The role of culture in foreign language teaching with special reference to ‘Iraq opportunities’ textbooks for the intermediate stage : an evaluative study

Other Title(s)

دور الثقافة في تدريس اللغة الأجنبية بإشارة خاصة لمناهج فرص العراق للمرحلة المتوسطة : دراسة تقويمية

Dissertant

Nasir, Isam Hubi

Thesis advisor

Hamid, Jamil Qasim

Comitee Members

al-Nawas, Rad S.
Rashid, Balqis Isa Kati
al-Thamiri, Adil A.

University

University of Basrah

Faculty

Education for Human College

Department

English department

University Country

Iraq

Degree

Master

Degree Date

2012

English Abstract

Many educators and scholars emphasized the incorporation of teaching culture into the content of the textbooks of foreign language classes .In this respect, these are the marks of Rivers (1968), Kramsch (1993), Seelye(1993), Brown (2000), Byram (2002), etc.

This helps the learners to be motivated to comprehend and learn the foreign language .The present study tries to find answers of why and how culture is taught and what the benefits and goals behind teaching it.

It has been stated that language and culture are interwoven and that they cannot exist without the other.

The present study depends on two instruments: First, by exploring the role of teaching culture through conducting a questionnaire for the teachers of English at the intermediate stage in Basrah governorate.

Second, by designing a framework for analyzing the cultural content of the intermediate textbooks concerning the integration of the Iraqi, English, mixed ,and other cultures found in the prescribed textbooks.

The study consists of five chapters.

Chapter one is an introduction to the basic assumptions of the teaching of culture for the intermediate stage.

It tackles the problem , hypothesis, aim , value ,scope and procedures of the study.

Chapter two consists of the introductory remarks of culture which deal with a general introduction about the culture field and its relation to other disciplines.

Chapter three is concerned with the incorporation and importance of teaching culture in foreign language classes.

This chapter includes the valuable studies which are related to the present study such as the goals, strategies, techniques, teacher’s role, learner’ role, teaching aids, etc.

Chapter four has two dimensions: the first one shows the research procedures carried out to investigate the role of culture in foreign language teaching including the research instrument, population and sampling, validity, reliability, and statistical means used in finding out the results of the study.

The second dimension shows the practical investigations and the analysis of the research instruments.Chapter five offers the conclusions of the study which are related to the theoretical part and the practical part with a brief pedagogical recommendations for teachers of English and the educational authority concerned at the Ministry of Education.

The main findings of the study that are shown throughout the analysis of the teachers’ attitudes in the questionnaire and the cultural content of the intermediate textbooks concentrate on the following : culture teaching is not systematic and most of the teachers responsible for teaching English lack the time and knowledge concerning teaching the cultural aspects of the books.

Also, there is no integration between the home-language culture and the target–language culture .This shows that the Iraqi culture is considered very little compared with the English culture.

The present study has also shown that the cultural aspects motivate the learners to learn the English language

Main Subjects

Languages & Comparative Literature

No. of Pages

112

Table of Contents

• APA
• MLA
• AMA

Language

English

Data Type

Arab Theses

Record ID

BIM-745053