Using supplementary activities to raise cross-cultural awareness of student in Hanoi University of Industry

Vietnam national university, hanoi University of languages and international studies Post graduate department TẠ NGỌC HIỀN MINH Using Supplementary Activities to Raise Cross-Cultural Awareness of Students in Hanoi University of Industry Sử dụng hoạt đông bổ trợ nhằm nâng cao nhận thức giao thoa văn hoá sinh viên Tr-ờng Đại học Công nghiệp Hà Nội M.A Minor Thesis Field: English Methodology Code: 60 14 10 hµ néi – Năm 2009 Vietnam national university, hanoi University of languages and international studies Post graduate department TẠ NGỌC HIỀN MINH Using Supplementary Activities to Raise Cross-Cultural Awareness of Students in Hanoi University of Industry Sử dụng hoạt đông bổ trợ nhằm nâng cao nhận thức giao thoa văn hoá sinh viên Tr-ờng Đại học Công nghiệp Hà Nội M.A Minor Thesis Field: Code: English Methodology 60 14 10 Supervisor: Dr Trn Xuõn ip hà nội Năm 2009 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS page DECLARATION .i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv ABBREVIATIONS vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Scope of the study 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Methods of the study 1.6 Design of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Culture and foreign language learning 2.1.1 Culture defined 2.1.2 Culture and language learning 2.1.3 Cultural awareness and cross-cultural awareness 2.1.3.1 Cultural awareness 2.1.3.2 Cross-cultural awareness 2.2 Culture teaching in conversational classes 2.2.1 What aspect of culture should be taught 2.2.2 Task based approach to incorporating culture into teaching 2.3 Activities for raising students’ cultural awareness in conversational classes9 2.3.1 Goals for incorporating culture into English speaking class 2.3.2 Activities for raising students’ cultural awareness in conversational classes 10 2.3.2.1 The summary of Christine Elmore’s activities 10 v 2.3.2.2 Elizabeth Peterson and Brownyn Coltrane’s activities 15 2.3.2.3 Deborah Peek’s activities 16 CHAPTER 3: SITUATION ANALYSIS 19 3.1 Situation analysis 19 3.1.1 Setting of the study 19 3.1.2 Participants and classroom context .19 3.2 Data collection instruments 20 3.2.1 Survey questionnaire 20 3.2.2 Tests 21 3.2.3 Class observation 21 3.2.4 Informal discussions 21 3.3 Data analysis 21 3.3.1 Survey questionnaire for teachers 21 3.3.1.1 An overview of culture teaching in HaUI 22 3.3.1.2 Teachers’ opinions of the difficulties in delivering cross – cultural elements in speaking classes 23 3.3.1.3 Teachers’ opinions of the necessity of including cultural information in the lessons 23 3.3.1.4 Teachers’ opinions of the cross – cultural topics and activities for speaking lessons 24 3.3.1.5 Teachers’ difficulties in incorporating culture into speaking classes 25 vi 3.3.2 Activities applied for raising HaUI students’ cross-cultural awareness in speaking lessons 25 3.3.3 Students’ test results before and after the study 27 3.3.4 Survey Questionnaire for the students before the study and after the study .29 3.3.4.1 Students’ participation in the speaking lessons with cross – cultural activities 29 3.3.4.2 Students’ self – evaluation of their cultural knowledge 30 3.3.4.3 Students’ opinion of the importance of culture for English learning 30 3.3.4.4 Students’ anticipation of the culture learning 31 3.3.4.5 Students’ opinions of speaking lessons with cross – cultural activities after the study 32 3.3.4.6 Students’ difficulties in culture learning 34 3.4 Discussion of the findings 35 3.5 Implications for raising HaUI students’ cross – cultural awareness 37 3.5.1 Information sources 37 3.5.2 Activity types 37 3.5.3 Practical tips 37 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION 39 4.1 Summary of the study 4.2 Limitations of the study 4.3 Suggestions for further study References 42 Appendices I vii ABBREVIATIONS HaUI: Hanoi University of Industry EFL: English as Foreign Language ELT: English language Teaching ELL: English Language Learning CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale English learning does not only include grammatical competence and language proficiency, it also includes culture learning “Foreign 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 For scholars and laymen alike, cultural competence, i.e., the knowledge of the conventions, customs, beliefs and systems of meaning of another country, is indisputably an integral part of foreign language learning, and many teachers have seen it as their goal to incorporate the teaching of culture into the foreign language curriculum.” (Dimitrios Thanasoulas, akasa74@hotmail.com) From the idea above, it can be inferred that foreign language teaching can‟t be complete without the transmission of cultural information in the lessons However, it is still controversial among many language teachers about the appropriate teaching methods and cross – cultural activities used in speaking lessons in order that the target of raising students‟ cross – cultural awareness can be met In HaUI, there has never been any study on raising students‟ cross – cultural awareness and teachers‟ attitudes towards these issues From my years‟ experience as a teacher at HaUI, I am aware that the teaching of culture has not been emphasized in this teaching context The curriculum in HaUI has not been designed to include culture teaching or developing additional teaching and learning materials that includes English speaking countries‟ cultural values In speaking lessons, students are often asked to talk about the topic the teachers raise, taught some expressions and new words Cultural elements are rarely mentioned Therefore, students often ask me a lot of questions which are grammatically correct but culturally inappropriate These reasons have given rise to this study It‟s the author‟s attempt to find out the effective activities to raise students‟ cross – cultural awareness It is hoped that this study will help the situation in HaUI 1.2 Aims of the study The study is aimed at: finding out the effective activities in raising students‟ cultural awareness finding out the difficulties in incorporating cultural elements into speaking lessons at HaUI 1.3 Scope of the study The participants in the study are first year English majored students They are in their nd semester The textbook chosen for the course is Let’s talk The study only focuses on supplementary activities in raising students‟ cross – cultural awareness Teaching „culture” in this thesis refers to British and American culture in language use and in communication contexts 1.4 Research questions The study is carried out to find the answers to the following research questions: What are the effective activities for improving HaUI students‟ cross-cultural awareness? What are the difficulties in incorporating cultural elements into speaking lessons at HaUI? 1.5 Methods of the study In this study, action research is employed The author makes comments, remarks, comparisons and conclusions from observations, survey questionnaires, discussions and experience Survey questionnaires are utilized to survey the situation of teaching and learning culture at the beginning of the study They are also used to collect teachers‟ and students‟ opinions about culture teaching and learning after the study tests are administered before and after the study to figure out the differences in students‟ cultural knowledge Observations and formal discussions are also effectively combined in the study 1.6 Design of the study The study is divided into chapters Chapter I is an introduction to the research in which rationale, methods of the study and research questions are discussed Chapter II reviews the literature of culture in foreign language teaching, the relationship between culture and language learning The study also looks at some influential theories of activities used for teaching culture Chapter III discusses the context of the study, data collection methods and activities for raising cross cultural awareness in HaUI The author also analyzes the data collected to answer the research questions Changes in the results of the culture achievement tests are assessed based on both quantitative and qualitative data collected through the test results, interviews, informal discussions, observations and survey questionnaires Chapter IV includes the findings of the study and suggests further research CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Culture and foreign language learning 2.1.1 Culture defined Culture can be defined in many ways from many different perspectives On a general level, anthropologists define culture as “…the whole way of life of people or group In this context, culture includes all the social practices that bond a group of people together and distinguish them from them” (Montgometry and Reid-Thomas, 1994:5) In Nguyen Quang‟s view, “Culture is the whole complex of tangible and intangible expressions that are created and adapted by a society or a social group as well as the ways it functions and reacts in given situations; this helps distinguish one society or social group from another not only in terms of the availability of those expressions and behaviors, but also in terms of their proportionality and manifestability” (Nguyen Quang, 2006:24) According to Brown (1994: 170) culture is a deeply ingrained part of the very fiber of our being, but language - the means for communication among members of a culture – is the most visible and available expression of that culture And so a person‟s worldview, self – identity, and system of thinking, acting, feeling, and communicating can be disrupted by a change from one culture to another From these points of view, it can be inferred that language and culture are inextricably linked Therefore, language teaching can not be separated from culture teaching 2.1.2 Culture and language learning Language and cultures are closely related in many ways According to Claire Kramsch, language is the principal means whereby we conduct our social lives (Claire Kramsch, 1998:3) When it is used in contexts of communication, it is bound up with culture in multiple and complex ways II □ The curriculum is overloaded There is no more time left for cultural issues □ You think students can prepare this kind of knowledge themselves 4.How you evaluate your own English cultural knowledge? □ Very good □ Good □ Rather good □ Not good at all 5.How important is English cultural knowledge to your English teaching? □ Very important □ Important □ Rather important □ Not important at all Please explain why you think so:…………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………… Do you think that it is suitable and feasible to deliver cultural information in speaking lessons? □ Yes □ No Which English cultural elements you find most motivated in English language teaching? □ People □ Food and drink □ Living conditions □Relationships □ Work □ Values □ Entertainment □ People‟s attitudes Any others: ……………………………………………………………………… If all teaching conditions are favorable, how often you want to have English cultural issues discussed in your lessons? □ Often □ Sometimes III □ Rarely □ Never In what way have you managed to obtain English cultural knowledge? □ Videos □ Stories □ Souvenirs □ CDs □ Your own information □ Photographs □ TV □ Songs □ Surveys □ Readings □ Newspapers □ Illustrations □ Internet □ Interviews □ Literatures 10 If you plan to have a cross – cultural activity in your class, what sources you think motivate students the most? □ Pictures □ Photographs □ Videotapes □ Cassette tapes □ Magazines articles □ Your own knowledge and experience Others: ………………………………………………………………………… 11 Which of the following activities you find effective in delivering cultural issues in speaking lesson? □ Role – plays/ Mini - Drama □ Quizzes/ Culture Assimilators □ Critical Incidents/ Problem Solving □ Discussions/ Culture Capsules □ Proverbs □ Writing diary/ Action Logs □ Research □ Prediction Others: ………………………………………………………………………………… 12 What difficulties have you met in your delivering cultural issues in speaking lessons? □ You are not interested in including cross – cultural activities in speaking lessons □ You don‟t have sufficient materials and teaching aids IV □ You don‟t know how to “teach” culture effectively □ You feel that students are not interested in cross – cultural activities □ Others: Thank you so much for your cooperation! V Appendix Pre-course questionnaire (for students of English) SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ON ENGLISH CULTURE LEARNING This survey is designed to collect information for the study on raising Haui students’ cross – cultural awareness The obtained results will be of great importance to our study Your assistance in completing the following items is highly appreciated You can be certain that this is for research purpose only and that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data _ Please put a tick, or ticks, or write some words for your answers Do you often participate in cross – cultural activities in speaking lessons? □ Yes, often □ No, sometimes □ No, rarely □ No, never Please explain why:…………………………………………………………………… How you evaluate your own English cultural knowledge? □ Very good □ Good □ Rather good □ Not good at all How important is English cultural knowledge to English learning? □ Very important □ Important □ Rather important □ Not important at all Please explain why you think so:…………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………… VI Which English cultural elements you find most motivated in English language learning? □ People □ Food and drink □ Living conditions □Relationships □ Work □ Values □ Entertainment □ People‟s attitudes Any others: ……………………………………………………………………… How often you want to have English cultural issues taught? □ Often □ Sometimes □ Rarely □ Never In what way have you managed to obtain English cultural knowledge? □ Videos □ Stories □ Souvenirs □ CDs □ Your own information □ Photographs □ TV □ Songs □ Surveys □ Readings □ Newspapers □ Illustrations □ Internet □ Interviews □ Literatures Thank you so much for your cooperation! VII Appendix Post-course questionnaire SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ON ENGLISH CULTURE TEACHING AND LEARNING This survey is designed to collect information for the study on English culture teaching and learning The obtained results will be of great importance to our study, which targets at working out the most effective methods of incorporating English cultural elements into English training Your assistance in completing the following items is highly appreciated You can be certain that this is for research purpose only and that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data _ Please put a tick, or ticks, or write some words for your answers How you evaluate your own English cultural knowledge? □ Very good □ Good □ Rather good □ Not good at all How important is English cultural knowledge to your English learning? □ Very important □ Important □ Rather important □ Not important at all Please explain why you think so:…………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………… How often you want to have English cultural issues taught ? □ Often □ Sometimes □ Rarely □ Never VIII What you think of the activities used in the course? Please tick the right column Activities Your comments Your participation (work in pairs, in groups, tasks…) Very Interesting intersting Not very Not intersting interesting Often Sometimes Rarely Never at all Quizzes Role play Problem Solving Proverbs Films Action logs/ Writing diary Research Noticing What are your problems in learning culture in the course? □ You are not provided with sufficient materials □ You lack background knowledge □ You not have chances for practicing your cultural knowledge □ You find it difficult to understand cultural issues Others: …………………………………………………………………………………… Do you have any recommendations or requests on cultural teaching in English language learning? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Thank you so much for your cooperation! IX Appendix Cultural assessment test Choose an answer/ or answers for the following questions You’ve just been introduced to a British or American friend’s colleage What would you do? A Say, “Hello”, and bow B Say nothing and shake hands C Say, “Nice to meet you”, and shake hands D Say, “Hi” English people avoid this in conversations with a new acquaintance: A Are you married? B What‟s your job? C Where are you from? D Where are you living now? When an American gives a compliment, ‘Your dress is beautiful.’, you should say: A Thank you B No, it‟s not beautiful C Yours is more beautiful D I don‟t think so When an English suggests you have some more food or drink, you usually refuse this way: A No, I don‟t need anymore B Not at all C No, thanks D Don‟t that When an English suggests you have some more food or drink, you usually accept this way: A Yes, please B Yes, give me some X C Yes, it right now D Yes, that‟s fine When you want to ask for confirmation, you should avoid: A Do you mean that…? B Are you saying….? C Do you mean to say that….? D What? When you want to express disagreement, you should avoid saying: A Wrong B I guess that‟s true, but… C You could say that, but… D That‟s more or less true, but… Talking to a fat woman for the first time, you should: A Ask, „How much you weigh?‟ B Ask, „ Do you want to loose weight? C Suggest, „I know a good recipe for fat ladies Would you like to try?‟ D Ask nothing about the woman‟s weight When an English point up his/ her finger to you, it means: A Good B Bad C Silly D Terrible 10 You’ve been having digestive problems for a week, and have just started to feel better You met a British friend at a party.Your friend says, ‘How are you?’ What would you do? A Start talking in detail about your problem B Say, “Fine, thanks How are you?” C Say, “Not bad, thanks How are you?” D Nothing XI 11 You are visiting an American friend in her new apartment You like the apartment and you want your friend know, What would you do? a Say, “You apartment is nice How much is the rent?” b Say, „Gee, this place is really nice.” c Say, „I really like your apartment” d Say nothing, but show that you are interested in by walking around, looking at everything in the apartment, and picking up everything that is movable 12 You are 20 minutes late for class The teacher is explaining something 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 XII Test Tick the right column No Questions True False Don’t know In social situations, a man is traditionally introduced to a woman The greeting topic of conversation for the Vietnamese is the family, the British the weather, and Americans the geographical association It is quite normal to ask Amercians questions about their salary Saying “Thank you” is a common way of reacting to a compliment “Excuse me” is a way of attracting attention “How are you?” is a request for information about a person‟s health The British shake hands when first introduced to new people, and they also that when parting In a formal situation you may see social kissing (often just a peck on the cheek) This is acceptable between men and woman and also between woman who know each other very well But it‟s strange that you will see two British men kissing even if it is only on the cheek When shaking hands people may 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 10 If you are talking to someone, it is acceptable if they approach closer that about feet 11 People ask, „What‟s wrong?‟ if they see by a person‟s expression that something is bothering him or her 12 If you have an appointment, you‟ll mutter an excuse if you are minutes late, and apologized profusely if it‟s ten minutes An hour late is almost inexcusable XIII ANSWER KEY: Test 1 C A A C A D A D A 10 B/C 11 B/C 12.D T T F T T F F T T 10 F 11 T 12 T Test XIV Appendix Sample activity Examining cultural behavior Activity type: Culture assimilators Aim: To increase awareness of appropriate behavior in English-speaking cultures; to compare and contrast these behavior patterns with those in Vietnam Materials: A task sheet for each student Time: 10-15 minutes Preparation: Design a task sheet Make enough copies to give to each student In class: Divide the class into groups of three or four Distribute the task sheet and explain the task to the students They are to work together in groups, discussing the situations and deciding what they would in each situation The groups work together, discussing the situations, and answering the questions After the students have completed the task sheet, a volunteer from each group summerizes the group‟s discussion and answers Ask the students what they would if they were in the same situations in Vietnam? The students continue to work in groups, discussing their answers in small groups, conduct a whole-class discussion on the following questions: - What did you learn about behavior in English-speaking countries from these activities? - What did you learn about behaviour in Vietnam? Task sheet XV Social behavior Work with a partner Imagine that the situations below take place in and English-speaking countries What would you in each situation? In some cases, more than one answer is possible Someone introduces you to a British friend What would you do? a Say, “Hello”, and bow b Say nothing and shake hands c Say, “Glad to see you”, and shkae hands d SAY, “Hi” You meet your friend What would you to greet him/ her? a Say, “Hello” b Ask, “Hey, where are you going?‟ c Ask, “Is it you, [your friend‟s name]?” d Say, “Good to see you again How are you?” You are a person on the computer helpline How you start a conversation on the telephone? a Say, “Hello” b Say, “Hello.IT helpline I‟m Barry How can I help you?” c Say, “Hello Who‟s that?” d Say, “Hello What you want?” You would like to have a meeting with a customer What would you say to arrange it? a Say, “I want us to have a meeting on Friday Is it ok for you?” b Say, “Let‟s have a meeting on Friday.” c Ask, “Can we meet on Friday?” d Ask, “Why don‟t we have a meeting on Friday?” You‟ve been having health problems for a week, and have just started to feel better You meet a British friend at a party Your friend says, “How are you?” What would you do? a Start talking in detail about your problem b Say, “Fine, thanks How are you?” c Say, “Not bad, thanks How are you?” d Nothing XVI Classroom Observation Checklist Name: Class observed: _ Date: Time: _ Observer: Type of Name of students Students’ attitude towards activities Students’ participation in cross-cultural activity activities Very interested interested Not very interested Not Needs improvement Satisfatory interested at all Comments on the effectiveness of this activity Observer‟s signature Excellent Not observed