Rationale
In our global world, where many people from a variety of cultures have to communicate in a way, understanding different cultures have become significantly important to convey the meaning in conversations Therefore, culture is considered as an essential field in education, especially in language education It can be said that foreign/ second language learning is comprised of several components, including grammatical competence, communicative competence, language proficiency, as well as a change in attitudes towards one‟s own or another culture
As a result, in recent years, many foreign/ second language teachers have been aware of the importance of teaching the culture of the target language
Concerning this issue, Seelye (1993: 4) argues that “culture should be taught when we have students to teach” Moreover, day after day, more language teachers recognize that when the cultural aspects are included in the language teaching curriculum, students‟ communicative competence will be improved It means that in one form or another, culture has, even implicitly, been taught in the foreign/ second language classroom Kramsch‟s keen observation should not go unnoticed:
Culture in language learning is not an expendable fifth skill, tacked on, so to speak, to the teaching of speaking, listening, reading, and writing It is always in the background, right from day one, ready to unsettle the good language learners when they expect it least, making evident the limitations of their hard-won communicative competence, challenging their ability to make sense of the world around them (Kramsch, 1993: 1)
It is undeniable that culture plays an important role in language education
Therefore, with an effort to improve the language teaching in my case, “ A study on teaching cross-cultural elements in English speaking classes to Vietnamese study- majored students at Sao Do University” is chosen as the topic for my study.
Aims of the study
The aims of the thesis are:
- To investigate the attitudes of students towards the roles of cross-cultural knowledge in language speaking class
- To analyze the problems facing by students in integrating cross-cultural issues in conversational activities
- To suggest some practical methods and techniques to teach cross-cultural integrated speaking lessons.
Research questions
1- What are the attitudes of students towards the roles of cross-culture in language speaking class?
2- What are the problems facing by the students in integrating cross-cultural issues in conversational activities?
3- How can the teachers integrate cross-cultural elements in English speaking classes?
Scope of the study
With the globalization, it has became significantly important for language teachers to integrate culture in their classes so as to primarily raise the awareness of their students about the differences between cultures, then help them to be culturally competent and convey communication in the society of the target language
In an attempt to improve the situation of teaching English speaking skill for students of Vietnamese-study major, SDU, the researcher emphasized the methods and techniques of integrating cross-cultural elements into the speaking classes
The issues to be discussed are the most common and typical ones which are being concerned by most teachers in English teaching The attitudes of students who are at intermediate level towards the roles of cross-culture in language speaking class are investigated In addition, the problems that the students face in studying cross-culture in class are analyzed along with the cultural aspects in language teaching The most important issue is the discussion of methods and techniques for assisting cross-cultural teaching
In order to achieve the aims stated, an action research is carried out which employs qualitative methods as main methodologies All the considerations and conclusions are largely based on the analysis of the statistic data and references
The thesis consists of three parts:
This part includes the rationale, aims, scope of the study, methods and design of the study
This part is divided into three chapters
In this chapter, theories of culture, cross-culture, process of communication, need for cross-culture teaching, and principles for cross-culture teaching are critically discussed
In this chapter, the context as well as the method and procedure of the study are clearly indicated
Chapter III: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
The data analysis and findings are also presented with the illustration of data The problems related to teaching cross-cultural elements in language speaking class are clarified from detailed and critical analysis of data
Based on the results of the study, some methods and techniques that are suitable for the chosen context will be suggested They are expected to be helpful to improve the situation of teaching cross-culture in speaking class
Summary of the major findings and suggestions for further research are presented in this part
CHAPTER I: THEORETICAL PRELIMINARIES 1.1 What is culture?
Culture is often thought of as shared behavior and beliefs, but in any society, even the simplest one, all individuals never think and act exactly the same Different authors have different definitions of culture
In the first place, UNESCO (1996:108) launches the formal definition focusing on the character of culture as follows „Culture is a set of symbolic systems which regulate the behaviour and enable the mutual communication of a plurality of people, establishing them into particular and instinct community.‟
According to Block (2001), “Culture, in its broadest sense, is what makes you a stranger when you are away from home It includes all beliefs and expectations about how people should speak and act which have become a kind of second nature to you as a result of social learning When you are with members of a group who share your culture, we or you do not have to think about it, for you are all viewing the world in pretty much the same way and you all know, in general terms, what to expect of one another”
Ferrando (1996:18) considers Culture according to the nature of human beings‟ possession, perception and action: Culture is everything that one has, thinks, and does as a member of a society
Table 1: Ferrando’s definition of culture
Levine and Adelman (1993:58), on the other hand, look at the visible and invisible nature of constituting factors of culture The definition they put forth may be the most imaginative definition of all In their view, as for an iceberg, we can hardly see most of the influence of culture on an individual The risen part of culture is not always which that causes difficulties in cross – culture; the hidden aspects of culture exert meaningful influences on one’s behaviour and interaction with others
As a matter of fact, various definitions of culture reflect different theoretical concepts of what culture is It is, however, necessary for the researcher to adopt one that best guide her study Therefore, the thesis author finds the definition offered by
Sikkema and Niyekawa (1987: 27) useful because of its influence on communication
Culture is defined as the sum of total ways of living, including values, beliefs, and esthetic standards, and linguistic expressions, patterns of thinking, behaviour norm and style of communication which a group of people has developed to assure its survival in a particular physical and human environment
It can be seen from the definition that culture is viewed as a process of transaction rather than as a body of facts, which puts forth a convincing argument for introducing culture into second, or foreign language teaching The writer is personally interested in this definition as among different cultural descriptions, those factors clearly shown to affect intercultural and cross - cultural communication are absolutely the main concerns of classroom practices in second and foreign language
Cross-culture can be understood as “the meeting of two cultures or languages across the political boundaries of nation-states” (Kramsch, 1998: 81) The term
“cross-culture” or “interculture” usually refers to the meeting of two cultures” They are predicated on the equivalence of one nation-one culture-one language and on the expectation that a “culture-shock” may take place upon crossing national boundaries Cross-culture seeks ways to understand the other on the other side of the border According to Richards (1985: 92), “cross-cultural communication is an exchange of ideas, information, etc…between persons from different backgrounds
There are more problems in cross-cultural communication than in communication between people of the same cultural background Each participant may interpret the other‟s speech according to his or her own cultural conventions and expectations If the cultural conventions and misunderstandings can easily arise, even resulting in a total break down of communication This has been shown by research into real life situations, such as job interviews, doctor-patient encounters and legal communication” Thus, cross-cultural communication is the exchange and negotiation of information ideas, feelings and attitudes between individuals who come from different cultural backgrounds
Design of the study
The thesis consists of three parts:
This part includes the rationale, aims, scope of the study, methods and design of the study
This part is divided into three chapters
THEORETICAL PRELIMINARIES
What is culture?
Culture is often thought of as shared behavior and beliefs, but in any society, even the simplest one, all individuals never think and act exactly the same Different authors have different definitions of culture
In the first place, UNESCO (1996:108) launches the formal definition focusing on the character of culture as follows „Culture is a set of symbolic systems which regulate the behaviour and enable the mutual communication of a plurality of people, establishing them into particular and instinct community.‟
According to Block (2001), “Culture, in its broadest sense, is what makes you a stranger when you are away from home It includes all beliefs and expectations about how people should speak and act which have become a kind of second nature to you as a result of social learning When you are with members of a group who share your culture, we or you do not have to think about it, for you are all viewing the world in pretty much the same way and you all know, in general terms, what to expect of one another”
Ferrando (1996:18) considers Culture according to the nature of human beings‟ possession, perception and action: Culture is everything that one has, thinks, and does as a member of a society
Table 1: Ferrando’s definition of culture
Levine and Adelman (1993:58), on the other hand, look at the visible and invisible nature of constituting factors of culture The definition they put forth may be the most imaginative definition of all In their view, as for an iceberg, we can hardly see most of the influence of culture on an individual The risen part of culture is not always which that causes difficulties in cross – culture; the hidden aspects of culture exert meaningful influences on one’s behaviour and interaction with others
As a matter of fact, various definitions of culture reflect different theoretical concepts of what culture is It is, however, necessary for the researcher to adopt one that best guide her study Therefore, the thesis author finds the definition offered by
Sikkema and Niyekawa (1987: 27) useful because of its influence on communication
Culture is defined as the sum of total ways of living, including values, beliefs, and esthetic standards, and linguistic expressions, patterns of thinking, behaviour norm and style of communication which a group of people has developed to assure its survival in a particular physical and human environment
It can be seen from the definition that culture is viewed as a process of transaction rather than as a body of facts, which puts forth a convincing argument for introducing culture into second, or foreign language teaching The writer is personally interested in this definition as among different cultural descriptions, those factors clearly shown to affect intercultural and cross - cultural communication are absolutely the main concerns of classroom practices in second and foreign language.
What is cross-culture?
Cross-culture can be understood as “the meeting of two cultures or languages across the political boundaries of nation-states” (Kramsch, 1998: 81) The term
“cross-culture” or “interculture” usually refers to the meeting of two cultures” They are predicated on the equivalence of one nation-one culture-one language and on the expectation that a “culture-shock” may take place upon crossing national boundaries Cross-culture seeks ways to understand the other on the other side of the border According to Richards (1985: 92), “cross-cultural communication is an exchange of ideas, information, etc…between persons from different backgrounds
There are more problems in cross-cultural communication than in communication between people of the same cultural background Each participant may interpret the other‟s speech according to his or her own cultural conventions and expectations If the cultural conventions and misunderstandings can easily arise, even resulting in a total break down of communication This has been shown by research into real life situations, such as job interviews, doctor-patient encounters and legal communication” Thus, cross-cultural communication is the exchange and negotiation of information ideas, feelings and attitudes between individuals who come from different cultural backgrounds.
The process of communication
To understand communication, it is necessary to understand the nature of such process The first thing we need to know is that communication involves the use of symbols-things used to stand for or represent something else (Yule, 2000)
Communication, therefore, is a complex process, which involves not only the use of verbal symbols but also other symbolic elements that people use to transmit messages (paralinguistic features, gestures, body movements…) Up to this point, it is important to understand that the connection symbols have with their referents is totally arbitrate - that is there is not natural connection – and that such circumstance is culturally-conditioned Therefore, if a person is out of the group consensus or social convention regarding communicative symbols, he/ she is not going to be able to communicate with the people who share the meaning of such symbols (Brain, cited by Gudykunst and Young, 2002)
Another issue to concern is that communication involves transmitting and interpreting messages Transmitting messages implies using a way for making our thoughts, attitudes, or feeling recognizable for other people In order to transmit a message, a person may use different symbols On the other hand, interpreting messages is the process of decoding the symbols and making sense out of them In fact, both processes are influenced by culture As a result, people from different cultures transmit and interpret messages in different ways It means that when a person does not know the way people from other cultures transmit and interpret messages, she/ he usually relies on her/ his own coding system, incorporating her/ his own cultural patterns Therefore, the meaning transmitted and interpreted is usually detective or biased Moreover, it can be seen that as soon as we feel the interactional mismatch, we will experience high levels of uncertainty and anxiety
According to Gudykunst and Young, 2002, uncertainty refers to the inability to predict or explain other‟s behavior, feelings, attitudes or values; anxiety, on the other hand, is the feeling of tenseness, worry, or apprehension about what might happen in the interaction These factors, if not controlled, may lead to feelings of uneasiness, discomfort or even rejection towards target the culture or the person with a different culture
When people communicate with each other, they exhibit a style that is strongly influenced by their culture Communicative style refers to several characteristics of conversations between individuals, according to Barnlund (1989):
(1) the topics people prefer to discuss, (2) their favorite forms of interaction in conversation, (3) the depth to which they want to get involved with each other, (4) the communication channels (verbal or nonverbal) on which they rely, and (5) the level of meaning (factual versus emotional) to which they are most attuned
Naturally, people prefer to use their own communicative styles Issues about communicative style rarely arise when two people from the same culture are together because their styles generally agree Most people are as unaware of their communicative style as they are of their basic values and assumptions In English speaking classes, students should have some certain knowledge about culture in communication style of the target language speaking countries.
Need for cross-culture teaching
Learning a foreign language is required to attain intercultural communication between people of different cultural backgrounds Because it is important for learners to be involved in communicative acts as well as in the reality of the target culture, they are required to understand the cultural references and meanings of the native speakers Seelye (1993: 26) argued that the language teachers should consider certain goals when introducing culture in the language class: 1 Attitudes toward other cultures and societies, 2 Interaction of language and social variables, 3
Cultural connotations of words and phrases, 4 Conventional behavior in common situations, 5 The sense or functionality of culturally conditioned behavior, 6
Evaluating statements about a society and researching other cultures
It is undeniable that there is a need for second language learners to develop cross-cultural awareness (the recognition that culture affects perception and that culture influences values, attitudes, and behavior (Gaston, 1984)) and cross-cultural understanding (the capacity to understand that people‟s behavior differ because they have different worldviews that have been influenced by there contextual reality and, therefore, their culture) By this way students not only broaden their horizons about the target culture, but also gain a cross-cultural awareness which gives ideas about the „other‟s point of views.
Principles for cross-culture teaching
Teaching culture is considered important by most teachers but it has remained “insubstantial and sporadic in most language classrooms” (Omaggio,
1993, p 357) It seems that the biggest headache for language teachers, especially the teacher of EFL, is how to integrate culture teaching into our language programs
Risager (1998) describes four approaches to the teaching culture: the intercultural, multicultural, trans-cultural, and foreign cultural approach The intercultural and multicultural approaches include a considerable element of comparison The trans-cultural approach presupposes foreign language as an international language The foreign cultural approach only focuses on the target culture where the language is spoken
Apart from the above-discussed approaches, there are several approaches that center on different aspects of the target culture or concentrate on developing certain skills in learners The theme-based or thematic approach is based on certain themes, for example, symbolism, value, ceremony, love, honor, humor, beauty, intellectuality, the art of living, realism, common sense, family, liberty, patriotism, religion, and education, which are typical of a culture This approach tries to show the relationships and values in a target culture and, by his way, it helps learners to maintain a better understanding of it (Saluveer,2004) The topic-based approach concentrates on more general and cross-sectional topics which involve bringing life to class and develops a more holistic and integrated view of the target culture (Wisniewska-Brogowska, 2004) The problem-oriented approach aiming to get learners to be interested in the target culture encourages them to do some research on their own Seelye (1993) sees the teacher's role in defining the problem that interests learners The task-oriented approach is characterized by co-operative tasks based on learners' own research Learners work in pairs or small groups on different aspects of the target culture (Tomalin & Stempleski 1993) The skill-centered approach is different from the above-given approaches because it is more practical and might be useful for students who need to live in the country where target language is spoken The aim is to develop learners' skills, which help them manage the problems of (mis)communication between cultures/societies (Saluveer 2004)
One or more of these latter mentioned five approaches can be chosen by the teachers to integrate into their culture instruction according to the objectives of the class If the aim is to help students live in the target country and maintain effective communication in the society, the skill-centered approach can be followed On the other hand, if the aim of the lesson is to raise consciousness about the target language culture, then, topic–based or the theme-based approaches can be followed during the instruction In my case, I am applying the approach of topic-basing, which is so practical and useful for students to experience the cross-sections in communication and develop their language competence as well
1.5.2 Practical techniques for teaching cross-culture in the EFL classroom
It can be seen clearly that there are a range of practical techniques that we found to be successful in culture-based courses that can help to make the teaching of culture a better experience for both teachers and students
According to Lili Dai (2011), the teachers can adopt an effective method on cultural texture in order to make a better cultural acquisition from language teaching
Oxford (1994) has used the term “cultural texture” to describe the many aspects of the culture that teachers need to teach to their students To achieve this texture, teachers need to vary three different parameters: information sources, activity-types and positive interactions a Information sources
Lili Dai (2011) claimed that first of all, teachers should encourage students to collect information, and they can use encyclopedias, multimedia software and the internet for the required material Students will try every means possible to get the knowledge themselves instead of waiting for it In addition, they will analyze the information and select what material best fits their cultural topics
In order to get a comprehensive picture of the target culture from many angles, teachers need to present their students with different kinds of information by accumulating a great deal of courseware There are some popular sources for teachers and students to get information as listed below As a result, we can use one or combine more than one source to access the cultural information successfully
Extracts from literary Anecdotes Multimedia software
Films and TV Photographs Illustrations
Encyclopedias Plays and songs Video
We have found that quizzes are one of the more successful activity types
Quizzes are useful in learning new information We can apply this type in pairs or groups, so that students can share their existing knowledge and common sense to give answers It is not important whether students get the right answer or not, but by the predicting, students will become more interested in finding out the right answer
In addition, we can also ask students to quiz their partner about readings or other materials Quizzes offer a high-interest activity that keeps students involved and learning
Lili Dai (2011) considered selecting adaptive materials to be an essential factor for students to improve their comprehension ability “A selection of authentic foreign material should be used, especially dialogues, because it is more authentic and reflects cultural behavior followed by speakers Authentic materials can frustrate students lacking sufficient cultural and social knowledge of the target language, and therefore teachers should carefully select suitable materials to motivate their learning interests Teachers should explain cultural factors encountered in the material Students now have easier access to visual aids such as films and videotapes It is generally agreed that what helps in cultural acquisition is to be shown regularly about cultural background Dialogue is a large proportion of authentic listening materials It provides a wide range of western culture, such as customs, habits, social manners, life style Therefore, it is quite necessary for teachers to give students an introduction to help them understand well native speakers and their culture
Through multimedia and network technology, the teacher can offer students not only rich sources of authentic learning materials, but also an attractive and friendly interface, vivid pictures and pleasant sounds, which to a large extent overcome the lack of authentic language environment and arouses students‟ interest in learning There are many good videos and texts published concerning the classic literacy works and most teachers have access to them and the video equipment
Watching videos is simply another tool for learning and enjoyment Frequently, when some writer and his or her works are dealt with, especially the classic ones, the students should be offered the opportunity to enjoy the video The teacher still can make use of the chances to work out some methods to arouse the curiosity and motivation.”
Moreover, he also suggested an academic methodology that asks students to complete a task through research Student research is one of the most powerful tools that we can use with college students because it combines their interests with the classroom For example, after the first class, we ask students to search the internet or library and find information on any aspect of the target-culture that interests them
In the following class, students explain to their group what they have learned and answer any questions about it This can lead to poster-sessions or longer projects
For some students, it can even lead to a long-term interest in the target-culture
“To do research, one first needs to have a “topic” The topic may be a problem, a study, or an area to be investigated to find out more information or to confirm or disprove existing knowledge.” The research program can big or small; it can be completed within a month or a day according to the level of difficulty; it can be done either in groups or by one person An example of a task with a number of components is one in which students choose a topic that combines their interests with the classroom, collect material about it by searching the internet or library to find information on any aspect of the target-culture that interests them., compile that material into a booklet and give a presentation in the following class Students can explain to the teacher or their group what they have learned and answer any questions about it This can lead to poster-sessions or longer projects For some students, it can even lead to a long-term interest in the target-culture
Some other types of activity that have been found useful include the following: games, role play, field trips, reading activities, listening activities, writing activities, discussion activities, singing and so on, but with a bit of thought, most standard EFL activities can be easily adapted for use in the culture classroom
The most important point is to ensure that the students are actively engaged in the target culture and language.” c Positive classroom interactions
According to Lili Dai (2011), classroom interaction can provide different selling points to create a positive cultural learning environment, such as: a wide diversity of opinions, references, values, many different experiences and cultural background As Cullen, selling points for culture means the feature of classroom teaching activities that make it attractive to students In order to create cultural texture, teachers must be careful not to portray the culture as monolithic, nor to only teach the pleasant aspects In other words, teachers need to “sell” different views of the culture to their students Introducing deliberate contrasts within a culture can be useful (Cullen, 2004) These are some different teaching activities which are contrasted
Old people vs Young people
City life vs Country life
Stated belief vs Actual belief
Darks aspects of culture vs Bright aspects of culture
RESEARCH DESIGN
DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
Data collection from the survey questionnaires
The data from the survey questionnaires are shown below:
Essential Very important Rather important
Table 2: Students’ opinion of the importance of cross-culture knowledge to English learning (Question 1, appendix 3)
Essential Very important Rather important Not very important Not important at all
Figure 1: Students’ opinion of the importance of cross-culture knowledge to
The result of the first question showed that almost students have positive attitudes towards the importance of cross-cultural knowledge in English learning
They agreed that cross-cultural knowledge is very important (60%), essential (30%)
Only 10% of the students think that it is rather important Moreover, according to the observation, the researcher found that although they do not have any course about cross-cultural communication, almost students are aware of the important roles of cross-cultural knowledge in English learning and they are interested in cross-culture integrated lessons
Very good Good Rather good Not good at all
Table 3: Students’ self-evaluation of their cross-cultural knowledge
Very good Good Rather good Not good at all
Figure 2: Students’ self-evaluation of their cross-cultural knowledge
For the second question, 83.3% of the students think that their English cultural knowledge is not good at all The others claim that they are rather good at cultural knowledge The data indicates that although most students understand the important role of cross-cultural knowledge in English learning, they do not have good knowledge about it Actually, it is also shown in the result of researcher‟s observation and the score of the pre-test which is incredibly low
You are lack of cultural knowledge
You are not interested in these activities
You are shy and cannot do well
Table 4: Students’ difficulties in participation in cross-culture activities in conversation class (Question 3, appendix 3)
You are lack of cultural knowledge
You are not interested in these activities
You are shy and cannot do well
Figure 3: Students’ difficulties in participation in cross-culture activities in conversation class (Question 3, appendix 3)
Question 3 adds more details about the difficulties that the students deal with during the cross-cultural activities in the conversation class The major difficulty is the lack of cross-cultural knowledge which is proved by such a great percentage of 93.3% Another difficulty is that the students are shy and cannot do these activities well with the percentage of 83.3% The data are fairly high which mean that they are should be considered seriously by both teacher and student Just a very small number of students say that the problem is they are not interested in these activities (6.7%) One idea added by a student is that he finds it hard because he has little time to practice in class
No Resources Results (%) No Resources Results (%)
Table 5: Students’ opinion of resources to obtain cross-cultural knowledge
Video/ Movies CDs/ DVD Newspapers Internet Surveys Stories Illustrations Literature Photographs
Figure 4: Students’ opinion of resources to obtain cross-cultural knowledge
According to the answers from question 4, there are four main resources from which students obtain knowledge of cross cultures The most prominent one is Internet with 100% agreement Video/ movies get the second position (83.3%), and then TV (60%) Besides, photographs account for 50%, newspapers occupy 43.3% and CDs/ DVD get 40% This result is easy to understand in our era of information technology Moreover, the participants are also active and eager to study the new things A very small number of students make surveys (6.7%) or have some other ways such as communicating with English native speakers, reading stories, to learn more about cross-cultural knowledge The reason is that these kinds of resources are so strange with them
Table 6: Students’ opinions of cross-culture activities to motivate them
Role-plays Situational exercises Research
Figure 5: Students’ opinions of cross-culture activities to motivate them
Among the given activities, situational exercises and role-plays share the highest percentage (83.3%), then discussion (73.3%), quizzes (66.7%) A small number of students find dialogues motivating (26.7%) It made the researcher surprised because dialogue is one of the most common activities used during speaking classes It is no doubt when research gets the smallest percentage (16.7%) because this activity is quite difficult for them
No Elements of cross- cultural conversations
No Elements of cross- cultural conversations
3 Social norms 90 9 Food and drink 83.3
Table 7: Students’ opinion of cross-cultural elements taught in conversation class
Social taboos Social norms Politeness formulae People
Entertainment Food and drink Relationships Values
Figure 6: Students’ opinion of cross -cultural elements taught in conversation class (question 6, appendix 3)
The data from question 6 show that most the students consider the politeness formulae the most important element in conversation (93.3%), then social norms (90%), food and drink (83.3%) Topics, people and values share the same percentage (76.6%) The fact indicates that the given elements receive comparatively equal attention by the students when they make cross-cultural conversation It contributes to the idea that the students have been aware of the fact that culture covers almost aspects in society which directly relate to people‟s life
Data collection from the quiz
It can be claimed that the investigation to explore how students‟ cross- cultural knowledge be changed through teaching cultural elements in speaking classes is the most important part of this study
In fact, this quiz which is regarded as a test, was completed by 30 students of English at the beginning of the second term (pre-test), and then at the end of this term (post-test) The author then collected and analyzed the test scores in terms of measures of central tendency (see appendix 5) In the same way, the results of the post-test were interpreted and compared with those of pre-test (table 8) Secondly, as Heaton (1988) stated that the standard deviation (s.d.) is very powerful measure of dispersion, table 9 presents the s.d of the two tests The data help the author explore the degree to which the group of test scores deviates from the mean, from that finding out how positively the teaching of cultural elements in speaking classes
Mean Mode Median Mean Mode Median
Table 8: Test scores interpretation – Measures of central tendency
Mean Standard Deviation Mean Standard Deviation
Table 9: Test scores interpretation – Measures of dispersion
From the table 8, in which showed the comparison between the mean and the median of the both tests, it is possible to make comment that there was a quite fairly correspondence
Table 9 showed the standard deviations of the two quizzes tests in accordance with their means It suggested that a standard deviation of 2.49 (pre-test) and 3.57 (post-test) showed a slightly bigger spread of scores which implied a lager range of students‟ ability It can be explained that some of the participants were extremely interested in the cross-cultural integrated speaking lessons Therefore, they performed much better than before (see the scores in appendix 4)
As illustrated above, there can come to some discussion: Firstly, the results for the pre-test showed the strongest trend of any of the tests scoring a mean of 6.4, indicating that although most participant students feel that it is important to include aspects of culture in their language learning, in accordance with their level of English proficiency, their knowledge of cross-culture is still very poor The mean of 24.6 suggests that the result of the pre-test is significantly better than whose mean is 6.4
Secondly, the large difference is the mean scores between pre-test (6.4), and the post-test (24.6), show very clearly that after a term of teaching cultural elements in speaking classes, the participants‟ awareness of culture and cross-culture is fostered significantly.
FURTHER DISCUSSIONS
Suggested framework for cross-culture teaching in English speaking class 28 4.2 Suggested techniques for teaching cross-culture in the EFL classroom
As mentioned above, the approach used in the study process is topic-basing
Based on the results gained from data, the researcher suggests some techniques to teach cross-cultural elements in English speaking classes to Vietnamese study- major students at FTF, SDU
To assess this method, I recommend the framework of Kumaravadivelu‟s
(1992, 1994, 2001, 2003), macro-strategic one, is based on the hypothesis that language learning and teaching needs, wants, and situations are unpredictably numerous He recommended a product of the post-method condition that is shaped by three operating principles: particularity, practicality, and possibility Particularity seeks to facilitate that advancement of a context-sensitive, location-specific pedagogy that is based on a true understanding of local linguistic, social, cultural, and political particularities Practicality seeks to rupture that reified role relationship between theorizers and practitioners by enabling and encouraging teachers to theorize from their practice and to practice what they theorize Possibility seeks to tap the sociopolitical consciousness that students bring with them to the classroom so that it can also function as a catalyst for indentify formation and social transformation (Kumaravadivelu, 2001)
Being aware of the importance of culture in the foreign language classroom,
I am trying applying teaching cultural components in English classes for my students at the Department of tourism and foreign languages, Sao Do University
Through my own experience, I have found that this approach has certain positive effects on learning foreign language, at least, in my case My students are from the Department of tourism and foreign languages, who are familiar with culture, languages and communication According to the curricula, they have separated subjects for these fields to make sure that they will have adequate knowledge about English language, Vietnamese culture as well as cultures of English-speaking countries and appropriate communication skills that helps them in their future career in tourism In fact, these fields are proved to have close relationship, so I think, it is clearly possible to teach cultural components in English language classes to help students link culture to language and improve their communicative competence
Although such a traditional approach to culture teaching may be adequate for helping learners develop socio-cultural competence, it seems to me that it can offer only a limited and limiting view of cultural consciousness It ignores the fact that most L2 classes are not mono-cultural cocoons but rather multicultural mosaics in which cultural knowledge is likely to diverge based on learners‟ cultural and linguistic background as well as ethnic heritage, class, age, and gender (Tannen,
1992) Such diversity is seldom explored or exploited for purpose of learning and teaching When deciding to apply this method, I found that it could be suitable and necessary for my students in our context Actually, we are looking for a teaching model that helps students gain knowledge about both language and culture to be able to communicate successfully in their future career, which are in tourism and services
As thinking of what should be taught in the classes of English, we find some important aspects to consider Firstly, culture components should be taught as early as possible For example, in the nearly first lesson of speaking, we explain the way of greeting in other cultures, especially in English speaking countries During this process, students are going to become aware of the things that they may be able to talk about and the ways they may act in the conversations Moreover, human beings around the world share a number of traits in common Therefore, it is a good idea to deal with both cultural similarities and differences, in order to make students aware of the universality of culture For example, when talking about the ways of greeting, teacher can indicate the similar way of head-bowing expressed in Vietnamese culture, Japanese culture…, and the different ways expressed in Vietnamese culture by asking personal questions, while Australian do the armpit-sweep and French give the check kissing… Thirdly, cultural aspects should be chosen in a way that they allow the students to explore their native culture and, at the same time, get insights into the target culture For example, when we teach students about the ways of giving and receiving compliments, there are some aspects in culture should be considered It is positive in America when hearing these “you‟re such a lucky dog”, or “you look sexy today”… However, in Vietnamese culture, these sentences are quite negative and not very common
This method is also based on the second principle suggested by Kumaravadivelu (2001) which focuses on the relationship between theorizers and practitioners as well as enables and encourages teachers to theorize from their practice and to practice what they theorize That is practicality Firstly, I see that before venturing into unknown territories, my students must become conversant with what it means to be part of a culture, Vietnamese culture, i.e., by discussing the very values, expectations, traditions, customs, and rituals they unconsciously take part in, they are ready to reflect upon the values, expectations, and traditions of others „with a higher degree of intellectual objectivity‟ (Straub, 1999) Depending on the age and level of the learners, this task can take many forms For example, young beginners or intermediate students should be given the national sports, social festivities, or songs, before setting about exploring those of the target culture Here, we have concerned with the later According to Peck, 1998, „beginning foreign language students want to feel, touch, and see the foreign peoples and not just hear the language‟ Therefore, we have tried to make our English classes the „culture islands‟ (Kramsch, 1993; Singhal, 1998; Peck, 1998) where our students can speak and act with the adequate cultural knowledge and „cultural experience‟ rather than
„cultural awareness‟ In fact, we have applied some simple ways with the help of visual aid such as posters, pictures, maps, videos, and so on in order to help students develop „a mental stimulating image‟ of the target culture I find the suggestion of Peck (1998) very effective, which recommends the activity of sending students on
„cultural errands‟ They are taken to supermarkets, department stores, restaurants, and tourism places to write down the names of imported goods, to take note what they can observe from the real situations… My students are really excited about that and they gain certain knowledge from those trips Moreover, we also invite guest speakers to talk about their experiences of the foreign country
In addition, we organize an insightful activity to divide the class into groups of three or four and have them draw up a list of those characteristics and traits that supposedly distinguish the home and target cultures In other words, students can query their own assumptions and try to see the underlying significance of a particular term or word in the target language and culture For example, in English and American culture, both animals and humans are feelings, get sick, and are buried in cemeteries However, in Vietnamese culture, a dog is not equal to the man
Besides, the way language and social variables interpenetrate should inform culture teaching in the foreign language classroom The main premise is that language varies according to social variables, such as sex, age, social, class, location […] For example, my students are taught that there are certain words used more by women than by men, and vice versa…
We also find that cultural problem solving is yet another way to provide cultural information, but they are on the horns of a dilemma, so to speak For example, my students are set into the situations in a restaurant and they are expected to order the meal In this way, they are given the opportunity to step into the shoes of a member of the target culture
Indisputably, conventional behavior in common situations is a subject with which students should acquaint themselves For instance, in the USA or in the United Kingdom, it is uncommon for a student who is late for class to knock on the door and apologize to opposite to the teacher
Finally yet importantly, students should also familiarize themselves with various forms of non-verbal communication, such as gesture, facial expressions, typical in the target culture In this point, I hand out twelve pictures showing gestures expressed in greeting of different cultures Then, I invite the students to discuss and answer some questions: „Which gestures are different from those in
Vietnamese culture?‟; „Which of the gestures shown in different situations or even avoided in Vietnamese culture? Sometimes, during the English speaking classes, I also invite students to role-play emotions (happiness, anger, joy, pain, sadness…)
The next principle that should be focused in this method is possibility It seeks to tap the sociopolitical consciousness that students bring with them to the classroom so that it can also function as a catalyst for identity formation and social transformation From my experience, I have found that my students are providing appropriate amount of knowledge about Vietnamese culture to gain more about the culture in English speaking countries They can delve into the target culture and use it as a tool not only to communicate in the country where it is spoken but also to give a second (or third) voice to their thoughts, thus flying in the face of cultural conventions and stereotypes Thanks to the fact that my students are from department of tourism and foreign languages, they not only have been learned about fundamentals of Vietnamese culture, as well as those of other cultures, but also have great opportunities to be familiar with English language… As a result, I think that this method is really suitable for my students in our case
4.2 Suggested techniques for teaching cross-culture in the EFL classroom
Practical tips
According to Lili Dai (2011), “only by personalizing activities and content can we hope to lead students to better cultural understanding We can start off by talking about a distant country, but this will only result in stereotyping if we do not allow students to relate the same issues to their own lives In addition, as every language teacher knows, students love to talk about themselves For instance, when discussing a new text or a topic, students can be asked to draw links to their real experiences of constructing similar events, situations and selves to make them respond to text worlds Students can be encouraged to make use of their text-world experiences as a lens to create imaginative perspectives on their real-experiences by discussing conventional ways and then writing a true/imaginary story that might happen in their real lives By elaborating on their real-world experiences, students discover certain beliefs and attitudes about that experience they use to interpret text- world experience (Beach, 1998) Obviously, by helping students make personal and inter-textual connections, these reader-responses methods engage them and increase the depth of their learning.” b Group-work
Lili Dai also claimed that students can learn autonomously more in groups
They have more opportunities for using the target language, discussing the target culture, and gaining additional perspectives on their own cultural They can decide their work partner, the topic, materials, presentation, audience involvement, etc
While working, the group members co-operate, influence, and simulate each other
There is more interaction among members because they assume different roles and share responsibilities There is also a team spirit since they all work towards the same goal
Students can decide their own group‟s presentation, which can best communicate their ideas to the class and get the whole class involve They may present their materials through debate, lectures and short plays, simulate press conference, etc They can use pictures, maps, charts, and video shows as visual aids
In this way, students can learn how to conduct basic interaction
Besides, in this kind of activity, the members must evaluate their own work by comparing their actual performance with what they prepare and expect Then, their classmates will tell them directly their strengths and weaknesses Lastly, the teacher should summarize the key points of the group‟s work to not only make the group see their problems, but also enables the other groups to become aware of the problems so they can avoid them and do better in the next lessons c Suitable level of difficulty
We are working with EFL students, so we must always remember that they probably will not understand everything that we say Therefore, know our students
It is not necessary that they understand every word and indeed a challenge is wonderful for learning, but consistently using material or a way of speaking that is too difficult is a sure way to make students lose their interest in a target-culture d Design of course objectives
This introductory course hopes to help students better understand the culture that has formed us in relation to “other” cultures that have found “others” by studying how one particular culture has itself been formed Placing cultural texts in their social environments, this course will primarily introduce students to the international perspectives of comparative cultural studies in relation to other forms of presentation This will enable us to appreciate how a particular form of writing encodes, transmits and questions cultural values and hence to understand the forces that shape our world (Lili Dai, 2011)
Teachers should consider different techniques to give the instruction and help to help the students during the lessons, and model an enthusiasm for and curiosity about the target culture through their own behaviors and attitudes For example, the teachers can point out interesting words or sentences as they crop up in texts, stories, or conversation; ask students to explore ways to express the topic and meaning; and help identify colorful, descriptive ways of speaking and writing in the material
The previous chapters have provided answers to the three research questions
In this chapter, the researcher will give a summary of the important findings and present the limitations of the study as well as the recommendations for further research.
In a nutshell
The instruments for data collection of this study (questionnaire, quiz test, interview) have shown the necessary findings that have been analyzed and discussed for the following final conclusions
Effective communication requires more than mastering a language's lexicon and grammar It is a process that requires knowledge of the socio-cultural patterns that allow people transmit and interpret messages Therefore, culture becomes an important part of the dynamics of the teaching process in all language classrooms
English as a second language programs that are solely language oriented cannot fully assist students to understand important cultural insights necessary for appropriate communication However, there are several certain problems in teaching cross-cultural elements for a language classroom inasmuch as the students are lack of cross-cultural knowledge, there is lack of time and authentic materials…
Different approaches, methods and techniques have been suggested to assist the teaching of culture in the second language classroom They might differ in their features, but their purpose is always the same: the systematic approach for cross- culture teaching in the language classroom
Perhaps, the most significant finding of this study is that the teaching and learning of speaking lessons are more interesting and motivating when cultural and cross-cultural elements are integrated Students become more motivated having opportunities to understand better about the target culture as well as their own culture This can be achieved by teachers‟ effort to employ cross-cultural activities and positive interactions in their speaking lessons These techniques are believed to be among the effective teaching techniques to encourage students to learn and understand about other cultures in such an easier way
It can be said that the teaching of cross-cultural elements in speaking lessons can help the two important purposes of foreign language education efficiently achieved at the same time: one is improving speaking skill (communication skill) and the other is fostering cross-cultural knowledge.
Limitations of the study
The study has been conducted in a short phase of time and the data have been attainted from a small number of particular students from FTF, SDU, so the findings may hold true for the teaching and learning in FTF, SDU context Accordingly, the findings may not be applied number of informants
Moreover, the researcher has suggested some techniques based on her little experience in teaching in a conversation class beforehand.
Recommendations for further research
The researcher finds it interesting and essential to study more into the issue of teaching culture as an integrated part of foreign language teaching and learning
First, this study only focuses on the integration of cultural elements into speaking lessons as mean to raise students‟ cross-cultural understanding It is also necessary to investigate into cross-cultural integration into teaching other skills
Secondly, besides the teaching of culture and cross-culture as a subject with only 30 students at FTF, SDU, the teaching of speaking with cross-cultural information integrated has got positive effects to students‟ motivation There should be more research into the design and the use of cultural-oriented textbooks, not only for Vietnamese-study major students but also for students of other majors who will be the highest frequency users in a variety of foreign working environments of globalization
The purpose of this small study has been to learn more about students‟ attitudes toward the role of cultural knowledge in foreign language learning and the possible ways to foster students‟ cross-cultural understanding through speaking lessons The sample used to attain data was small, somewhat non-random
Accordingly, it is doubtful whether the results can be generalized to a larger population However, the research believes that this study is beneficial to the foreign language teachers in respect of cross-culture teaching in their teaching program
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2 Annals, Damen, L (1987), Culture learning: The fifth dimension in the language classroom
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Approaches through drama and ethnography, Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley
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8 Kramsch, C (1993), Context and Culture in Language Teaching, Oxford: Oxford University Press
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This survey questionnaire is designed for the study on teaching cross-cultural elements in English speaking classes to Vietnamese study-majored students at Sao
Do University Your assistance in completing the following questions is greatly appreciated You can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussions or data analysis
Your age: ……… Your sex: Male/ Female Circle the answer that is appropriate
1 How important is cross-cultural knowledge to English learning?
B Very important E Not important at all
C Rather important Please explain why you think so: ………
2 How do you evaluate you own English cultural knowledge?
B Good D Not good at all
3 What are the difficulties when you deal with cross-cultural activities in the conversation class?
A You are lack of cultural knowledge
B You are not interested in these activities
C You are shy and cannot do well
4 From which resources do you obtain English cultural knowledge?
5 If you have a cross-cultural activity in the conversation class, what do you think motivate you the most?
6 What elements of cross-cultural conversations do you find important?
C Social norms I Food and drink
F Living conditions L People‟s attitudes Others: ………
Thank you very much for your co-operation and assistance!
APPENDIX 2 CROSS-CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENT TEST
1 You’ve just been introduced to a British or American friend’s colleague What would you do?
B Say nothing and shake hands
C Say „Nice to meet you‟, and shake hands
2 English people avoid this in conversation with a new acquaintance:
D Where are you living now?
3 When you want to ask for confirmation, you should avoid:
C Do you mean to say that…?
4 When you want to express disagreement, you should avoid saying:
C That‟s more or less true, but…
D You could say that, but…
5 When an American gives a compliment, ‘Your dress is beautiful’, you should say:
6 When an English suggests you have more food or drink, you usually refuse this way:
A No, I don‟t need any more
7 When an English suggests you have more food or drink, you usually accept this way:
B Yes, do it right now
8 When an English point up his/ her finger to you, it means:
9 The sign of thumb up doesn’t mean:
10 You are 20 minutes late for class The teacher is giving the lecture to the class when you arrive What would you do?
A Go in, walk up to the teacher and apologize
B Wait outside the classroom until the class is over and then apologize to the teacher
C Knock on the door and wait for the teacher to tell you it‟s OK to come in
D Go in as quietly as you can and take a seat
APPENDIX 3 CROSS-CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENT TEST
1 When speaking to others, Vietnamese people avoid looking directly into the eyes
2 Hand shaking is popular in communicating of Vietnamese
3 The British do shake hands when first introduced to new people, and they also do that when parting
4 When shaking hands, people may give you give you their name without a hello first Also if you wish to be on a first – name basis with someone you can indicate this by repeating your first name
5 It is normal to ask an English lady her age
6 To greet English and American women, we can kiss their hands
7 The greeting topic of conversation for the Vietnamese is the family, the British the weather and the American the geographical association
8 Although British people like to complain about bad weather, they generally put a brave face on it
9 A smiling face is a welcoming face
10 There is no uniform for pupils and students in the U.S
11 When going to parties, Vietnamese people often bring wine, cake or flowers
12 In social situations, a man is traditionally introduced to a woman
13 In America, a woman usually stays at home and does housework after marriage
14 It‟s acceptable to talk loudly in public places in Britain
15 It is quite normal to ask American questions about their salary
16 Saying „Thank you‟ is common way of reacting to a compliment
17 „Excuse me‟ is a way of attracting attention
18 „How are you?‟ is a request for information about a person‟s health
19 When you are talking to someone, it is acceptable if they approach closer that about 2 feet
20 Both the Vietnamese and the British tend to come to the appointment a few minutes late
APPENDIX 4 SCORES OF STUDENTS WITH PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST