Naslov
Learners´ own cultural identity in early EFL

Autori
Vickov, Gloria

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Skup
Research into Teaching Modern Languages to Young Learners

Mjesto i datum
Pečuh, Mađarska, 01.02.2007. - 03.02.2007

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
early EFL; cultural identity; English coursebooks; Croatian primary EFL learners

Sažetak
Foreign language teaching programmes in many European countries, Croatia being of them, lay emphasis on learners´ ability to use a foreign language to talk about their homeland and its culture. This should lead to better cross-cultural understanding and to developing learners´ awareness of their own cultural identity. Primary English teachers in Croatia, however, often mention learners´ difficulty in presenting their own culture and tradition in English, as learners are overwhelmed with information related to Anglo-Saxon culture. A possible cause for this may lie in current primary English coursebooks which expose young learners to mainly stereotyped target language cultural information. In our study we analysed four English coursebooks currently used with young learners. The results confirm an obvious dominance of target culture in the EFL coursebooks. Discussing the benefits of introducing learners´ own culture in early EFL teaching, the paper suggests that introducing learners´ own culture into early EFL teaching would enable interdisciplinary learning of cultural background within the primary curriculum. It would provide young learners with an opportunity to use English frequently for describing their world, improving their communicative competence, cultural awareness. Ultimately, this would allow them retain their own cultural identity in the multicultural world.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Filologija

POVEZANOST RADA