English Lecturers’ Perceptions and Practices of Culture Teaching Activities at University Contexts

Abstract

This study aims to find out what English lecturers think about the goals of foreign language teaching, what they think about teaching culture in the context of English language teaching, and how often particular culture-teaching activities are used in English courses. The study was conducted with the participation of 50 lecturers working in 4 state universities in Turkiye, namely Osmaniye Korkut Ata University, Çukurova University, Adana Science and Technology University and Mersin University. A version of the questionnaire developed by Sercu (2005) and adapted by Kılıç (2013) was used as a data collection tool and the findings were analyzed with SPSS. The study's findings revealed that while participants are generally aware of the importance of integrating culture in the foreign language classroom and have a positive attitude toward it, teaching culture and equipping students with intercultural competence was not one of the teachers' primary goals. Instead, it has been recognised that one of the most important goals is to acquire language knowledge and linguistic abilities to utilise English effectively. Lecturers' primary goal in teaching culture is to provide knowledge of the target culture's everyday lives and routines while also demonstrating a good attitude and openness to other people and cultures. Some recommendations for further study can be made based on the findings. Teachers should attend in-service teacher training workshops or seminars focused on culture teaching in ELT to help them understand the relevance of culture in ELT and the components that should be incorporated in English language classrooms.

Keywords

• Intercultural competence
• Culture teaching activities
• Teaching culture
• English as a foreign language

İngilizce Okutmanlarının Üniversite Bağlamında Kültür Öğretimi Faaliyetlerine İlişkin Algıları ve Uygulamaları

Abstract

: Bu araştırma üniversitelerin İngilizce hazırlık programlarında görev yapan İngilizce öğretmenlerinin İngiliz Dili öğretimindeki amaçları, hedef kültür öğretimi konusunda katılımcıların görüşlerini ve derslerde uygulanan kültürel aktivitelerin sıklığını ve türlerini araştırmayı amaçlamaktadır. Çalışma Türkiye’de yer alan Osmaniye Korkut Ata Üniversitesi, Çukurova Üniversitesi, Adana Bilim ve Teknoloji Üniversitesi ve Mersin Üniversitesi olmak üzere 4 devlet üniversitesi ve bu üniversitelerde görev yapan 50 öğretim görevlisinin katılımı ile yürütülmüştür. Veri toplama aracı olarak, Sercu (2005) tarafından geliştirilen anketin Kılıç (2013) yılında uyarlanan bir versiyonu kullanılmıştır ve bulgular SPSS ile analiz edilmiştir Çalışmanın bulguları, katılımcıların genel olarak kültürün yabancı dil sınıfına entegre edilmesinin öneminin farkında olduklarını ve buna karşı olumlu bir tutum sergilediklerini, ancak kültürü öğretmenin ve öğrencileri kültürlerarası yetkinlikle donatmanın öğretmenlerin öncelikli hedeflerinden biri olmadığını ortaya koymuştur. Bunun yerine, en önemli hedeflerden birinin İngilizceyi etkili bir şekilde kullanmak için dil bilgisi ve dilsel beceriler edinmek olduğu kabul edilmiştir. Öğretim görevlilerinin kültür öğretimindeki birincil hedefi, hedef kültürün günlük yaşamı ve rutinleri hakkında bilgi verirken aynı zamanda diğer insanlara ve kültürlere karşı iyi bir tutum ve açıklık sergilemektir. Bulgulara dayanarak daha ileri çalışmalar için bazı önerilerde bulunulabilir. Öğretmenler, ELT'de kültürün önemini ve İngilizce dil sınıflarına dahil edilmesi gereken bileşenleri anlamalarına yardımcı olmak için ELT'de kültür öğretimine odaklanan hizmet içi öğretmen eğitimi atölyelerine veya seminerlerine katılmalıdır.

Keywords

• Kültürler arası yetkinlik
• Kültür öğretimi aktiviteleri
• Kültür öğretimi
• Yabancı dil olarak İngilizce öğretimi

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