about other ways of being and behaving. Many foreign language programmes around the world, particularly in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, have adopted an intercultural pedagogy which seeks to integrate into the language teaching experience opportunities for developing intercultural competence for language learners. This study investigates intercultural teaching and learning in tertiary EFL classrooms in Vietnam, a context in which intercultural approaches to language teaching and learning have not been widely considered.</b></p> <p>The study consisted of three phases. The first phase involved a curriculum review in which I critically evaluated the extent to which culture and culture learning are represented in the curriculum frameworks for tertiary EFL programmes and in the national education policy on foreign language education in Vietnam. The findings showed that the importance of culture and culture learning is not emphasised, and the designation of culture to separate culture courses establishes a separate status, construct and treatment of culture and culture learning in the EFL programmes.</p> <p>In the second phase of the study, I analysed the perceptions of fourteen Vietnamese EFL teachers and two hundred Vietnamese EFL students on culture in language teaching and learning, and their classroom practices. The findings indicated that the teachers' beliefs about culture teaching revealed a predictable priority for teaching language rather than culture. Their culture teaching practices were greatly influenced by their perceptions and beliefs regarding culture in language teaching. The students also treated culture as a subordinate priority in language learning. Overall, they found culture learning beneficial for their language learning and supported the teachability of language and culture in EFL classes. Both the teachers and students identified a number of constraints that restricted their opportunities and motivation to engage in teaching and learning culture.</p> <p>The third phase of the study involved an empirical study investigating the effect of adopting an intercultural stance in English speaking lessons on thedevelopment of the learners' intercultural competence. Over a nine-week teaching period, eighteen English speaking lessons (90 minutes / lesson / week) for two equivalent, intact classes (seventy-one students) were observed. For one class, the lessons were adapted to reflect the principles of intercultural language learning. For the other, no changes were made. The results showed that the intercultural competence of learners in the intercultural class increased by significantly more than that of learners in the standard class. In particular, the students in the intercultural class were able to better articulate ethnorelative awareness and attitudes towards their home culture and the target culture. The findings also showed that the reflective journal was an effective tool to assess learners' process of acquiring intercultural competence, particularly affective capacities that are not easy to evaluate by other means.</p> <p>Overall, the study provided evidence for the feasibility of intercultural teaching and learning in tertiary EFL classrooms in the Vietnamese context. It also showed that intercultural teaching and learning cultivated learners' affective capacities which are often overlooked in the EFL classroom. It is hoped that the study can inform the work of curriculum designers, education policy-makers as well as EFL teachers and students for the implementation of intercultural language teaching and learning in Vietnam and elsewhere.</p>

scholarly journals The Role of Grit in Students’ L2 Engagement in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Academic Field ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
The One ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Due to the rapid development of teaching and learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL), on the one hand, and the arrival of positive psychology (PP) in the process of language education, on the other hand, student engagement has been burgeoned and got a noteworthy role in the academic field. The present review attempts to investigate the relationship of grit with students’ L2 engagement, by examining both backgrounds and consequences of grit. Consequently, the effectiveness of findings for policymakers and academic experts is discussed, along with the prominence of strengthening grit in the scholastic contexts in order to cultivate character in learners and improve their prospects.

scholarly journals An Investigation of Intercultural Teaching and Learning in Tertiary EFL Classrooms in Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Si Thang Kiet Ho
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Culture Learning ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Efl Classrooms ◽  
Language Teaching And Learning

<p><b>Intercultural competence has become an important goal of foreign language education in response to the need for learners to function effectively in an increasingly multicultural world. Language and culture are seen as interwoven and inseparable components and therefore learning a foreign language inevitably means learning about other ways of being and behaving. Many foreign language programmes around the world, particularly in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, have adopted an intercultural pedagogy which seeks to integrate into the language teaching experience opportunities for developing intercultural competence for language learners. This study investigates intercultural teaching and learning in tertiary EFL classrooms in Vietnam, a context in which intercultural approaches to language teaching and learning have not been widely considered.</b></p> <p>The study consisted of three phases. The first phase involved a curriculum review in which I critically evaluated the extent to which culture and culture learning are represented in the curriculum frameworks for tertiary EFL programmes and in the national education policy on foreign language education in Vietnam. The findings showed that the importance of culture and culture learning is not emphasised, and the designation of culture to separate culture courses establishes a separate status, construct and treatment of culture and culture learning in the EFL programmes.</p> <p>In the second phase of the study, I analysed the perceptions of fourteen Vietnamese EFL teachers and two hundred Vietnamese EFL students on culture in language teaching and learning, and their classroom practices. The findings indicated that the teachers' beliefs about culture teaching revealed a predictable priority for teaching language rather than culture. Their culture teaching practices were greatly influenced by their perceptions and beliefs regarding culture in language teaching. The students also treated culture as a subordinate priority in language learning. Overall, they found culture learning beneficial for their language learning and supported the teachability of language and culture in EFL classes. Both the teachers and students identified a number of constraints that restricted their opportunities and motivation to engage in teaching and learning culture.</p> <p>The third phase of the study involved an empirical study investigating the effect of adopting an intercultural stance in English speaking lessons on thedevelopment of the learners' intercultural competence. Over a nine-week teaching period, eighteen English speaking lessons (90 minutes / lesson / week) for two equivalent, intact classes (seventy-one students) were observed. For one class, the lessons were adapted to reflect the principles of intercultural language learning. For the other, no changes were made. The results showed that the intercultural competence of learners in the intercultural class increased by significantly more than that of learners in the standard class. In particular, the students in the intercultural class were able to better articulate ethnorelative awareness and attitudes towards their home culture and the target culture. The findings also showed that the reflective journal was an effective tool to assess learners' process of acquiring intercultural competence, particularly affective capacities that are not easy to evaluate by other means.</p> <p>Overall, the study provided evidence for the feasibility of intercultural teaching and learning in tertiary EFL classrooms in the Vietnamese context. It also showed that intercultural teaching and learning cultivated learners' affective capacities which are often overlooked in the EFL classroom. It is hoped that the study can inform the work of curriculum designers, education policy-makers as well as EFL teachers and students for the implementation of intercultural language teaching and learning in Vietnam and elsewhere.</p>

scholarly journals Ethnographic approaches to developing intercultural competence through intercultural interactions in the higher education context in China

2020 ◽  
pp. 11-36
Author(s):  
Yi’an Wang ◽  
Liyang Miao
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Intercultural Interactions

With the recent developing trend of redefining ‘culture’ across disciplines in intercultural and foreign language education (Corbett, 2003; Shaules, 2007; Spencer-Oatey & Franklin, 2010), it is widely agreed that culture requires a broader definition to improve the teaching and learning of it. Wilkinson (2012) suggests “a redefinition of culture in anthropological rather than aesthetic terms” (p. 302) to ensure that intercultural and language learning leads to Intercultural Competence (IC). Others (Buttjes, 1991; Risager, 2006) also note the importance of anthropological conceptualization when culture is taught in foreign and/or second language classrooms, because motivation to learn the language is increased. Byram (1991) similarly emphasized the need to include active ‘cultural experience’ in the foreign language classroom, and provided examples including cooking and geography lessons, in which students learn about the food and geography of the country whose language they are studying. A crucial element in research within the anthropology field is ethnography. Thus, to achieve a fuller understanding of culture “as the full gauntlet of social experience that students of foreign languages both learn and participate in” (Wilkinson, 2012, p. 302), including Holliday&apos;s (2004) concept of ‘small culture’, students should take on the role of ethnographer too; ethnography practices, in a variety of forms, have become central to intercultural approaches to culture and language teaching and learning (Corbett, 2003).

scholarly journals Discussing empirical research on the language and culture relationship to inform English as an additional/foreign language pedagogy and teacher education

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria Gil ◽  
Renata Gomes Luis
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Classroom Interaction ◽  
Teacher Cognition ◽  
Foreign Language Pedagogy ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Relationship Of

Abstract In spite of the existence of a substantial body of theoretical literature that deals with the intersection of language and culture in the field of English as a foreign/additional (EA/FL) language teaching and learning, there are very few empirical studies that investigate this issue with real teachers and learners. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to review some of those empirical studies with a view to informing additional/foreign language pedagogy and teacher education.  For that, the paper, first, summarizes some of the main theoretical issues by discussing the different ways in which the relationship of language and culture has been subjacent to EA/FL pedagogies. Then, the paper shows that there are three different types of language-and-culture-related empirical studies: on coursebooks, on teacher cognition, and on classroom interaction and teacher cognition. A review of these types of studies is made by discussing their main findings. Finally, the paper brings about some implications for the field from the findings of the empirical studies and proposes some topics for further research. Key-words: Culture and language relation. English as an additional/foreign language. Empirical studies.   Resumo Apesar da existência de uma vasta literatura teórica que lida com a interseção entre língua e cultura na área de ensino e aprendizagem do inglês como língua adicional/estrangeira (LA/E), existem poucos estudos empíricos que investigam essa questão com professores e alunos reais. Portanto, o objetivo deste trabalho é revisar alguns desses estudos empíricos com o intuito de contribuir com a pedagogia e a formação de professores de inglês como LA/E. Para isso este trabalho, em primeiro lugar, resume algumas das principais questões teóricas, discutindo as diferentes maneiras em que a relação entre língua e cultura tem subjazido às pedagogias do Inglês como LA/E.  Em seguida, o trabalho mostra que há três tipos de estudos empíricos que lidam com a intersecção língua-cultura: estudos sobre livros didáticos, estudos sobre crenças/concepções de professores, e estudos sobre a interação de sala de aula e as crenças/concepções dos professores. Uma revisão desses diferentes tipos de estudos empíricos é feita ao se discutir suas principais descobertas. Finalmente, o artigo traz algumas implicações para a área a partir dos resultados dos estudos empíricos e propõe alguns tópicos para futuras pesquisas. Palavras-chave: Relação entre língua e cultura. Inglês com língua adicional/estrangeira. Estudos empíricos.

scholarly journals Inverse translation and the language student: A case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-193
Author(s):  
Lucía Pintado Gutiérrez
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Inverse Translation ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis article explores the agency of the student in translation in language teaching and learning (or TILT). The purpose of the case study discussed here is to gain an overview of students’ perceptions of translation into the foreign language (FL) (also known as “inverse translation”) following a module on language and translation, and to analyse whether there is any correlation between students’ attitude to translation, its impact on their language learning through effort invested, and the improvement of language skills. The results of the case study reveal translation to be a potentially exciting skill that can be central to FL learning and the analysis gives indications of how and why language teachers may optimise the implementation of translation in the classroom. The outcome of the study suggests that further research is needed on the impact of translation in the language classroom focussing on both teachers’ expectations and students’ achievements.

scholarly journals New Trends in the Teaching of the Intercultural Competence as Part of the Process of Teaching Foreign Languages in the Context of Higher Education in Spain.

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
Yolanda García Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Short Introduction ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Open Window ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
Different Cultures

Today we live in the era of globalization. We define our world by the coexistence of various different cultures. The present article seeks to clarify the concept of intercultural competence when teaching foreign languages and the new trends in the context of Higher Education in Spain. We will start with a short introduction on the various studies and research on the relationships between language and culture However, the main aim in this article will be to point out the new roles played by teacher and learners in the process, the creation of new materials to support the intercultural dimension and the new types of activities that could be done inside and outside the classroom, such as the use of tele-collaboration, social networks and others. In other words, the elements that make up and give meaning to a new methodology for language teaching and learning and that help language teaching to be an open window towards other cultures and to develop a new and open-minded attitude towards diversity. Therefore, we will try to study some of the main current methodological approaches, stereotypes and contents linked to that intercultural competence.

scholarly journals Engaging in Collaborative Learning in a Japanese Language Classroom

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Megumu Doi ◽  
John Peters
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Social Process ◽  
Social Constructionist ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Annual Conference ◽  
American University ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Duke University

This article discusses the experiences of Megumu (first author) and her students as they engaged in collaborative learning (CL) in their intermediate Japanese course at an American university. CL was one of three types of teaching and learning employed in Megumu’s course, but it enabled students to learn aspects of Japanese language and culture that other types of teaching and learning are not designed to accomplish. We first discuss the concept of CL from our social constructionist perspective; i.e., we see learning as a social process of knowing instead of merely a construct of individual minds (Berger & Luckmann, 1966; Gergen, 1999). This is then followed by a description of how this social constructionist perspective was incorporated in Megumu’s course, based on her and students’ reflections on their CL experiences. Finally, we close with an invitation to readers to explore the potential of CL in various Japanese language classroom environments. 本論では、米国大学の中級日本語のクラスで、筆者とその学生達が協働学習教授法（Collaborative learning: CL）に参加した際の経験を論じる。CLはこのクラスで用いられた3種類の教授法の1つで、学生達が日本の言語や文化を学ぶ上で、他の教授法では可能でないことを達成するのに大変役立った。本論では、まず、社会構造主義の視点に基づいたCLの概念を論じる。ここで言う社会構造主義とは、学習を単に個人の知の構築ではなく、物事を知るという社会的過程であるとみなす理論である (Berger & Luckmann, 1966; Gergen, 1999)。次に、この社会構造主義の側面が筆者のクラスでどう用いられているかを、学生達との実際の経験を振り返って叙述する。最後に、様々な日本語教育現場におけるCLの可能性を、共に探求するよう読者に提案する。 *A version of this paper was presented at the 25th Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Teachers of Japanese (SEATJ) at Duke University, NC, in May 2010.

scholarly journals Developing intercultural competence in an academic foreign language classroom

2018 ◽  
pp. 133-154
Author(s):  
Monika Kusiak-Pisowacka
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Intercultural Communicative Competence ◽  
Communication Course ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Students First ◽  
Interesting Area

This paper focuses on the issue of developing intercultural communicative competence (ICC) in a higher education context, with a special focus put on teaching advanced foreign language (FL) students. First, the concept of ICC is discussed on the basis of Byram’s (1997) theory, which is still considered the most comprehensive model for describing the principles of developing and assessing intercultural competence in foreign language teaching. Next, a short overview of studies related to teaching ICC conducted by Polish researchers is presented. This is followed by a description of an Intercultural Communication course designed for university students and conducted by the author of the paper. In this report, the theoretical principles, the main aims of the course along with the techniques applied in teaching and evaluating students are discussed. It is hoped that the paper will be a useful contribution to discussions concerning developing ICC and will stimulate further research in this interesting area of education.

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