Cultural Problems in Teaching and Learning of English as a Foreign Language in Tunisia

2017 ◽  
pp. 257-274
Author(s):  
Aicha Rahal
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Authentic Materials ◽  
Cultural Challenges ◽  
Integration Of Technology

Culture now becomes a key element in most educational systems, particularly in Higher education, where cultural Studies are an essential part of most language instruction. The aim of this chapter is to explore the cultural challenges that hinder the process of learning English in Tunisia and to suggest solutions for overcoming these. A questionnaire was used as the primary data collection material. It was found that lack of authentic materials, lack of cultural knowledge of the target language, poor textbooks, limited exposure to authentic culture environment and native culture interference are considered to be the main problems. The results also showed that these challenges can be remedied by using more authentic materials, revising the content of textbooks, the integration of technology and cultural awareness.

Cultural Problems in Teaching and Learning of English as a Foreign Language in Tunisia

2020 ◽  
pp. 211-229
Author(s):  
Aicha Rahal
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Authentic Materials ◽  
Cultural Challenges ◽  
Integration Of Technology

Culture now becomes a key element in most educational systems, particularly in Higher education, where cultural Studies are an essential part of most language instruction. The aim of this chapter is to explore the cultural challenges that hinder the process of learning English in Tunisia and to suggest solutions for overcoming these. A questionnaire was used as the primary data collection material. It was found that lack of authentic materials, lack of cultural knowledge of the target language, poor textbooks, limited exposure to authentic culture environment and native culture interference are considered to be the main problems. The results also showed that these challenges can be remedied by using more authentic materials, revising the content of textbooks, the integration of technology and cultural awareness.

scholarly journals STUDENT TEACHERS’ OPINIONS ABOUT USING AUTHENTIC MATERIALS AND TASKS FOR ACQUIRING ESTONIAN CULTURAL HISTORY

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristel Ruutmets ◽  
◽  
Evi Saluveer ◽  
Mari Niitra
Keyword(s):  
Student Teachers ◽  
Cultural History ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
First Year ◽  
Authentic Materials ◽  
First Year Students

According to the Estonian National Curriculum for Basic Schools (2011), students should value their cultural heritage. Therefore, schools should do everything to develop students’ cultural awareness and knowledge. Despite the importance of the topic the curriculum does not specify how and where it should be taught and does not say which material to use. One possibility to address the problem is to use authentic materials and tasks. The latter offer numerous ways to learn about one’s cultural history, and help to create a bridge between the classroom and real life. Authentic materials are not specifically created for pedagogic purposes while authentic tasks require students to learn, practise and evaluate material the same way as they would do in real life. The focus of the use authentic materials has so far been mostly on foreign language teaching and learning. However, they have a huge potential in acquiring cultural knowledge as they offer both current and historical information. The aim of the study was to find out future primary school teachers’ opinions about the authentic materials and tasks used during the course “The Child in Estonian Cultural History”. 25 first-year students who attended the course participated in the study. The data was collected from the students’ written reflection and analysed qualitatively. The results revealed that the students understood the relevance of authentic materials and tasks in acquiring and appreciating one’s cultural history. They believed that authentic materials and tasks enrich the teaching and learning process, and help to make connections to their everyday life. It also became evident that the students needed better instructions of how to find appropriate authentic materials and exploit them effectively in their future teaching career.

scholarly journals Good Practices for Primary-Level Content-based Foreign Language Instruction Identified in Finland

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taina M Wewer
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Foreign Language Instruction

This practice-oriented article, also applicable for general foreign and second language instruction, outlines experiences and classroom practices recognized as functional and effective in CLIL (content and language integrated learning) contexts. CLIL can be defined as a comprehensive approach to foreign language teaching because it aims at learning language through various content across the curriculum. Since one of the guidelines in the Finnish basic education is teacher autonomy, the fluctuation in materials, practices and methods is notable. Therefore, there is no sole authenticated model of CLIL implementation, but the practices rather vary significantly from one classroom to another. Furthermore, the extent of the target language (TL) exposure has an impact on the instructional choices as well as the pre-negotiated and defined learning objectives. In most cases, the primary aim is that the child learns to read and write in the mother tongue or the main language of instruction (most often Finnish in Finland), and the target language (in this case English) is gradually and increasingly incorporated into the everyday classroom practice. Hence, instruction is bilingual. Research on foreign language teaching and learning helps to formulate some of the recurring linguistic practices in CLIL classrooms which is important in shaping the language used for social purposes. The integration of language and content and academic language need special attention in CLIL. In a similar manner, assessment of the target language, has to be specifically addressed. I will touch upon all these issues in the three main sections drawing on CLIL instruction with approximately 25% English exposure of total instruction.  

scholarly journals Attitudes towards the Efficiency of English Culture Treatment at Schools: A Case of Iranian Kurdish EFL Learners

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 562
Author(s):  
Sahar Ahamdpour ◽  
Davud Kuhi
Keyword(s):  
High Schools ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
West Azerbaijan ◽  
Culture And Language ◽  
The Way

Language is used for communication and it is a carrier of culture. Culture and language are inseparable. If learners are successful in understanding and use of the target language, they need to have good knowledge of cultural aspects of the foreign language as well. Therefore it is essential to teach culture and language simultaneously. The present study aims to understand Iranian Kurdish EFL learners’ attitude towards the way culture is addressed and treated in English language course at high schools. To this end, two hundred and fifty female EFL learners were selected based on availability sampling from two high schools in Boukan, West Azerbaijan and were asked to complete the attitude questionnaire. The results indicated that Iranian Kurdish EFL learners hold negative attitudes towards the way culture is treated at English course in Iranian high schools. At the end, the paper provides some recommendations for policy makers, textbook designers, and teachers in order to foster cultural awareness in teaching and learning process.

scholarly journals A Study on the Use of Mixed Language in Teaching English at Hospitality Management Class

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 162
Author(s):  
Ni Luh Supartini ◽  
Ni Putu Oka Agustini
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Hospitality Management ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Interview Session ◽  
Mixed Language

Learning English as a foreign language required some strategies to achieve the goal of communication. In teaching and learning process, the teacher and students frequently use their first language to explain the difficult word in English. This study aimed to investigate the language used by the teacher as communication strategies in teaching English as a foreign language and students’ responses toward the use of each type of language instruction in teaching English at Hospitality class. To investigate the study there were 2 teachers and 2 classes of hospitality management class as the subject. The data were collected through observation of teaching and learning process and interview session. The study was designed as descriptive qualitative research and the data were analyzed descriptively. The finding showed that the teacher used the target language frequently, however the used of mixed language to explain some difficult words also found in teaching and learning process.  

scholarly journals Cross-Cultural Pragmatics and Its challenges in EFL context

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dian Rianita
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Efl Context ◽  
High Level ◽  
Cultural Pragmatics

Preprint-The target of teaching and learning a foreign language, like English, is customary to give the learners knowledge in using the target language for communication in an appropriate way. Because of that, it is not enough to teach the learners merely grammar skills, but they have to be provided with the cross-cultural competence in using the target language. Linguists believe that mastering high-level skills in grammar does not mean the learners have the equal pragmatic competence. Thus, the instruction concerning pragmatics is compulsory in term of rising a cross-cultural awareness. This paper discusses the intercultural pragmatics and its importance in second language acquisition. The discussion covers the challenges faced by the learners in becoming proficient at using English as their target language

To do or not to do: willingness to communicate in the ESL context

English Today ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-42
Author(s):  
Syeda Farzana Bukhari ◽  
Xiaoguang Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Successful Communication ◽  
Do So

English is used by more than one and a half billion people as a first, second or foreign language for communication purposes (Strevens, 1992). In this context, the purpose of teaching English has shifted from mastery of the grammatical rules to the ability to use the target language for successful communication. Consequently, the communication aspect of teaching and learning English has become the key issue in the domain of second language acquisition (Yashima, 2002: 54). Therefore, the issue of whether the learners will communicate in English when they have the chance to do so and to what extent they are willing to communicate gain importance. These questions have led to the emergence of an important construct in the field of L2 instruction, i.e. willingness to communicate (hereafter, WTC), which is defined as a learner's ‘readiness to enter into discourse at a particular time with a specific person or persons, using a L2’ (MacIntyre et al., 1998: 547). MacIntyre and his associates even proposed that WTC in L2 should be conceptualized as ‘the primary goal’ of language instruction (MacIntyre et al., 1998: 545). This paper explores the important concept of WTC by looking into Pakistani students' WTC in Canada.

scholarly journals Sense of agency among frequently anxious learners of English in Swedish primary school: Mismatching beliefs and experiences

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Nilsson
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Sense Of Agency ◽  
Foreign Language Instruction ◽  
Emotional Experiences ◽  
Young Learners ◽  
Oral Interaction

Instilling a sense of agency (SoA) in young learners is an important aspect of foreign language instruction, as is the counteracting of emergent foreign language anxiety (FLA). Focusing on learners who frequently experience FLA, this study explores young learners’ beliefs and classroom experiences in relation to teaching and learning of English, in order to highlight the way in which they perceive their own agency, that is, their situated SoA. After initial classroom observations, learners from seven Swedish classrooms, across years 2–5, were seated in small groups to discuss open questions about target language (TL) use, oral interaction, instructional work mode and the role of the teacher and the learners. The present study is based on discussions among 31 of those learners. Qualitative content analysis of the recorded discussions reveals conflicting beliefs and experiences. These frequently anxious learners stressed the importance of extensive input in English and of learners engaging and speaking the TL. However, they also expressed that oral instructions and prompts, which were sometimes incomprehensible, made them feel frustrated and insecure. Considering the risk of embarrassment, they refrained from asking questions or volunteering to speak. Thus, their accounts of their emotional experiences and actions did not align with their beliefs, which hampered their SoA. The findings illustrate the interrelated nature of beliefs, emotional experiences and agency. Implications for primary language teaching relate to target language use and offering plenty of time for learners to practice their oral skills under conditions that they perceive as safe.

scholarly journals The Significance of Introducing Culture in EFL Instruction

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Noor Malihah
Keyword(s):  
Learning Process ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
L1 And L2

EFL students many times made mistakes in using the English expressions and led to misinterpretations or even acceptable message of their utterances. This is due to their lack of cultural awareness or their understanding towards L2 culture. Therefore, EFL teachers should think of how to give position to the L1 and L2 culture in their teaching and learning process of EFL instructions.To solve the problems, there are some approaches used to introduce the target language culture, by knowing the obstacles that the learners frequently made. Keywords: EFL; Cultural Awareness; Approaches; Obstacles

scholarly journals The Significance of Introducing Culture in EFL Instruction

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noor Malihah
Keyword(s):  
Learning Process ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
L1 And L2

EFL students many times made mistakes in using the English expressions and led to misinterpretations or even acceptable message of their utterances. This is due to their lack of cultural awareness or their understanding towards L2 culture. Therefore, EFL teachers should think of how to give position to the L1 and L2 culture in their teaching and learning process of EFL instructions.To solve the problems, there are some approaches used to introduce the target language culture, by knowing the obstacles that the learners frequently made. 

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