Effects of Culture in Teaching and Learning

Effects of Culture in Teaching and nurtureTeaching English in Saudi Arabia The Cultural scopeIntroductionIn this essay, I aim to examine the pagan context of usance pre prevalent in the queerdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in so far as it top executive affect efficient inform and infractment styles and strategies in the EFL yearroom.My sake in this topic is grounded in the reality of the post-9/11 world where the Western world has been pitted against the Arabic world as if there is a great companionable, heathenish and spectral divide that might never be bridged or so the message in the media goes. This poses a great challenge and temptation for EFL teachers operative in or curious about the region.The KSA makes for a particularly interesting get hold of into how the local pagan and ghostlike context might impact on in(predicate) English teaching and learning, because of the magnatedoms politically nociceptive geography (Marcinkiewicz, 1995). The holy cities of Me kkah and Madinah argon situated right inside its borders and the KSA has thus undertaken a protectoral role in religion.It follows then that the Moslem religion is not only the most pervasive aspect of local culture, impacting promptly on teaching method and content, it is withal a signifi give the sackt motivating force for KSA learners who are intensely religious, Islam having a strong influence on their minds and hearts. (Al Haq and Smadi, 1996). It can thus be expected then that the religious propellents in the KSA exit cause friction in the classroom (Traynham, 2006). With Islam being the strongest denominator of schoolchilds in the KSA (Kniffka, 1996), heathen awareness must inform any teaching methodology in order to achieve successful outcomes.Outline of essayI testament introduce the cultural context underpinning effective lyric poem teaching and learning and give a brief background of the history of English instruction in the KSA as a way of introducing the larger historical and cultural context in which English- quarrel instruction occurs. I will next consider some of the item sociocultural and sociolinguistic issues that impact on the learning styles and strategies preferent by students and teachers in the KSA. Referring to the relevant literature, I will bring up connections amidst the local cultural context and the effectiveness of learning and teaching methods and strategies employed. Finally, I will conclude that while the local culture affects both students and teachers and teachers must respond to this at the practical and theoretical levels teachers must, at the same time, avoid overgeneralizing about cultural and religious factors and understand that each and every classroom shews a fantastic dynamic between a given set of soul students and their teacher and that, in fact, in many cases a universal teaching method culture exists in all EFL classrooms regardless(prenominal) of social and cultural geography and context.The cultural context underpinning effective vocabulary teaching and learningIn the past decade the concepts of context and culture have generate increasingly more grand in the literature on speech teaching (Byram and Grundy, 2003). This is due to the change magnitude acknowledgement of the significance of socio-political factors in teaching and learning and of the perception of learners as social beings who respond to learning a unused language with feelings and identities (p. 1). In language teaching, cultural context is usually defined as a/the culture associated with a language being learnt (p. 1).As far as the English language is concerned, English has been taught in the KSA ever since the Kingdom was established, in 1932 (Al-Seghayer, 2005). The explosion of economic activity within the rock oil industry consequenceed in rapid development of English language programs in the 1970s, so that Saudis could successfully distribute in English with imported manpower and outside in terests. Today, English is used as the major spiritualist of instruction in universities where science, medicine, engineering and technology subjects are taught. English instruction begins in elementary enlighten and is centralized and controlled by the Ministry of Education. Despite the ever-increasing importance of English in Saudi Arabia as an essential vehicle for personal and national growth, (Al-Seghayer, 2005, pp129), the system still fails to produce a satisfactory level of English language proficiency in Saudi learners.This seems to be an incongruous result, considering that the socio-cultural motivations for learning English are quite significant. Al Haq and Smadi (1996) find that a good knowledge of English rewards with social prestige and is considered to be a amiable of duty to help Saudi Arabia advance economically, culturally and religiously at both the Islamic and world(prenominal) levels. With English being the lingua franca, in so far as technology and the scie nces are concerned, Saudi citizens see English as a vital tool in advancing in this fresh world.But this might be part of the problem. The English language as the bearer of the goods of technology and science necessarily comes with Western culture. lyric poems are expressions of national, historical and cultural identities. styles are in addition ideological because they are associated with aspirations of unity, devotion and patriotism, and social because they are perceived as symbols of status, power, group identity, and belonging, (Wesche, 2004, p. 279). As such, there is a fear in the KSA that the use of English entails Westernization, detachment to the country, and a source of corruption to religious commitment. (Al Haq and Samdi, 1996, p. 308).The sociolinguistic features of the English language the grammar, phonetics and vocabulary necessarily impact socio- affectively on the society of EFL learners (Khuwaileh, 2000, p. 287) wherever they might be situated in the wor ld. In the case of Saudi Arabia, English language instruction oftentimes relies on Western cultural content that conflicts with Islamic culture and ideals. For example, Traynham (2006) explains how many EFL textbooks contain vocabulary dating, alcohol, music, dance that is offensive to Saudi students and to the Islamic faith.Khuwaileh (2000) also establish similar sociolinguistic obstacles and cultural barriers when learners in an English for Science and Technology class refused to write on topics that included taboo vocabulary such as, AIDS, sexual diseases and contraception (p. 286), because for one student, at least, religion, honor and politeness were more important than gaining the certificate in English. Khuwaileh concluded that, unless modified, course material enough in taboo content can significantly hinder the learning process. (p. 287) Moreover, in a study of EFL textbooks largely those written by non-Saudis and non-Muslims used to teach freshman English in Saudi A rabia, Alhaidari (2003) tack together that they contained images and vocabulary that clashed directly with Islamic and Saudi cultures.These issues might seem easily solved, if common sense prevails tied(p) before theoretical and pragmatic considerations are examined. Offensive material should be avoided by designing unique material adapted to the socio-cultural reality of the student group. Even so, the pervasive presence of the textbook as the dominant tool in teaching holds a powerful influence over both cognitive and affective factors in individual students (Alhaidari, 2003, p. 3). Cultural revulsion towards a given text might impact on a students attitude to authority (in this case, the English language and English teacher) and on a students attitude to how important a text might be. A negative response, which is likely to be expected, will surely result in learning difficulties, probably lost teaching objectives and, consequently, useless curricula. (Khuwaileh, 2000, p. 287).C ultural issues in Saudi Arabia affect effective language learning strategiesFor all of these reasons, awareness of cultural issues is not only beneficial, but a necessity, and Kniffka (1992) stresses that EFL instructors need to increase their level of expertise in cultural awareness and teaching language within a cultural context. Cultural awareness begins with the understanding that culture is a concept that concerns the role of the individual in the unending kaleidoscope of life situations of every kind and the rules or models for attitudes and conduct in them Oxford (1996, p ix). Context includes the beliefs, perceptions and assumptions that directly influence two things language learning styles (the general approaches that guide learning) and language learning strategies (the specific steps or techniques used by learners).Of the six types of learning strategies cognitive, metacognitive, memory, compensatory, affective and social outlined by Oxford (2003, pp. 12-15), studies (introduced below) find that Arabic students tend to use cognitive and metacognitive strategies with greater frequency, and socio-affective strategies with lesser frequency, though students also exhibit an optimistic flexibility toward using a across-the-board range of learning strategies.Abu-Ghararah (1996) found that a wide variety of learning strategies were used even while the majority of the EFL students surveyed in three public schools in Madinah tended to use more cognitive strategies more than socio-affective strategies in acquiring English as a foreign language (p. 6). Abdan and Almuarik (1992) also found that students exhibited a preference for multiple learning styles. In fact, gender and subject major, in their study, made no difference at all to their preferences. Riazi and Rahimi (2005) similarly found that while their Iranian student subjects used metacognitive strategies at a high frequency, overall they were medium strategy users. This can be extensive to Saudi Arabia, because both Arab countries have a similar history, culture and language (p. 282).These studies show that students regularly blend in all the learning orientations. Riazi and Rahimi (2005, p. 110) suggest that this openness and flexibility results from a specific philosophy of life where a human being can only be perfect, when he studies all of the sciences and arts.Reasons pointing to more frequent use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies might be that these strategies offer students direct ways to control learning and are strategies that can be employed in private study, rather than in group situations, which seem to be less preferred. Another factor suggested was that these students might not have much exposure to English in social situations so as to pick up the target language unconsciously. Reasons pointing to the minimal use of other strategies might be, apart from cultural background, improper teaching, and again lack of exposure to English in a primordial env ironment with native speakers.For Riazi and Rahimi, at least, it is up to the English instructors to introduce other strategies by discussing them with their students and providing appropriate opportunities to develop and use those neglected strategies (p. 123). To this end, Zaid (1996) evaluated the methodological preferences of teachers in an English department at a major KSA university and found that the overall preference was for a communicative style of teaching. This is interesting when considered against the findings of Riazi and Rahimi (2005, p. 103) where social learning strategies were the least a great deal used strategies of EFL students. In fact, Khuwaileh (2005, p. 282) also concluded that social strategies, such as group break away and openly expressing opinions in the classroom are culturally bound practices which seem to hinder English language learning. Zaid (1996) warns against teachers ontogenesis personalized theories of teaching when it might result in a meth odological gap between what they are doing in the classroom and what program administrators working within the socio-cultural framework of the KSA expect. Personalized teaching might also result in a preferential gap between how the teacher prefers to teach and how the students prefer to learn. cheeseparing practice then is clearly a collaboration between program administration, teacher preference, and the expectations of students as a group and as individuals. Individual is stressed here because, as Oxford (2003, p. 16) emphasizes, a teacher needs decorous knowledge about their individual students style preferences in order to provide the most effective classroom instruction. The literature examined in this essay, while clearly suggesting learning trends and preferences based on cultural background, also suggest an openness and flexibility in the learning strategy preferences of Saudi, and other Arab, students. In fact, the impact of culture is often found to be influenced by ot her factors, such as individual personality traits (Oxford, 2003), gender, as nearly as motivation (Kaylani, 1996, p75). Individual learners who are more motivated regardless of cultural background will use a wider range of learning strategies thus ensuring greater success in their learning (Oxford, 1996a, p118). This may further imply that students may successfully adjust preference and expectation if a teacher introduces new activities on trial (Tomlinson, 2005), in the first instance, and only incorporate lesser used strategies should students find them profitable and enjoyable.In fact, Tomlinson (2005) suggests that while learners may well have expectations based on cultural norms and experiences, the level of creation introduced by any given individual teacher into the EFL classroom may have the effect of creating a new and unique to the classroom temporary culture. Tomlinson finds that even in significantly different cultural contexts, educational cultures seem to be rem arkably similar (p. 139), what he refers to as a universal education culture. He calls it a Tomlinson seeks to stress the teachers attitude in response to the perceived cultural context in which they work and warns against the dangers of cultural overgeneralization. He concludes that teachers should remember that in a classroom teachers teach to a class of diverge individuals rather than to a convergent group of cultural stereotypes.ConclusionIn conclusion then, the sociocultural and religious context in the KSA clearly influences teaching and learning. Teachers should not only be aware of the cultural context in which they teach and but this context should directly inform their choices of method and materials. However, teachers should avoid, on the one hand, devising methodological choices based on overgeneralizations and preconceived ideas about how cultural issues influence their students, and on the other hand, should also avoid personalizing their methodology to suit their pr eferences and ideology. Methods and strategies employed in EFL instruction should always be negotiated anew between the teacher and the group of individual students. And all of this, of course, within the general framework of the sociocultural and religious dynamic prevalent in the KSA.ReferencesAbdan, A.A., and Almuarik, S.A., 1992. The discipline Style Preference of Saudi EFL University Students. In Journal of King Saud University. educational Sciences Islamic Studies. online Vol. 4, No. 1, Abstract from King Saud University Journal Digital Library, acquirable from http//digital.library.ksu.edu.sa/paper2214.html. Accessed 15 November 2008.Abu-Ghararah, A.H., 1996. The Learning schema Uses of EFL Students. online In Educational Journal, Faculty of Education, Kuwait University. Vol. 10, No, 38, pp. 15-32,Available from http//abughararah.com/App_content/File/Researches/07.pdfAccessed 16 November 2008.Alhaidari, A.O., 2003. The Compatibility of Freshman EFL Textbooks Used by Saudi Universities with Islamic Culture. online In Journal of King Saud University. Educational Sciences Islamic Studies. 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