CULTURE INTEGRATION INTO ELT: ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTRUCTORS’ PERCEPTIONS AND THEIR TEACHING PRACTICES
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Abstract
Günümüz dünyasında, İngilizce farklı kültürlerin birbirleriyle iletişimine yardımcı olan küresel bir dil haline gelmiştir. Bunun sonucu olarak, geleneksel yöntemlerce çoğunlukla göz ardı edilen, kültür kavramı İngiliz dili öğretiminin (İDÖ) ayrılmaz bir unsuru olmuştur. Bu değişen yaklaşım doğrultusunda pek çok çalışma kültürün rolünü ve önemini İDÖ bağlamında araştırmaktadır. En çok incelenen konulardan birisi de dil eğitmenlerinin İDÖ derslerindeki kültür bütünleşmesi hakkındaki algılarıdır. Ancak, dil eğitmenlerinin algılarının sınıf içi uygulamalarıyla bağdaşıp bağdaşmadığını çok az çalışma sorgulamıştır. Bu bağlamda, bu çalışma İngilizce dil eğitmenlerinin kültür ve dil öğretim sınıflarındaki kültür eğitimi hakkındaki algılarını ve sınıf içi uygulamalarına bu algılarını yansıtıp yansıtamadıklarını incelemektedir. Çalışma aynı zamanda eğitmenlerin kültür eğitim uygulamalarını engelleyen olası faktörleri de göstermeye çalışmaktadır. Katılımcılar, Türkiye’deki bir devlet üniversitesinin yabancı diller yüksekokulunda çalışan 10 İngilizce dil eğitmenidir. Veriler, 10 sınıf gözlemi ile gözlem öncesi ve sonrası yapılmış yarı yapılandırılmış röportajlar vasıtasıyla toplanmıştır. Nitel verinin analiz ve yorumlanmasında içerik analizi kullanılmıştır. Bulgular, eğitmenlerin İDÖ sınıflarında kültür bütünleşmesini önemli gördüklerini ortaya çıkarmıştır. Ancak, uygulama esnasında kullandıkları yöntem çoğunlukla yerel ve hedef kültür farklılıklarını kıyaslayan tartışmalardır. Bununla beraber, eğitmenlerin önceden hazırlanmış bir izlenceyi uygulama zorunluluklarından dolayı kültürle ilgili sınıf içi uygulamalarının ders kitabıyla sınırlı olduğu görülmüştür. Bu çalışma müfredat hazırlayıcıları, materyal geliştiricileri, dil eğitmenleri ve dil öğrenicileri için önemli çıkarımlara sahiptir.
Keywords
Abstract
In today’s world, English has become the global language that helps different cultures communicate each other. As a consequence of this globalization, culture, mostly ignored by the conventional learning methods, has become an inseparable aspect of English language teaching (ELT). In line with this paradigm shift, many studies have investigated the role and importance of culture in ELT context. One of the most explored topics is language instructors’ perceptions of culture integration into ELT classes. However, few studies question whether their perceptions accord with the actual practices in classrooms. In this regard, the present study attempts to explore what English language instructors’ perceptions of culture and culture teaching in language classes are, and whether they are able to reflect these perceptions in their actual teaching practices. The study also attempts to show the possible factors that may impede the instructors’ applications of culture teaching. The participants were 10 English language instructors at a Turkish state university. Data were gathered via 10 classroom observations and two semi structured interviews carried out before and after the observations. Content analysis was conducted for analysing and interpreting the qualitative data. The findings revealed that the instructors considered culture integration significant in ELT classrooms. However, during their practice they mostly employed very short discussions that compare local and target culture. Besides, their practices were limited to the course book they use as they are obliged to implement a pre-planned syllabus. This study has significant implications for curriculum designers, material developers, language instructors, and language learners.
Keywords
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