Analysis of cultural content in Spanish as a foreign language textbooks for Chinese-speaking university students

Abstract

Bearing in mind that the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language plays an increasingly important role in China, it would be interesting to know how Hispanic culture, a culture so different from the one of origin, is presented in the manuals used in this country. The present work addresses a bibliographic review, including definitions of culture and intercultural competence, classifications of cultural content in Spanish as a foreign language and previous studies. It also contextualizes the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language in China. It analyses the presence and treatment of cultural content in five textbooks of Spanish as a foreign language for Chinese-speaking university students from level A1 to B1, following a quantitative and qualitative method. Finally, this paper proposes integrating structuralist and communicative approaches in future textbooks of Spanish as a foreign language for Chinese speakers and incorporating more cultural content that fosters intercultural competence and prepares students for effective and appropriate communication and interaction in Spanish-speaking contexts.