文化教學在大學英語會話課中的實踐調查

Investigations of English teachers’ practices and perceptions of instructing culture at the university level English class in Taiwan

高思雅(Szu-Ya Kao)

指導教授 ： 中澤一亮

元智大學/人文社會學院/應用外語學系/碩士(2009年)

https://doi.org/10.6838/YZU.2009.00283

摘要

本研究的主要目的為瞭解我國大學英語教師對文化教學的看法與教學情形，以及探討他們如何把文化教學納入英語教學中，以可提供大學英語教師了解現今大學英語實踐文化教學的狀況，以提供如英語教師、政府教育行政主管機關研究學校、出版商、及師資培訓機構，提供英語教學研究者、規劃大學課程改革之重要參考。
為達成上述之研究目的，本研究採用一學期的課程觀察及訪談方式，以中壢市某所大學內的一位為外籍及一位中籍教師的會話英語為研究樣本，為質的研究，深入探究大學英語教師對英語課中文化教學的態度以及與實際教學情形。
本研究之結論如下：
一、兩位老師肯定在大學英文實施文化教學的重要性與價值。
二、兩位老師都也把文化教學納入他們的英語課中。
三、比較法與分享文化經驗是兩位大學英語老師最常使用的教學方法。
四、美國文化與台灣文化為老師主要教授的文化，而世界文化佔的比例較少。
五、教科書為影響大學老師教授文化與否的只要原因。
六、國小英語教師認為實施英美文化教學遭遇的困難是教學資源不足、時間不夠，
沒有教授文化的教育訓練。
根據上述研究結論，提出下列建議：
一、大學老師方面
1. 老師應要注重英語課文化教學的重要性。
2. 要挑選含有文化教學教材。
3. 要在課前計畫文化教學的方式及時間。
二、學校及教育行政主管方面
多舉辦英美文化教學研習，鼓勵在職教師進修。
三、師資培育機構方面。
開設職前文化教學之相關課程與訓練。
四、出版商方面
1.教科書內容宜涵蓋較多的文化知識。
2.提供教師輔助教學教材與相關參考資料。

關鍵字

大學英語 ； 文化教學 ； 會話英語

並列摘要

Instructing culture in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning environment has received considerable attention from researchers (Kramsch, 1993; Brown, 2002). English teachers have also been concerned about instructing culture in English classes in Taiwan recently since understanding Chinese and foreign culture is one of four goals for the educational policy, General Curriculum Guideline from first grade to ninth (Chuang, 2002).
Most studies (Chuang, 2002; Lai, 2002; Tsai, 2002) about instructing culture focus on instructing culture in lower education, such as the elementary and junior high schools’ levels. Furthermore, cultural instruction in English class at the university level has largely been ignored. Previous studies only examined teachers’ perceptions of instructing culture by employing questionnaire and interview (Chuang, 2002; Tsai, 2002; Yang, 2004). These studies did not provide direct observational evidence about whether teachers actually do teach cultural components or how they actually instructed culture in their classes. Only a few studies have been conducted by classroom observation at the university level (Lin 1995; More & Jerningan 1997). Lin (1995) examined how culture would be instructed in an English writing class, and More & Jerningan (1997) did in a Portuguese class in America. However, no study has explored the issue in the English conversation class in Taiwan. The conversation class is believed to involve more cultural instruction since cultural knowledge is an imperative requirement for understanding one another in conversation. Samovar, Porter, & Jain (1981) stated that “culture is the foundation of communication” (p.24). Although university students have learned many grammatical structures, they may still fail to communicate in English. One of the reasons may be because they lack knowledge of culture. Thus, it is important to examine how culture is instructed at the university level English class in Taiwan. The present study investigated English teachers’ practices and perceptions of instructing culture at the university level English class in Taiwan. One Taiwanese and one Canadian English teachers’ English conversation classes were observed and videotaped for a period of one semester. Two kinds of data, the cultural instruction parts in the classroom observations and the interviews with the teachers, were transcribed verbatim and analyzed qualitatively. The present study reports 1) English teachers’ definitions of culture; 2) English teachers’ attitudes toward teaching culture in English classes at the university level in Taiwan; 3) Cultures taught in English classes in English classes at the university level; 4) Ways to instruct culture in English classes at the university level; and 5) Problems that English teachers encounter when they teach culture in English classes at the university level.
The results of the present study reveals English teachers’ practices and perceptions concerning instructing culture as well as how culture is actually instructed at the university level English conversation class. As a result, it is provided that some suggestions about how to instruct culture at the university level. The results may also be helpful not only for teachers to adjust ways of teaching culture but also for publishers to integrate more cultural components into English textbooks in order to achieve more successful English teaching in Taiwan. Discussions and implications of the findings are provided.

並列關鍵字

cultural instruction ； cultural components ； teaching culture ； English conversation class at the university level

參考文獻

Cheng C. (2006). A Study of the Teaching of Holiday Culture Across Different Grade Levels in English Class in Municipal Elementary Schools in Taipei City. Unpublished master’s thesis. Taipei Municipal University of Education, Taipei, Taiwan.

Alptekin, C. (1993). Target-language culture in EFL

Bennett, J. W. (1976). Science Anticipation, Adaptation, and the concept of culture in Anthropology, 192(4242), Science, 847-853

Brown, H. D. (2000). Principles of language learning and teaching (4th ed.). London and New York: Longman.

Byram, M. (1989). Cultural Studies in Foreign Language Education. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.