Cultural Motivation and Its Impact on Foreign Language Learning in Globalizing World
الموضوعات :
Shiva Azadipour
1
(Islamic Azad University, Ardestan Branch, Isfahan, Iran)
الکلمات المفتاحية: culture, globalization, Motivation, foreign language learning, Intercultural Competence,
ملخص المقالة :
The study aims at focusing on the relationship between motivation, culture, and success in foreign language learning in globalizing world. Many studies have been done to examine the relationship between them. The studies showed that culture can play a motivating role in language learning success. Considering Gardner's instrumental and integrative motivation, a learner with a high degree of integrative motivation is likely to make more efforts to form bonds with people of the target culture. To conduct the survey 48 students of Ardestan Azad University were chosen. Some activities and techniques were taken to promote their multicultural competence. In the first session a brief explanation was given to the students along with some questionnaires regarding cultural issues to answer. During 16 weeks of the semester students were taught and monitored through class discussions, essay writings etc. The goal of the activities was to encourage and estimate their respect, tolerance and empathy to people of different cultures. In the last session a questionnaire designed by the researcher was used to collect data. It was composed of three sections: 1) 11 statements about cultural issues to be rated with a likert scale of agreement (based on the Bennett's intercultural communicative model). 2) 10 rating questions (considering Byram& Risager's multidimensional model of ICC). 3) 5 open questions about their belief and behavior to elaborate on. The results showed that respect for others, adaptation and integration with people of target culture were the highest rated among others. An unexpected result was that there was no significant relationship between students' lesson scores and their attitude toward foreign language culture. This can be justified by globalization process by which "people of the world are incorporated into a single world society, global society". Therefore learners who belong to a global English-speaking culture are ready to suspend disbelief about others and adopt new cultural aspects while respecting and maintaining their own culture.
Albrow, M. (1990) ‘Introduction’, in M. Albrow and E. King (eds) Globalization, Knowledge and Society. London: Sage.
Bennett, J. M. (1993). Toward Ethnorelativism: A Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. In R. M. Paige (Ed.), Education for the Intercultural Experience (pp. 21-71).
Boli, J Thomas GM (eds.) (1999) Constructing World culture: International Nongovernmental Organizations Since 1875. Stanford University Press. Stanford, CA.
Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence. Philadelphia, PA: Multilingual Matters.
De Nooy, J., & Hanna, B. E. (2003). Cultural Information Gathering by Australian Students in France. Language and Intercultural Communication, 3(1), 64-80.
Dornyei, z. Csizer, K. (2005) The Effects of Intercultural Contact and Tourism on Language Attitudes and Language Learning Motivation. Journal of Language and Social Psychology. Vol. 24, 327-357.
Fantini, A. E. (2006). Exploring and Assessing Intercultural Competence. Retrieved May 1, 2007, from http://www.sit.edu/publications/docs/feil_research_report.pdf
Gardner, R. C. (1985) Social Psychology and Second Language learning: The Role of Attitudes and Motivation. London: Edward Arnold.
Killick, D. & Poveda, J. 1997. Perceptions of Cross-Cultural Capability: is EFL Another Language? Proceedings of the Conference at Leeds Metropolitan, University, 15-16 December 1997.
Kramsch, C. (1993). Language and Culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lamb, M. (2004) Integrative Motivation in a Globalizing World. System vol 32.
Moore, J. (1991). An Analysis of the Cultural Content of Post-Secondary Textbooks for Spanish: Evidence of Information Processing Strategies and Types of Learning in Reading Selections and Post-Reading Adjunct Questions. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Norris, J. Sinicrope, C. Watanabe, Y. (2007). Understanding and Assessing Intercultural Competence: A Summary of theory, Research and Practice. Second Language Studies. University of Hawaii.
Paige, R. M.; Jorstad, H.; Siaya, L.; Klein, F. & Colby, J. (2000). Culture Learning in Language Education; A Review of the Literature. Center for Advanced Research on Department of Education. Minaesota University.
Risager, K. (2007). Language and Culture Pedagogy: From a national to a Transnational Paradigm: Buffalo, NY: Multilingual Matters.
Thanasoulas, D. (2001). The Importance of Teaching Culture in Foreign Language Classroom. Radical Pedagogy.
Tomlinson, J. (1991). Cultural Imperialism: A Critical Introduction. Pinter. London.
Tyler, E. (1881). An Introduction to the Study of Man and Civilization: Anthropology New York. Appleton.
Wadell, E. Shandor, A (2012). Changing Views on Motivation in a Globalizing World. The Language Teacher. Reader’s Forum.
Weaver, G. R. (1993) Understanding and Coping with Cross-Cultural Adjustment Stress. In: Education for the Intercultural Experience, 2nd Ed. M. R. Paige. Intercultural Press, Inc; Yarmouth, ME. pp. 137.
Yashima, T. (2009) Willingness to Communicate in a Second Language: The Japanese EFL Context. The Modern Language Journal, 86, 54-66.
