socialcultural-factor-in-second-language-acquisiti

LOGOChapter7SocioculturalFactorsTheoutlineofthebookPartOne:AgeFactorsPartTwo:PsychologicalFactorsPartThree:SocioculturalFactorsPartFour:LinguisitcFactorsCulture:DefinitionsandTheoriesStereotypesorGeneralizationsAttitudesSecondCultureAcquisitionSocialDistanceTeachingInterculturalCompetenceLanguagePolicyandPoliticsLanguage,Thought,andCultureCultureintheLanguageClassroomContents1.Howdolearnersovercomethepersonalandtransactionalbarrierspresentedbytwoculturesincontact?2.Whatistherelationshipofculturelearningtosecondlanguagelearning?QUESTIONS1.Whatisculture?Cultureisawayoflife.Itisthecontextwithinwhichweexist,think,feel,andrelatetoothers.Cultureisourcontinent,ourcollectiveidentity.CultureisthecollectiveprogrammingofthemindwhichdistinguishesthemembersofonegrouporcategoryofpeoplefromAnother(HOFSTEDE2001)Culture:DefinitionsandTheoriesCULTUREASANONIONANALOGYONIONLAYERS2.Whyiscultureimportant?Nosocietyexistswithoutaculturereflectstheneedforculturetofulfillcertainbiologicalandpsychologicalneedsinpeople.Cultureestablishesforeachpersonacontextofcognitiveandaffectivebehavior,atemplateforpersonalandsocialexistence.1.Culture:DefinitionsandTheoriesWhatistherelationshipbetweencultureandlanguage?Alanguageisapartofaculture,andacultureisapartofalanguage;thetwoareintricatelyinterwovensothatonecannotseparatethetwowithoutlosingthesignificanceofeitherlanguageorculture.Theacquisitionofasecondlanguageisalsotheacquisitionofasecondculture.Culture:DefinitionsandTheoriesThischapterattemptstohighlightsomeoftheimportantaspectsoftherelationshipsbetweenlearningasecondlanguageandlearningaculturalcontextofthesecondlanguage.Culture:DefinitionsandTheoriesQuestions:Whatisstereotype?Whatisgeneralization?Example:“AgiftedpersonoughttolearnEnglish(barringspellingandpronouncing)in30hours,Frenchin30days,andGermanin30years.”(MarkTwain,ATrampAbroad)—(linguisticandculturalstereotypes)2.StereotypesorGeneralizations2.StereotypesorGeneralizationsInthebiasofourownculture-boundworldview,wetoooftenpictureotherculturesinanoversimplifiedmanner,lumpingculturaldifferencesintoexaggeratedcategories,thevieweverypersoninacultureaspossessingstereotypicaltraits.e.g.Americansareallrich,informal,materialistic,overlyfriendly,anddrinkcoffee.Italiansarepassionate,demonstrative,greatlovers,anddrinkredwine.Germansarestubborn,industrious,methodical,anddrinkbeer.TheBritisharestuffy,polite,thrifty,anddrinktea.Japanesearereserved,unemotional,takealotofpictures,andalsodrinktea..2.StereotypesorGeneralizations2.StereotypesorGeneralizationsAgeneralizationisastatementthatseemstobetrueinmostsituationsformostpeople,butthatmaynotbecompletelytrueinallcases.Astereotypeisafixedgeneralimageorsetofcharacteristicsthatalotofpeoplebelievethatitrepresentsaparticulartypeofpersonorthing.Question:Howdostereotypesform?Ourculturalmilieushapesourworldview.Realityisthoughttobeobjectivelyperceivedthroughourculturalpattern.Ifpeoplerecognizeandunderstanddifferingworldviews,theywillusuallyadoptapositiveandopen-mindedattitudetowardcross-culturaldifferences.Aclosed-mindedviewofsuchdifferencesoftenresultsinthemaintenanceofastereotype-anoversimplificationandblanketassumption.2.StereotypesorGeneralizationsAccordingtoKumaravadivelu(2003),commonstereotypesofAsianstudentsaredepicted:(1)Theyareobedienttoauthority;(2)lackcriticalthinkingskills;(3)donotparticipateinclassroominteractionWhilestereotypingorovergeneralizingpeoplefromotherculturesshouldavoided,cross-culturalresearchhasshownthatthereareindeedcharacteristicsofculturethatmakeoneculturedifferentfromanother.Wewillseelaterinthischapterthatculturescanalsodifferaccordingtodegreesofcollectivism,powerdistance,uncertaintyavoidanceandgenderroleprescriptions.2.StereotypesorGeneralizationsRevelationBothlearnerandteachersofasecondlanguageneedtounderstandculturaldifferences,torecognizeopenlythatpeoplearenotallthesamebeneaththeskin.Asteachersandresearchers,wemuststrivetounderstandtheidentitiesofourlearnersintermsoftheirsocioculturalbackground,thentrytoturnperceptionintoappreciation.2.StereotypesorGeneralizationsStereotypingusuallyimpliessometypeofattitudetowardthecultureorlanguageinquestion.Attitudes,likeallaspectsofthedevelopmentofcognitionandaffectinhumanbeings,developearlyinchildhoodandaretheresultofparents’andpeers’attitude.Whataretheeffectsofattitudesonlanguagelearning?GardberandLambert(1972)definedmotivationasaconstructmadeupofcertainattitudes.JohnOllerandhiscolleaguesheldthatpositiveattitudestowardself,thenativelanguagegroup,andthetargetlanguagegroupenhancedproficiency.AttitudesRevelationItseemsclearthatsecondlanguagelearnersbenefitfromPositiveattitudesandthatnegativeattitudesmayleadtodecreasedmotivation.Teachersneedstobeawarethateveryonehasbothpositiveandnegativeattitudes.Thenegativecanbechanged,oftenbyexposuretoreality-forexample,byencounterwithactualpersonsfromothercultures.Negativeattitudesusuallyemergefromone’sindirectexposuretoacultureorgroupthroughTV,movies,newsmedia,booksandothersourcesthatmaybelessthanr