Intercultural Competence in ELT: Does it really matter for English teachers in India?
Sonia Tyagi1, Nilu Choudhary2
1Research Scholar, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida
2Associate Professor, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida
*Corresponding Author E-mail: nc2021@dias.ac.in
ABSTRACT:
For all its conveniences, the modern life goes away much to be wished. To make effective communication, not only do people need adequate language skills but also cultural ability where a cultural boundary can be achieved. As such, the work of English teachers is expected to not only provide and facilitate students to acquire English skills but also the ability to engage with culture. This study aims to expose the views and beliefs of EFL teachers regarding cultural competence in the English teaching process. The courses were for twenty- nine teachers with experience in teaching at other educational institutions, namely schools, universities, and English courses. Based on the data collected using a series of questionnaires and interviews, it was found that most teachers have good ideas for integrating culture and cultural competence into their English teaching practice. Besides, they view culture as an integral part of language. In addition, teachers' knowledge of target culture was found to be highly fragmented. In their teaching practice, they report that a variety of strategies have been used to facilitate the teaching of language in culture. However, it was found that the way the intended customs were integrated with English teaching was not considered sufficient; therefore, more concerted efforts are being made to address this problem. Cultural competence forms one of the most important skills in this age of globalization, and especially in the development of students as a language learner and as a society. This is because students will benefit from that knowledge, not only their language skills, but also their ability to communicate and interact with other people whose cultures are different from them (Byram, Gribkova, and Starkey, 2002). Therefore, language teachers not only need to equip learners with adequate language skills but also need to develop their learners' cultural skills as they deliver their language education.
KEYWORDS: Cultural ability, Cultural competence, Globalization, Language skills, ELT Teachers.
INTRODUCTION:
Cross-cultural ability is the ability to do well in all cultures, to think and act responsibly, and to communicate and work with people from different cultural backgrounds - at home or abroad. Cultural competence is an important asset in an increasingly globalized world where we may be able to connect with people from different cultures and countries with different values, beliefs, and experiences.
Cultural competence forms one of the most important skills in this age of globalization, and especially in the development of students as a language learner and as a society. This is because students will benefit from that knowledge, not only their language skills, but also their ability to communicate and interact with other people whose cultures are different from them (Byram, Gribkova, and Starkey, 2002). Therefore, language teachers not only need to equip learners with adequate language skills but also need to develop the cultural skills of their learners as they deliver their language education.
In recent decades, the need to incorporate cultural knowledge (from now on IC) into language learning has increased. This is because global trade is experiencing a dramatic increase in current cultural interactions (Gunay, 2016). In the meantime, IC defined as dexterity includes a functional, cognitive, and psychological/skilled environment in which one can effectively and efficiently communicate with other people whose cultures are different (Spitzberg and Changnon, 2009; Byram, 1997) are considered by saying that it has a profound effect on language learners. Such situations will be of benefit to them in the future so that future education can be a major challenge, that is, students not only face challenges related to how they develop their cognitive skills but also how they interact with other people as important issues to consider (OECD, 2018).
In view of such a situation, personal and social responsibility that includes cultural awareness and skill is considered one of the necessary skills that needs to be considered (Binkley, Erstad, Herman, Raizen, Ripley, Miller-Ricci and Rumble, 2012). Therefore, for language teachers, including English teachers, they are not only required to prepare students with adequate language skills but also to develop their students' cultural skills as they deliver their English education.
Although regarded as a prerequisite for learning English, IC still faces challenges in English learning practices, especially in the context of the EFL. It is found that IC does not receive much attention and comprehensive investigation into the English teaching process (Idris, 2020; Atay and Kurt, 2009). In addition, it is considered a major challenge as Bickley, Rossiter, and Abbott (2014) argue, especially in the case of EFL setting, that students tend to have a shared first culture and limited access to input and communication with English speakers. Such a situation leads to the growth of students with their cultural skills being disrupted.
Because of such conditions, many researchers are trying to solve problems by examining IC with specific studies. In the case of Indonesia, there are many studies discussing IC. For example, Aprianoto and Haerazi (2019) investigated the creation of an English-speaking model model based on the culture of various private universities in West Nusa Tenggara, Abduh and Rosmaladewi (2018) who examined Indonesian lecturers on strategies used to promote cultural values at Indonesian tertiary institution, Dollah, Abduh, and Talib (2017) highlighted the cultural sensitivity of English department students, Luthfia, Rosidah, and Sofian (2019) who investigated the use of social media as a way to improve cultural communication skills between Local students Indian, Haerazi, Irwansyah, Dedi and Azis (2018) who analyzes English class writing materials by combining cultural skills, Edi, Wello and Dollah (2017) reviewing the strategies of university students in developing a cultural communication skills model, Adi (2017) investigated the use of technology nology in promoting students' cultural communication knowledge, Siregar (2016) analyzes English language policy and its implementation of language teaching and teaching in private university culture. Based on the above studies, the cultural potential of ELT can be considered an interest in many researchers, especially in the recent Indian context.
In addition, to make the language learning and teaching process effective, it depends on the characters who are directly involved in the process, which means in this case the teachers. Teachers have a particular belief in the way they conduct and conduct English lessons; in addition, it is considered that teachers 'beliefs are an important factor because they will influence educational practice (Pajares, 1992) and especially the way teachers conduct classroom education, attitudes, actions, and influences their students' beliefs (Utami, 2016; Abdi and Asadi, 2015), and all activities from planning and decision- making about courses and commanding methods are related to their beliefs (Chou, 2008).
With regard to the issue of the importance of teachers' beliefs in language learning and teaching, understanding the sources that influence their beliefs should be considered because they are complex variables that are affected by many factors. According to Barnard and Burns (2012) there are at least six sources that influence teachers 'beliefs: their language learning skills (while in school, college or university), technical trainers or program developers (pre-service or service courses), subjects, conferences or conferences,' other important people (spouse, partners, family, friends), and authorities (school principal, inspectors, exam boards or education department). However, Leutwyler, Mantel, Petrovic, Dimitrijevic, and Zlatkovic (2015)
A mixed method was used in this study. Two types of methods, size and quantity are combined. These two methods were used to obtain in-depth information and were expected to increase the reliability of the findings of a study on the beliefs of English teachers in incorporating cultural skills into teaching English.
The subjects involved in the study were 35 teachers who took up the Master’s in English education study program at one of Bandung city universities. However, based on assumptions from the questionnaire of the people, there were two subjects who had never had the experience of teaching at an educational institution. Therefore, these two topics were reduced to data analysis. As a result, there were only twenty-nine studies that were involved in data analysis. They work in various educational institutions, such as universities/colleges, schools and English courses.
The subjects in this study were selected and determined by a purposeful sampling process. The reasons for using such type of samples were based on other assumptions. First, the ease of access to this study is the main reason for participating in this study. Also considered is their collaboration to participate in this study. To keep the identity of the titles private, other codes were used, such as T1, T2, and so on.
Two types of instruments were used to collect data for this study. They had interviews and a list of questions. The questionnaire used in this study was taken from Survey’s questionnaire (2005, pp. 186-214). It was translated into Bahasa Indonesia to avoid misunderstandings. Next, a less formal discussion was held. The use of this type of interview is expected to provide in-depth information on the issues. There were five English teachers interviewed. It is done by phone or via WhatsApp.
The details of this study were analyzed using two types of methods. The first was a measurement, in this case, about data taken from a questionnaire. All answers are calculated as a percentage. Subsequently, it was confirmed by information taken from the interview and challenged by relevant theories and previous related studies.
Beliefs of Data Lecturers in ELT Language Teaching:
Based on the online questionnaire distributed via Google Form, it can be shown that most English educators have good beliefs in ELT language teaching. In this regard, they identified teaching culture with the same English teaching environment, in which they responded strongly (38.5%) and (61.5%) (Item no.1). In addition, the majority of English teachers have strong beliefs in traditional language teaching, namely that in teaching Indian local culture there is a similar position to teaching the target culture (English culture) (79% strongly agree and 14. Most of us have been able to paint the language of our English language, but we will only be able to do so in the future, just three hours later in the English language (I think it is important because as we learn English we not only learn English but also… in countries where English is native…) ”(Interview with T1 on 15th September 2020) This is also revealed in Lesson T2, which states that teaching English must be integrated with the culture and such integration will benefit students.
Dalam mengajar bahasa, sebenarnya pengajaran budaya itu harus selaras jika kita mengajar bahasa bukan cuma bahasa… tapi mereka (siswa) tahu budaya dan negara negara mana bahasa itu berasal… Sebenarnya mengajarkan budaya ketika kita mengajar (In line with English teaching, we do not only teach English… but students need to know the cultures and countries where English originates ... in fact where teaching a culture such as teaching English will lead students to be interested…) (Interview with T2 dated 15th September 2020).
In addition to the English language from the target language/source, there will be a few other words in English or in English, because in Bahasa tidak bisa lepas from budaya bahkan menjadi bagian from budaya sendiri. In addition to the basic language from the target language / source, it will be memorized in Bahasa secara comprehensive only if it is grammatical, complex, and other. (Introducing the intended culture/motivation, English, is important, because languages cannot be separated from culture, they are also part of culture) (Talk to T3 on15th September 2020).
However, Lesson T5 is slightly different from other teachers. In this regard, he ensures that the teaching culture should focus on students' English skills and focus more on local culture to facilitate student learning. In detail, he explains Breathing. Tapi nggak bentt-penting banget. The Maksudnya sesekali integratedasi budaya one sky pengajaran bagus to disisipkan untuk membantu pemahaman anak belajar Bahasa Inggris secara kontekstual. In the meantime, check your location…
(Important. But it may not be so important, I mean that sometimes English culture is good to integrate to help them learn the English context. However, because the school where I taught… student skills (English) lower, I prefer to teach using local context to make them more receptive to what I have taught) (Interview with T5 on 15th September 2020)
In view of the above, it can be shown that most educators believe that teaching culture is important. It is in line with Liddicoat (2004) who emphasizes the importance of culture in language teaching even though the practice of integrating cultures into English teaching can be problematic. Abdulrahman, Usu, and Tanipu (2016) in their study point out the same thing, which in this regard, most teachers have good ideas and support for teaching culture to be integrated into language teaching, but teachers actually also have difficulties in its implementation due to certain factors, such as limited time, lack of cultural resources. or literature, and a lack of knowledge about the intended culture.
Moreover, most educators believe that culture and language are united. Such a belief is in line with the findings of Cheyhan-Bingöl and kzkan (2019) who report that teachers who teach English in the EFL context are aware of the importance of teaching culture in English teaching practices in the classroom. In addition, current research reveals that by integrating cultures into English teaching, teachers believe it will bring certain benefits to their students, such as students’ interest and help them learn language features or language skills that will help them such as communication in real life situations. Such findings are consistent with previous research conducted by Miftakh (2015) and Minoia (2019) who report that teaching culture can stimulate students ’interest in engaging in learning English.
Based on the questions posed to teachers, it was found that most teachers were familiar with the target culture. In this regard, their high level of 'high' orientation of the highest percentage affects daily life, habits, food, beverages, etc. (22.5%) and on a 'sufficient' high percentage it is indicated by 'cultural, cultural, tourist' (78.2%).
Information about the target culture is important because based on the findings of the interview, most teachers see the roles of teachers as important in conveying the intended culture. As revealed by T3 who believes that teachers are the most active in teaching culture. In this regard, he explains, “Dalam konteks sekolah guru bisa dikategorikan agen utama walaupun di luar siswa bisa belajar bahasa sekaligus budaya melalui film, sosmed, dll. (In a school setting, teachers can be classified as senior staff even though students can learn language and culture through films, social media, etc.) (T3).
That was also reported by T1 which states that the main source of targeted cultural information comes from teachers and therefore teachers need to have sufficient knowledge related to the target culture. In detail, he says, “… jadi mereka (siswa) care sedikit mengetahui… maka dari itu gurunya harus tahu. (… So they know a little… so their teachers should know (target culture).”” (T1).
However, T2 has a slightly different perspective related to this issue, emphasizing teachers as a facilitator to support student learning by integrating cultures into English teaching; teachers need to provide reinforcement on things that students already know.
In addition, knowledge with teachers and familiarity with the target language are essential. This is because in the interviews many teachers believe that they have important roles to convey the intended culture during the English teaching process which includes roles as the main source, facilitator, coordinator, mediator, director of the target culture. Based on these findings, it can be shown that combining a culture aimed at teaching English that results in giving students a greater effect, teachers need to have sufficient knowledge about the target culture without knowledge of their local culture (Bickley et al., 2014).
According to a distributed questionnaire, the most widely used method of teaching teachers in ELT is storytelling, (64.1%), followed by video or internet use (46.4%), private delivery (25.7%), classroom decoration with posters and so on (16.8% ) respectively.
In addition, based on the open-ended questionnaire, nineteen responses related to cultural support activities for integration into ELT were obtained. In this regard, teachers' responses can be categorized and summarized into: storytelling, short talk, small drama, role play, interviews, film watching, questioning and answering, story analysis, situation adjustment, reading a multicultural e-book, class project such as making a magazine magazine with regard to cultural related topics.
Meanwhile, based on interviews, it has been found that the strategies used by teachers to teach and integrate cultures in ELT are different. For example, T2 reports
Read more Read more You need to install this app before the end: Kadang kita bisa mengkomparasi kebudayaan source source dengan target source untuk membantu pemahaman mereka dalam menjelaskan materi (… in school context, introducing a specific culture can be found in textbooks. Pictures about cultures such as houses, food, places, and special circumstances such as Celebration Dates are available in textbooks. (Interview with T1 on 15th September 2020)
Based on the above findings, this study comes to some conclusions. First, the majority of English teachers strongly believe in integrating language teaching with culture and traditions. Besides, they see culture as indescribable language. By integrating culture into teaching English in the classroom, it can stimulate students' interest and involvement in learning the target language, in this case English.
In addition, knowledge of teachers or familiarity with the target culture may be considered superior. In this regard, the best-known information is about 'daily life, habits, food, drink, etc.' Information related to the targeted culture is considered important because it can support the roles of teachers, such as the main source, consultant, coordinator, mediator, or controller in targeted cultural teaching.
In addition, through the integration of the target culture, the techniques used by different teachers. In this regard, storytelling strategies make the most use (64.1%), followed by other strategies respectively, namely video or internet use (46.4%), providing private services (25.7%), and decorating the classroom with targeted cultural related items (16.8%). Also, other techniques like drama, acting, chatting, watching movies, asking and answering, story analysis, conditioning, reading an e-book, doing a classroom project using teachers.
However, they see that cultural integration, especially in terms of targeted culture, has not been well undertaken yet, so more systematic efforts are needed such as incorporating cultural content into the curriculum and providing supportive services and teacher development.
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Received on 11.09.2021 Modified on 14.11.2021
Accepted on 30.12.2021 ©AandV Publications All right reserved
Asian Journal of Management. 2022;13(1):6-10.
DOI: 10.52711/2321-5763.2022.00002