VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOL UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUIHES POST GRADUATE DEPARTMENT TA NGOC HEN MINE USING SUPPLEMENTARY ACTIVITIES TO RAISE CROSS-CULTURAL AWARENESS OF STUDENTS IN HANOI UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY Sử dụng các hoạt đông bổ try nham nâng cao nhận thức giao Lhua văn hoá của sinh viên Trilờng Đại học Công nghiệp IIà Nội M.A Minor Thesis Field: English Methodology Code: 601410 TIÀ NỘI - NĂM 2009 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOL UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUIHES POST GRADUATE DEPARTMENT TA NGOC HEN MINE USING SUPPLEMENTARY ACTIVITIES TO RAISE CROSS-CULTURAL AWARENESS OF STUDENTS IN HANOI UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY Sử dụng các hoạt đông bổ try nham nâng cao nhận thức giao Lhua văn hoá của sinh viên Trilờng Đại học Công nghiệp IIà Nội M.A Minor Thesis English Methodology 601410 Supervisor: Dr. Trần Xuân Điệp HÀ NỘI - NĂM 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS page DECLARATION. TABLE OF CONTENTS.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Scope of the study 1.5 Methods of the study 2 1.6 Design of the study ka CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .1 Culture and foreign language learning. gk ALA Culture defined.2 Culture and language leaning 2.3 Cultural awarcness and cross-cullural awarencss.2 Cross-cultural awareness.2 Culture teaching in conversational classes .1 What aspect of culture should be taught.2 Task based approachto incorporating culture into teaching 2.3 Activities for raising students’ cultural awareness in conversational classes? 2.1 Goals for incorporating culture into English speaking Class.2 Activities for raising students’ cultural awareness in conversational classes.1 The summary of Cliisline Ehmore’s aclivilies 10 " These reasons have given rise to this study.
It’s the author's atlcmpt to ñnd on! the effeetivz aclivilies to T: sluderds’ cross — cultural awaren TLis hoped that this study will help the situation in HaUJI.2 Aims of the study ‘The study is aimed at 1. finding oul the effcclive activities in raising students’ cultural awareness 2. finding out the difficulties in incorporating cultural elements into speaking lessons at HaUL 1. Scope of the study ‘The participants in the study ars first year Linglish majored students.
‘They are in their 2° scimester. The textbook choscn for the course is Let's talk 2. The study only focuses on supplementary activities in raising students’ cross — cultural awareness. Teaching ‘culture” in this thesis refers to British and American culttwe in language use and in communication contexls.4 Research questions ‘The study is carried out to find the answers to the following research questions: 1.
What are the effective activities for improving HaUi students’ cross-cultural awareness? 2. What are the difficulties in incorporating cullural clctnonts inlo speaking lessons al HalJT? 1.5 Methods of the study In this study, action rescarch is employed. The auflior makes comments, remarks, comparisons and conclusions fiom observations, survey questionnaires, discussions and experience. Survey questionnaires are ulllized lo survey the situation of tcvclring and learning culture al the beginning of the study.
They are also used to collect teachers’ and students’ opinions about culture teaching and learning after the study. 2 tests are administered before and after the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1Cullure and foreign language learning 2.1 Culture defined Culture can be defined in many ways ftom many different perspectives. On a general level, anthropologists dafine enlinre as “.the whole way of kfc of people or group. In this conlexl, culture includes all the social practices that bond a group of people together and distinguish them from them” (Monigemetry and ReidThomas, 1994:5).
In Nguyen Quang’s view, “Culture is the whole complex of tangible and intangible expressions thal are created and adapted by a sociely or a social gronp as well as the ways it functions and reacts in given situations, this helps distinguish one socisty or social group from another not only in terms of the availability of those expressions and behaviors, but also in terms of their proportionality and manifestability”. (Nguyen Quang, 2006:24) According to Brown (1994: 170) culture is a deeply ingrained part of the very fiber of our being, bul language - (he means for communication among members ofa cullure —is the thos! visible and available expression of that culture. And sơ a person’s worldview, self’ identity, and system of thinking, acting, feeling, and communicating can be disrupted bya change ftom one cullure 1o another, From these points of view, it can be interred that language and culture are inextricably Linked. Therefore, language leaching car nol he separated from cullure teaclring 2.2 Culture and language Icarning Language and cultures are closely related in many ways.
According to Claire Kramsch, Jariguage is the principal means whereby we comluct on socal lives (Claire Kramsch, 1998:3). When it is used in contexts of communication, it is bound up with culture in multiple and complex ways to figure out the differcnecs in students’ cultural knowledge. Observations and formal discussions are also cffectively combined in the study.6 Design of the study The study is divided into 4 chapters Chapter T is an introduction lo the research ia which rafionale, methods of the sturly and research questions are discussed. Chapler TT reviews the Tileraure of cullure in foreign language teaching, the relationship between culture and language learning.
The study also looks at some influential theories of activities used for teaching culture. Chapter III discusses the context of the study, data collection methods and activities tor raising cross cultural awareness in [IaUL The author also analyzes the data collected to answer the rescarch questions, Changes in the results of the culture achicvement tests are assessed based on both quantitative and qualitative data collected through the test results, interviews, informal discussions. observations and survey questionnaixes Chapter [V includes the findings of the study and suggests tirther research.2 Activi ies applied for raising TalJI students’ cross-cultural awareness in speaking lessoms.3 Students’ test results betore and atfer the stuy.4 Survey Questionnaire for the students before the study and after the study.1 Sludenis’ participation in the speaking lessons wilh cross — cullural activities 129 3.2 Stndenis’ self— evaluation of their cultural knowledge 30 3.43 Studonls’ opinion of the immpartance of culture for English learning 30 3.4 Students’ anticipation of the culture learning,.5 Students’ opinions of speaking lessons with cross — cultural activities affer the study.6 Students’ difficulties in culture learring.4 Discussion of the findings 35 3.5 Implications for raising HaUT students’ cross — cultural awareness.1 Summary of the study 4.2 Limitations of the study.3 Suggestions for further study References Appendices.2 Activi ies applied for raising TalJI students’ cross-cultural awareness in speaking lessoms.3 Students’ test results betore and atfer the stuy.4 Survey Questionnaire for the students before the study and after the study.1 Sludenis’ participation in the speaking lessons wilh cross — cullural activities 129 3.2 Stndenis’ self— evaluation of their cultural knowledge 30 3.43 Studonls’ opinion of the immpartance of culture for English learning 30 3.4 Students’ anticipation of the culture learning,.5 Students’ opinions of speaking lessons with cross — cultural activities affer the study.6 Students’ difficulties in culture learring.4 Discussion of the findings 35 3.5 Implications for raising HaUT students’ cross — cultural awareness.1 Summary of the study 4.2 Limitations of the study.3 Suggestions for further study References Appendices. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 11 Rationale English learning does not only include grammatical competence and language proficiency, it also includes culture learning.
“Forcign language lewming is comprised of several components, including grammatical competence, communicative competence, language proficiency as well as a change in attitudes towards one’s own or another culture. For scholars and laymen alike, cultnral competence, ie, the knowledge of the conventions, customs, beliefs and systems of meaning of another country, is indisputably an integral part of foreign language learning, and many teachers have seen it as their goal fo incorporate the teaching of cule info Thơ forcign «language currienlum. Thanasoulas, akasa74(@hotinail.com) From the idea above, it can be inferred that forcign language teaching can’t bz complztc without the transmission of cultural information in the lessons. However, il is still controversial among many language teachers aboul thơ appropriate teaching methods and cross cultural activities used in speaking lessons in order that the target of raising students’ cross — cultural awareness can be met In HaUl, there has never been any study on raising students’ cross — cultural awareness and tgachers” alliludes owards Ihese issues.
From my 8 years’ experience as a teacher al TaUT, 1 am aware that the teaching of culture has not been emphasized in this teaching context. The curticuhim in HaUI has not been designed to include culture teaching or developing additional teaching and learning materials that includes Lnglish speaking countries’ cultural values. In speaking lessons, studenls arc often asked Io talk aboul the topic the tcachzrs raise, laught some expressions and new words, Cultural elements are rarely mentioned, Therefore, students ollen ask me a lol of questions which are grammatically correc! but culturally imappropriate. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 11 Rationale English learning does not only include grammatical competence and language proficiency, it also includes culture learning.
“Forcign language lewming is comprised of several components, including grammatical competence, communicative competence, language proficiency as well as a change in attitudes towards one’s own or another culture. For scholars and laymen alike, cultnral competence, ie, the knowledge of the conventions, customs, beliefs and systems of meaning of another country, is indisputably an integral part of foreign language learning, and many teachers have seen it as their goal fo incorporate the teaching of cule info Thơ forcign «language currienlum. Thanasoulas, akasa74(@hotinail.com) From the idea above, it can be inferred that forcign language teaching can’t bz complztc without the transmission of cultural information in the lessons. However, il is still controversial among many language teachers aboul thơ appropriate teaching methods and cross cultural activities used in speaking lessons in order that the target of raising students’ cross — cultural awareness can be met In HaUl, there has never been any study on raising students’ cross — cultural awareness and tgachers” alliludes owards Ihese issues.
From my 8 years’ experience as a teacher al TaUT, 1 am aware that the teaching of culture has not been emphasized in this teaching context. The curticuhim in HaUI has not been designed to include culture teaching or developing additional teaching and learning materials that includes Lnglish speaking countries’ cultural values. In speaking lessons, studenls arc often asked Io talk aboul the topic the tcachzrs raise, laught some expressions and new words, Cultural elements are rarely mentioned, Therefore, students ollen ask me a lol of questions which are grammatically correc! but culturally imappropriate. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1Cullure and foreign language learning 2.1 Culture defined Culture can be defined in many ways ftom many different perspectives.
On a general level, anthropologists dafine enlinre as “.the whole way of kfc of people or group. In this conlexl, culture includes all the social practices that bond a group of people together and distinguish them from them” (Monigemetry and ReidThomas, 1994:5). In Nguyen Quang’s view, “Culture is the whole complex of tangible and intangible expressions thal are created and adapted by a sociely or a social gronp as well as the ways it functions and reacts in given situations, this helps distinguish one socisty or social group from another not only in terms of the availability of those expressions and behaviors, but also in terms of their proportionality and manifestability”. (Nguyen Quang, 2006:24) According to Brown (1994: 170) culture is a deeply ingrained part of the very fiber of our being, bul language - (he means for communication among members ofa cullure —is the thos! visible and available expression of that culture.
And sơ a person’s worldview, self’ identity, and system of thinking, acting, feeling, and communicating can be disrupted bya change ftom one cullure 1o another, From these points of view, it can be interred that language and culture are inextricably Linked. Therefore, language leaching car nol he separated from cullure teaclring 2.2 Culture and language Icarning Language and cultures are closely related in many ways. According to Claire Kramsch, Jariguage is the principal means whereby we comluct on socal lives (Claire Kramsch, 1998:3).
