American Culture presence in EFL Textbooks used in Baccalaureate in Spain
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30827/portalin.vi37.22339Keywords:
Baccalaureate, culture, textbooks, United States, InterculturalityAbstract
Learning a foreign language implies a lot more than learning grammar and vocabulary. Language learners should also acquire the necessary social and cultural skills that would allow them to interact within the context where the target language is expected to be used. As a result, EFL teachers face the challenge of selecting and explaining the cultural contents that their students could employ when communicating with other English speakers. Especially the speakers from those countries where EFL learners would more likely travel to either for academic or working purposes. In the case of Spanish EFL learners, the United States of America is among the most popular destinations in this regard. Therefore, exploring to what extend the American Culture is being addressed in EFL textbooks might help educators to improve their own teaching approach. This paper addresses research into the presence of American culture in textbooks used in Spain. The results indicate the limited importance of American Culture in the ELT books used in Spain.. The paper concludes by including some suggestions to address American Culture in the teaching of English as a Foreign Language in Spanish EFL Classrooms.
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References
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Amerian, M., & Tajabadi, A. (2020). The Role of Culture in Foreign Language Teaching Textbooks: An Evaluation of "New Headway" Series from an Intercultural Perspective. Intercultural Education, 31(6), 673-644. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2020.1747291
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Meadows, B. (2020). Nationalism, Nationalized Cultures, and English Language Teaching (ELT): What Teacher Interviews Reveal about Culture Teaching as Vehicle for Ideological Reproduction/Transformation. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies , 17(3), 143-165. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427587.2020.1714443
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Paige, R. M., Jorstad, H., Paulson, L., Klein, F., & Colby, J. (1999). Culture learning in language education: A review of the literature. In R. Michael Paige, Dale L. Lange , & Yelen A. Yershova (Eds.), Culture as the core: Integrating culture into the language curriculum (CARLA Working Paper Series 15), (pp. 47-114). Minneapolis, MN: The Center for Advanced Researchon Language Acquisition, University of Minnesota.
Patterson, S. T. (2009). The effects of teacher-student small talk on out-of-seat behavior. Education and Treatment of Children, 32(1), 167-174. http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/etc.0.0048
Pennycook, A. (2007). ELT and Colonialism. In C. J., & D. C (Eds.), International Handbook of English Language Teaching. Springer International Handbooks of Education. (Vol. 15). Boston, MA: Springer.
Raigón-Rodríguez, A. R., & Larrea-Espinar, Á. M. (2015). General and Specific Culture Learning in EFL Textbooks aimed at Adult Learners in Spain. Studia Anglica Posnaniensia, 50(1). https://doi.org/10.1515/stap-2015-0014
Ramirez, A. G., & Hall, J. K. (1990). Language and culture in secondary level spanish textbooks. Modern Language Journal, 74(1), 48-65. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/language-culture-secondary-level-spanish/docview/63068031/se-2?accountid=14609
Ramirez, A. G., & Hall, J. K. (1990). Language and culture in secondary level spanish textbooks. Modern Language Journal. 74(1), 48-65. https://www.jstor.org/stable/327943
Saeedi, Z., Fatalaki, J. A., & Nazari, M. (2017). Theme-based culture capsules and EFL learners' multicultural attitude: The efficiency of explicit and implicit instruction. International Journal of Progressive Education, 13(1), 6-21. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/theme-based-culture-capsules-efl-learners/docview/1895987480/se-2?accountid=14609
Shin, J., Eslami, Z. R., & Wen-Chun, C. (2011). Presentation of local and international culture in current international English-language teaching textbooks. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 24(3), 253-268. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2011.614694
Torres, P. E., Whitebread, D., & McLellan, R. (2018). The role of teacher regulatory talk in students' self-regulation development across cultures. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development(162), 89-114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cad.20259
U.S Embassy and Consulate in Spain and Andorra. (2021, June). https://es.usembassy.gov/es/cifra%E2%80%AFrecord-de-estudiantes-espanoles-en-ee-uu-un-9-5-mas-en-el-curso-2019-20%E2%80%AF/#:~:text=7.954%20estudiantes%20espa%C3%B1oles%20decidieron%20cursar,con%20respecto%20al%20a%C3%B1o%20anterior.&text=3%2C238%20estudi
Yuen, K.-M. (2011). The representation of foreign cultures in English textbooks. ELT Journal, 65(4), 458 - 466. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccq089
Aldawood, A. A., & Almeshari, F. (2009). Effects of Learning Culture on English-Language Learning for Saudi EFL Students. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 10(3), 330-343. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no3.23
Ali, S., Kazemian, B., & Mahar, I. H. (2015). The Importance of Culture in Second and Foreign Language Learning. Dinamika Ilmu, 15(1), 1-10. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1121920.pdf
Alshenqeeti, H. (2019). Representation of Culture in EFL Textbooks and Learners’ Preference. Pedagogy Journal of English Language Teaching. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3709387
Amerian, M., & Tajabadi, A. (2020). The Role of Culture in Foreign Language Teaching Textbooks: An Evaluation of "New Headway" Series from an Intercultural Perspective. Intercultural Education, 31(6), 673-644. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2020.1747291
Bachman, L., & Palmer, A. (1996). Language Testing in Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org10.2307/328718
Castro, P., Sercu, L., & Mendez García, M. (2004). Integrating Language-and-Culture Teaching: An Investigation of Spanish Teachers' Perceptions of the Objectives of Foreign Language Education. Intercultural Education, 15(1), 91-104. https://doi.org/10.1080/1467598042000190013
Chapelle, C. A. (2016). Teaching Culture in Introductory Foreign Language Textbooks. Palgrave Macmillan .
Cismas, S. C. (2009). The impact of American culture on other cultures. Recent Advances in Artificial Intelligence, Knowledge Engineering and Data Bases: Proceedings O the 9th WSEAS International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Knowledge Engineering and Data Bases (AIKED'10) (pp. 388-393). Cambridge: CUP.
Council of Europe. (2018). Common European Framework Of Reference For Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment Companion Volume with New Descriptors. https://www.educarex.es/pub/cont/com/0059/documentos/CEFR-Companion_Volume_with_new_descriptors_-_2018.docx.pdf
Dechert, C., & Kastner, P. (1989). Undergraduate student interests and the cultural content of textbooks for German. Modern Language Journal, 73(2), 178-191. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/undergraduate-student-interests-cultural-content/docview/63138062/se-2?accountid=14609
Delaney, C. (2017). Investigating culture: an experiential introduction to anthropology. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Estaji, M., & Savarabadi, M. (2020). English as an International Language: Reconstructing EFL Teachers' Cultural Awareness and Perception of Teaching Culture. Journal of English as an International Language, 15(1), 82-99. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1259912.pdf
García Laborda, J., Vescan, I., & Sauciuc, A. (2020). Teaching Culture in the Foreign Language Classroom: Implications for Language Assistants in Bilingual Schools. New Trends and Issues Proceedings on Humanities and Social Sciences 7(1), 194-199. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342647894_Teaching_culture_in_the_foreign_language_classroom_Implications_for_language_assistants_in_bilingual_schools
Goldoust, J.-H. (2018). Exploring Korean International Students' Culture Shock and Adjustments in U.S. Higher and Postsecondary Education (Ph.D. dissertation). San Francisco: Argosy University.
Haav, K. (2018). European Identity and Citizenship in Estonia: Analyses of Textbooks and Theoretical Developments. Journal of Social Science Education, 17(2), 67-79. https://www.jsse.org/index.php/jsse/article/view/869
Kachru, B. (1992). Teaching world Englishes. In B. Kachru (Ed.), The other tongue, English across culture (2nd ed.). Illinois, USA: University of Illinois Press.
Kaewsakul, W. (2016). Teacher's perceptions and expectations of cultural contents in fundamental english coursebooks. LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, 9(1), 72-86. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1229508.pdf
Khouni, O., & Boudjelal, A. (n.d.). Introducing the Target Language Culture to EFL Learners to Enhance Sociocultural Competence. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 10(3), 438-447. https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol10no3.31
Kramsch, C. (1993). . Context and Culture in Language Teaching. Oxford University Press.
Lado, R. (1957). Linguistics across cultures: Applied linguistics for language teachers . MI: University of Michigan Press.
Lee, K. Y. (2009). English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 8(1), 76-96. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ847287.pdf
Lee, L., & McMullen, M. (2006). Social Ideology and Early Childhood Education: A Comparative Analysis of Korean Early Childhood Teacher Education Textbooks Written in 1993 and 2003. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 7(2), 119-129. https://doi.org/10.2304/ciec.2006.7.2.119
Liu, C. (2016). Cultivation of Intercultural Awareness in EFL Teaching. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 7(1), 226-232. http://www.academypublication.com/issues2/jltr/vol07/01/26.pdf
Maijala, M. (2020). Culture Teaching Methods in Foreign Language Education: Pre-Service Teachers' Reported Beliefs and Practices. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 14(2), 133-149. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2018.1509981
Meadows, B. (2020). Nationalism, Nationalized Cultures, and English Language Teaching (ELT): What Teacher Interviews Reveal about Culture Teaching as Vehicle for Ideological Reproduction/Transformation. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies , 17(3), 143-165. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427587.2020.1714443
Morain, G. (1983). Commitment to the teaching of foreign cultures. The Modern Language Journal, 67(4), 403-412. https://www.jstor.org/stable/327070
Paige, R. M., Jorstad, H., Paulson, L., Klein, F., & Colby, J. (1999). Culture learning in language education: A review of the literature. In R. Michael Paige, Dale L. Lange , & Yelen A. Yershova (Eds.), Culture as the core: Integrating culture into the language curriculum (CARLA Working Paper Series 15), (pp. 47-114). Minneapolis, MN: The Center for Advanced Researchon Language Acquisition, University of Minnesota.
Patterson, S. T. (2009). The effects of teacher-student small talk on out-of-seat behavior. Education and Treatment of Children, 32(1), 167-174. http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/etc.0.0048
Pennycook, A. (2007). ELT and Colonialism. In C. J., & D. C (Eds.), International Handbook of English Language Teaching. Springer International Handbooks of Education. (Vol. 15). Boston, MA: Springer.
Raigón-Rodríguez, A. R., & Larrea-Espinar, Á. M. (2015). General and Specific Culture Learning in EFL Textbooks aimed at Adult Learners in Spain. Studia Anglica Posnaniensia, 50(1). https://doi.org/10.1515/stap-2015-0014
Ramirez, A. G., & Hall, J. K. (1990). Language and culture in secondary level spanish textbooks. Modern Language Journal, 74(1), 48-65. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/language-culture-secondary-level-spanish/docview/63068031/se-2?accountid=14609
Ramirez, A. G., & Hall, J. K. (1990). Language and culture in secondary level spanish textbooks. Modern Language Journal. 74(1), 48-65. https://www.jstor.org/stable/327943
Saeedi, Z., Fatalaki, J. A., & Nazari, M. (2017). Theme-based culture capsules and EFL learners' multicultural attitude: The efficiency of explicit and implicit instruction. International Journal of Progressive Education, 13(1), 6-21. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/theme-based-culture-capsules-efl-learners/docview/1895987480/se-2?accountid=14609
Shin, J., Eslami, Z. R., & Wen-Chun, C. (2011). Presentation of local and international culture in current international English-language teaching textbooks. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 24(3), 253-268. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2011.614694
Torres, P. E., Whitebread, D., & McLellan, R. (2018). The role of teacher regulatory talk in students' self-regulation development across cultures. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development(162), 89-114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cad.20259
U.S Embassy and Consulate in Spain and Andorra. (2021, June). https://es.usembassy.gov/es/cifra%E2%80%AFrecord-de-estudiantes-espanoles-en-ee-uu-un-9-5-mas-en-el-curso-2019-20%E2%80%AF/#:~:text=7.954%20estudiantes%20espa%C3%B1oles%20decidieron%20cursar,con%20respecto%20al%20a%C3%B1o%20anterior.&text=3%2C238%20estudi
Yuen, K.-M. (2011). The representation of foreign cultures in English textbooks. ELT Journal, 65(4), 458 - 466. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccq089
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Published
2022-01-17
How to Cite
Garcia Laborda, J., & Valencia Robles, J. (2022). American Culture presence in EFL Textbooks used in Baccalaureate in Spain. Porta Linguarum An International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Learning, (37), 47–62. https://doi.org/10.30827/portalin.vi37.22339
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