Culture and Language Learning

This book explores students opinions of the role and place of culture in learning English. The participants were grade 12 students in five different selective high schools. The data were collected using a questionnaire developed by the researcher, and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings suggest that the students were learning English for instrumental purposes to be able to find a well-paid job and communicate with people around the world. Furthermore, they thought native English speaking teachers teach English better than local teachers. However, the students believed familiarity with local cultures and languages are among the characteristics of effective teachers. In terms of their opinions of culture, almost half of the participants agreed with the idea that target language culture should be taught along with English. On the other hand, about one third of them disagreed or partially agreed with this idea, arguing that target language culture should not corrupt local cultures. Therefore, this book highlights the importance of local cultures and local English language teachers in English language teaching practices with pedagogical implications.