Master minor programme thesis English linguistics: An investigation into the cultural contents available in the reading passages of English 12, students’ attitudes and expectations towards cultural contents to be loaded to this textbook and cultural learning at Phuc Tho High school

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The main purposes of the this study are: To examine the state of references to different cultural groups and cultural categories presented in the reading passages of the textbook English 12; to find out the learners‟ attitudes and expectations on cultural contents in the textbook English 12 and their culture learning at Phuc Tho high school; to give some pedagogical implications that may raise students‟ cultural awareness and hope to contribute some possitive changes in teaching and learning English in the current context at Phuc Tho High school.

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Nội dung Text: Master minor programme thesis English linguistics: An investigation into the cultural contents available in the reading passages of English 12, students’ attitudes and expectations towards cultural contents to be loaded to this textbook and cultural learning at Phuc Tho High school

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES *************************** VŨ THỊ TUYẾT AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CULTURAL CONTENTS AVAILABLE IN THE READING PASSAGES OF ENGLISH 12, STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES AND EXPECTATIONS TOWARDS CULTURAL CONTENTS TO BE LOADED TO THIS TEXTBOOK AND CULTURAL LEARNING AT PHUC THO HIGH SCHOOL (Phân tích các nội dung văn hóa trong các bài đọc của sách giáo khoa Tiếng Anh 12, thái độ và mong đợi của học sinh về nội dung văn hóa được chuyển tải trong cuốn sách và việc học các kiến thức văn hóa đó ở trường THPT Phúc Thọ) M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111 HA NOI – 2016
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ****************************** VŨ THỊ TUYẾT AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CULTURAL CONTENTS AVAILABLE IN THE READING PASSAGES OF ENGLISH 12, STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES AND EXPECTATIONS TOWARDS CULTURAL CONTENTS TO BE LOADED TO THIS TEXTBOOK AND CULTURAL LEARNING AT PHUC THO HIGH SCHOOL (Phân tích các nội dung văn hóa trong các bài đọc của sách giáo khoa Tiếng Anh 12, thái độ và mong đợi của học sinh về nội dung văn hóa được chuyển tải trong cuốn sách và việc học các kiến thức văn hóa đó ở trường THPT Phúc Thọ) M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111 Supervisor : Assoc. Prof. Dr. Võ Đại Quang HA NOI – 2016
DECLARATION I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authorship of the study project report entitled: An investigation into the cultural contents available in the reading passages of “English 12”, students’ attitudes and expectations toward the cultural contents to be loaded to this textbook and cultural learning at Phuc Tho High School The thesis is submitted to Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master Degree of Arts in English Teaching Methodology at University of Languages and International Studies, Viet Nam National University, Ha Noi. Except where the reference is indicated, no other person‟s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis. Ha Noi, November 2016 V Th Tuyết i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the process of conducting this MA thesis, my efforts could not have achieved such great success without the help and support from a number of people. First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vo Dai Quang, for his genuine guidance, everlasting support and strong encouragement throughout the stages of my study, and whose stimulating ideas, expertise and suggestions have greatly inspired me in my growth of teaching career. My deepest respect and gratitude are extended to the lecturers and many others from Faculty of Post-graduate Studies at ULIS, VNU, for their enthusiastic help and support during all my course as well as the writing of the present thesis. My sincere thanks also go to my classmates and my friends for their whole- hearted concern and encouragement. Moreover, a special word of thanks isconveyed to all the teachers and grade- 12 students at Phuc Tho High school for their help and participation throughout the data collection procedure for my MA thesis. Last but not least, I am greatly indebted to my beloved family for their being with me and supporting me at the hardest times throughout all my studies and the fulfillment of this academic work. ii
ABSTRACT Language and culture are now deemed to be co-constitutive; hence English language teaching (ELT) textbooks should incorporate cultural aspects and promote intercultural competence. However, cultural traits in the reading passages of the textbook English 12 seem to be ignored in teaching and learning English process at Phuc Tho High school. The students here, to a great extent, know the rules of language, but are not always able to use the language adequately as it requires since they are not knowledgeable enough about the target culture. This research is carried out to point out cultural groups and categories presented in the reading passages of the textbook English 12. Moreover, the reseacher aims to find out the students‟ concerning the presence these cultural contents in this textbook as well as their cultural learning at Phuc Tho high school so that the learners can raise their cultural aweaness and get appropriateness in communication during and after learning the material “ English 12”. In order to fulfill these aims, two checklists and a student questionnaire were employed by the researcher. The subjects involved in this study were 84 grade-12 students, including 28 males and 56 females who are all students of mixed-level classes. They were invited to participate in the survey questionnaire for data collection. Quantitative data were analyzed by calculating the frequencies, percentages and rank orders. Qualitative data were analyzed by applying the coding system for the categorization of collected responses and content analysis. Based on the findings, some suggestions were given to teachers with the hope that they will collaborate with the school to make certain positive changes to this problematic reality. Hence, teachers and learners need to have awareness and attitudes to integrate cultural knowledge into training English language so that English learning and teaching at Phuc Tho High school become more interesting and effective. iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration ................................................................................................................i Acknowledgements .................................................................................................ii Abstract ..................................................................................................................iii Table of contents ....................................................................................................iv List of abbreviations .............................................................................................vii List of tables .........................................................................................................viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ......................................................................... 1 1.1. Rationale ......................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Aims of the study ............................................................................................ 2 1.3. Objectives of the study ................................................................................... 2 1.4. Methods of the study ...................................................................................... 3 1.5. Scope of the study ........................................................................................... 3 1.6. Significances of the study ............................................................................... 4 1.7. Structural organization of the study .............................................................. 4 CHAPTER 2 : LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................ 6 2.1. Theoretical background of language and culture ......................................... 6 2.1.1. Definition of language .......................................................................... 6 2.1.2. Definition of culture ............................................................................. 7 2.1.3. Interrelationship between language and culture .................................... 8 2.1.4. Culture and cultural learning................................................................. 9 2.2. Theoretical background of textbook .............................................................12 2.2.1. Textbook ............................................................................................ 12 2.2.2. The role of textbook in teaching and learning ..................................... 13 2.3. Theoretical background of reading skill ..................................................... 155 2.3.1. Definition of reading and reading comprehension ............................. 155 2.3.2. Reading passages and the load of cultural background knowledge.... 156 2.4. Review of the related studies .........................................................................16 2.4.1. Studies on Classification of cultural content in ELT textbooks ........... 16 iv
2.4.2. Studies on cultural categories in foreign language textbooks .............. 17 2.4.3. Studies on attitudes and expectations towards cultural learning and contents in English textbooks ......................................................................... 19 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .......................................................................22 3.1. Restatement of research questions ................................................................22 3.2. The fitness of the research approach ............................................................22 3.3. Research setting .............................................................................................22 3.3.1. The context at Phuc Tho High school ................................................. 22 3.3.2. Textbook under Evaluation ................................................................. 23 3.3.3. Participants ......................................................................................... 24 3.4. Research types ...............................................................................................25 3.5. Data collection methods .................................................................................25 3.5.1. Textbook analysis ............................................................................... 25 3.5.1.1. Checklist One used for the investigating the cutural groups ............... 25 3.5.1.2. Checklist Two used for the investigating the cutural categories .........26 3.5.2. Student Questionnaire ........................................................................ 27 3.6. Data collection and data analysis procedure ................................................27 3.6.1. Data collection and data analysis procedure on textbook analysis ....... 27 3.6.2. Data collection and data analysis procedure on students‟ attitudes ...... 28 3.7. Summary ........................................................................................................29 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS ................................................30 4.1. Research question 1 .......................................................................................30 4.2. Research question 2 .......................................................................................32 4.3. Research question 3 .......................................................................................34 4.3.1. Attitudes of cultural contents in English 12 textbook ............................ 35 4.3.2. Expectations of cultural contents in terms of cultural categories in the textbook................................................................................................................36 4.3.3. Expectations of the preferred cultural groups in EFL textbooks...............37 4.4. Research question 4 ......................................................................................38 v
4.4.1. Students‟ attitudes towards cultural learning ....................................... 38 4.4.2. Students‟ attitudes towards learning cultural groups and reasons for learning cultural groups .................................................................................. 40 4.4.3. Students‟ attitudes towards situations of current cultural teaching and learning in EFL classrooms at Phuc Tho high school ...................................... 42 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION .............................................................................45 5.1. Summary of main findings ...........................................................................45 5.2. Implications of the study................................................................................46 5.3. Limitations and recommendations for further research.................................48 REFERENCES........................................................................................................50 APPENDIX A.............................................................................................................I APPENDIX B..........................................................................................................VI vi
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS FLT Foreign Language Teaching ELT English Language Teaching EFL English as a Foreign Language vii
LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: Units and topics in the textbook..............................................................24 Table 4.1: The distribution of frequency and percentages of the cultural groups in the reading passage of English 12 textbook..............................................................30 Table 4.2: Distribution of frequency and percentage of cultural categories according to Checklist Two......................................................................................33 Table 4.3 : Students‟ attitudes of cultural contents in English 12...........................35 Table 4.4 : Ranking of students‟ expectations about the most preferred cultural categories to be presented in textbook......................................................................36 Table 4.5: Ranking of students‟ expectations about which cultural groups should be presented in textbooks...............................................................................................37 Table 4.6: Students‟ attitudes towards cultural learning..........................................38 Table 4.7: Ranking of students‟ attitudes about the cultural groups they had tried and were willing to learn..........................................................................................40 Table 4.8: Students‟ reasons for learning cultural groups........................................41 Table 4.9 : Students‟ preferences about the most helpful methods for cultural learning......................................................................................................................42 Table 4.10 : Factors obstructing students‟ abilities to learn about cultures...........43 viii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION In this part, the researcher will present the rationale of the study, the aims, objectives and the research questions, the scope, the methods, the significance, and the structural organization of the study. 1.1. Rationale There is no doubt that it would be a “nightmare” if human society existed without communication, of which language is a significant means. Among many languages existing all over the world, English is nowadays commonly used as regards the international language that plays a crucial role in a lot of fields such as economy, politics, commerce and science, etc. As a result, more and more people are interested in learning English not only because of their jobs‟ requirements, but also for the needs to integrate with the outside world. However, on the way mastering a foreign language, especially English, the learners have to encounter so many difficulties arising both within the language itself and from outside. One of these foremost barriers is culture difference. Emmitt and Pollock (1997) when discussing the relationship between language and culture have stated that “language is rooted in culture and culture is reflected and passed on by language from one generation to the next”. From this, one can see that learning a new language involves the learning of a new culture (Allwright &Bailey, 1991) and “if we teach language without teaching at the same time the culture in which it operates, we are teaching meaningless symbols or symbols to which student attaches the wrong meaning”( Politzer, 1959, p. 100-101). In Vietnam, English has been taught as a compulsory subject in both public and private schools for many years. Nevertheless, the focusing so much on teaching grammar, vocabulary and language skills, which often dominates in English teaching and learning method, results in the ignorance of teaching cultural background knowledge presented in the materials. 1
Among the ELT materials, English 12 is the English textbook nationally published and used for senior high schools in Vietnam. In fact, there have been investigations carried out on the issue of cultural elements in ELT. Still, little attention has been paid to the cultural content of the ELT textbooks, and no investigations have examined the cultural content of the reading passages of the textbook “English 12”. Furthermore, almost no attention has been given to the teachers‟ and students‟ attitudes and awareness of the cultural load of the textbooks they use. All the mentioned reasons have urged the author to choose “An investigation into the cultural contents available in the reading passages of “English 12”, students’ attitudes and expectations toward the cultural contents to be loaded to this textbook and cultural learning at Phuc Tho High School” as the title for this MA thesis. 1.2. Aims of the study The main purposes of the this study are: (1) to examine the state of references to different cultural groups and cultural categories presented in the reading passages of the textbook English 12, (2) to find out the learners‟ attitudes and expectations on cultural contents in the textbook English 12 and their culture learning at Phuc Tho high school. (3) to give some pedagogical implications that may raise students‟ cultural awareness and hope to contribute some possitive changes in teaching and learning English in the current context at Phuc Tho High school 1.3. Objectives of the study For the mentioned aims, a number of research questions as the objectives of the study will be raised for investigation: 1. To what extent are the cultural groups represented in reading passages of English 12 textbook ? 2. What categories reflecting cultural content does English 12 textbook introduce in reading passages and to what extent? 2
3. What are the attitudes and expectations of grade-12 students Phuc Tho high school towards cultural contents in English 12 textbook? 4. What are the attitudes and expectations of grade-12 students towards cultural learning at Phuc Tho high school ? 1.4. Methods of the study The study was carried out by some steps as follows: First, the cultural groups represented in reading passages of English 12 textbookwas counted, calculated in the percentage and then analyzed. Second, a checklist was used to study the representation of categories reflecting cultural content in reading passages in English 12 textbook After that, the survey questionnaires for students and teachers were employed to find out their attitudes and their expectationstowards integrating the cultural content to the reading passages in English 12 textbook. Then, the data were collected, sorted and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively to obtain realistic results. To end with, pedagogical implications for enhancing students‟ positive attitudes in learning listening skill will be proposed based on the results found from all data collection instruments. 1.5. Scope of the study The present study aims at the investigation of references to different cultural groups and cultural categories of the textbook English 12 and the attitudes of grade-12 students at Phuc Tho high school who are exposed to using these books. The paper, however, concentrates on quite a narrow area, i.e. not on the traits of cultures ( Vietnamese culture and foreign cultures) in ELT textbooks in general, but on the reading passages of the textbook English 12. This is due to the assumption that reading passages and texts contain richer cultural load in comparison with other textbook‟s items. Furthermore, cultural contents may be presented explicitly, and thus it can be easier to analyze their presence. 3
The situation with students is often that they are given a textbook without being asked whether the textbook is interesting and motivating for them. Therefore, it is important to know their opinions and expectations towards cultural contents of the textbook they are exposing to and cultural learning in the context of their school. 1.6. Significances of the study This study offers insight into the cultural contents of reading passages in English 12 textbook and cultural learning at Phuc Tho high school with an aim of helping develop students‟ cultural awareness, improve their cultural learning and intercultural communicative competence. It is expected to offer some advice and suggestions for cultural teaching and learning in the EFL classroom. 1.7. Structural organization of the study The study consists of five main parts: Chapter 1: Introduction presents the general introduction of the thesis, combining rationale, aims, objectives and research questions, scope, significances and structural organizations of the study. Chapter 2: Literature review gives a critical review of the previous studies relating to the research problem under this investigation and presents the theoretical background employed as tools for conducting the whole research. Chapter 3: Methodology provides the information by which the research is conducted with a method section answering two main questions how the data was collected and how it was analyzed. Restatement of research questions, the fitness of the research approach, research setting, research types, data collection methods, data collection and data analysis procedure. are shown in this chapter. Chapter 4: Findings and Discussions includes all the findings and a thorough evaluation of the investigation. The data collected form textbook analysis, survey questionnaires shall be analyzed and discussed. 4
Chapter 5: Conclusion restates the aims, summarizes the major findings, presents the limitation of the research and suggests some recommendations for further studies. 5
CHAPTER 2 : LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1. Theoretical background of language and culture 2.1.1. Definition of language Since human beings used language as a tool to communicate with each other, many definitions of language have been proposed. Language is introduced by Crystal (1971, 1992) as “the systematic, conventional use of sounds, signs or written symbols in a human society for communication and self expression”. Chase (1969) declares that the purpose of language use is to communicate with others, to think, and to shape one‟s standpoint and outlook on life. Krech (1962) explains the major functions of language from the following three aspects: (1) Language is the primary vehicle of communication; (2) Language reflects both the personality of the individual and the culture of his history. In turn, it helps shape both personality and culture; (3) Language makes possible the growth and transmission of culture, the continuity of societies, and the effective functioning and control of social group. Language is not a thing to be studied but a way of seeing, understanding and communicating about the world and each language user uses his or her language(s) differently to do this. People use language for purposeful communication and learning a new language involves learning how to use words, rules and knowledge about language and its use in order to communicate with speakers of the language. This understanding of language sees a language not simply as a body of knowledge to be learnt but as a social practice in which to participate (Kramsch, 1994). Language is something that people do in their daily lives and something they use to express, create and interpret meanings and to establish and maintain social and interpersonal relationships. It is obvious that language is the primary and essential means people use to communicate and express their thoughts, feelings, emotion and, passion, etc. Moreover, language is not only our main link with the outside world, it is also a marker that distinguishes us from the animal creatures we share the world with. (Richard E. Porter, Edwin R. McDaniel, 2007:164). 6
Thanks to language, people can understand each other more easily. It helps people build a better society to satisfy their lives and desires. As a result, human society would not exist without language. 2.1.2. Definition of culture The term “culture” is considered one of the most complicated words to define. In order to examine the cultural content of teaching materials, there should be the understanding on what culture is.. In the history, many linguists and scholars tried to identify the concept of culture, and every definition can be regarded as a correct one in terms of certain conditions. Culture is not genetically inherited, and cannot exist on its own, but is always shared by members of a society (Hall, 1976, p. 16). This definition, however, does not satisfy the goals set in the present research, since it does not say anything concerning possible cultural elements. The definition by Chen and Starosta states that culture is „a negotiated set of shared symbolic systems that guide individuals‟ (Chen & Starosta, 1998). This tells us more about the nature of culture; however, it does not reveal the content of culture. In order to consider the concept of culture deeper way, many researchers focus more on the cultural contents when defining the term “culture” in their definitions. According to Brooks (1971), culture is divided into two main areas: Hearthstone culture and Olympian culture, or, in other words, „big C‟ and „little c‟ cultures. „Big C‟ includes beliefs, behaviors, values of people, whereas „little c‟ consists of such elements as great music, literature, and art. Samovar, Porter & Stefani (1998) define culture as the deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, actions, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and artifacts acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving. All in all, “culture is everything that people have, think and do as a member of a society” (Fernando, 1996:18, cited in Nguyen Quang, 2006:16). foreign language learning is composed of several components, including cultural competence. Cultural competence, i.e., the knowledge of the conventions, customs, 7
beliefs, and systems of meaning of another country, is indisputably an integral part of foreign language learning (Straub, 1999). Therefore, foreign language teachers should see it as their goal to incorporate the teaching of culture into the foreign language classroom. 2.1.3. Interrelationship between language and culture The link between language and culture has been described as “intricate and interdependent” (Mitchell & Myles, 2004, p. 235). To better describe this relationship, several metaphors have been used in the related literature. For instance, language has been considered to be the „mirror of culture‟ since it is possible to see the culture through its language. Another metaphor used to reveal the connection between these two concepts is „iceberg‟. While the language represents the visible part of the iceberg, culture symbolizes the underlying and hidden part (Jiang, 2000). Culture and language are so interdependent that knowledge of cultural contexts and frames is essential for successful and effective language use in both one‟s mother tongue and target language. As Thompson (1993) indicates, knowledge of social values, norms of behaviour and interaction, and cultural discourse can be considered as a crucial component of overall linguistic competence. Likewise, language functions as a primary agent in the transmission of cultural knowledge. When referring to the relationship between language and culture, Joyce M. Valdes (1986:4) suggests the circular pattern of language, culture and thought in which each influences and is influenced by the others. “They are not all the same thing, but none can survive without the others”. Obviously, it is impossible for human beings to study anything without being acknowledged of the language and its culture at the same time. Culture is a deeply ingrained part of people‟s lives. However, language - the means for communication among members of a culture – is the most visible and available expression of that culture. In short, language and culture are inseparable. If teaching of a foreign language is separated from the culture it would mean a rejection of the basic 8
purpose of FLT, which is enabling students to “cope with experience in a different way” (Byram, 1988). Teaching of a foreign language without its cultural content is impossible. Therefore, an understanding of the relationship between language and culture is important for language learners, users, and for all those involved in language education. For language teachers and learners in general, an appreciation for the differences in opinion regarding the relationship between language and culture can help to illuminate the diversity of views held toward the use of language. For all language users, the recognition of how their language affects others can greatly impact the direction and motivation for both language study and interpersonal relationships, and it can also add great insight and value to language education, program planning, and curriculum development. 2.1.4. Culture and cultural learning Cultural learning, also called cultural transmission, is the way a group of people or animals within a society or culturetend to learn and pass on information. Learning styles are greatly influenced by how a culture socializes with its children and young people. Cross-cultural research in the past fifty years has primarily focused on differences between Eastern and Western cultures (Chang, et al., 2010). Some scholars believe that cultural learning differences may be responses to the physical environment in the areas in which a culture was initially founded (Chang, et al., 2010). These environmental differences include climate, migration patterns, war, agricultural suitability, and endemic pathogens. Cultural evolution, upon which cultural learning is built, is believed to be a product of only the past 10,000 years and to hold little connection to genetics (Chang, et al., 2010). Cultural learning allows individuals to acquire skills that they would be unable to independently over the course of their lifetimes (Van Schaik & Burkart, 2011). Cultural learning is believed to be particularly important for humans. Humans are weaned at an early age compared to the emergence of adult dentition (MacDonald, 2007). The immaturity of dentition and the digestive system, the time required for 9
growth of the brain, the rapid skeletory growth needed for the young to reach adult height and strength means that children have special digestive needs and are dependent on adults for a long period of time (MacDonald, 2007). This time of dependence also allows time for cultural learning to occur before passage into adulthood. On the basis of cultural learning, people create, remember, and deal with ideas. They understand and apply specific systems of symbolic meaning. Cultures have been compared to sets of control mechanisms, plans, recipes, rules, or instructions. Cultural differences have been found in academic motivation, achievement, learning style, conformity, and compliance (Chang, et al., 2010). Cultural learning is dependent on innovation or the ability to create new responses to the environment and the ability to communicate or imitate the behavior of others (Lehmann, Feldman & Kaeuffer, 2010). In the 1960s, culture learning was included in foreign language pedagogy. The pedagogical innovation in that age led to an increased emphasis on developing the students‟ practical language skills, and could be used in teaching in language classroom. In this way, one could say that culture was taught in foreign language education in the form of the words and actions of everyday speakers in everyday life (Kramsch 1998). In the 1970s-1980s, many foreign language theorists propose the inclusion of culture in a foreign language course because language learners should learn cultural content in order to use a foreign language, and cultural insights would enhance students‟ ability to communicate appropriately in situations of language use (Lado 1957). Seelye (1984), for example, states that when students are equipped with this „super goal‟ for the teaching of culture, they would be able to develop cultural understandings and attitudes to communicate within a society of the target language. Also, Littlewood (cited in Byram, 1997: 55) advocates the value of cultural learning, although he still „keeps linguistic proficiency as the overall aim of communicative competence‟. The term “Communicative Competence”, defined as the knowledge of both 10