The Development of English Learning Attitude through an Integrated English and Culture Teaching Instruction: A Case of a Young Learner in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Wu, Hao Yu, 吳浩瑜
• Other Authors: Yu, Ming Chung
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/wqe7rq

碩士 === 國立政治大學 === 英國語文學研究所 === 103 === Recognizing the symbiotic relationship that culture and language share with each other, researchers in the field of EFL and ESL have long advocated the importance of integrating cultural learning into English classroom. Numerous studies have shown benefits of integrating cultural learning in the language education curricula. For instance, it has been suggested that the teaching of culture for learners at an early age can not only cultivate intercultural competence but also help raise their learning motivation. While a great number of discussions have been devoted to the integration of culture into language education for children, yet there exist only a paucity of relevant studies and practices in Taiwan. Therefore, the present study aimed to address this gap by first designing an integrated English and culture teaching instruction (IECT) for an eight-year-old learner in Taiwan, followed by putting into records the development of his English learning attitude through qualitative research. Multiple data sources were collected via face-to-face student and parents interviews, student feedback sheets, and teaching journals to shed lights on the influence of the instruction upon the burgeoning dynamic shift of the young learner’s attitude toward English as a second language. The findings revealed that the participant’s three primary aspects of learning attitude, including affective, behavioral, and cognitive attitudes underwent profound change throughout the fourth-month IECT instruction. Prior to the instruction, the learner exhibited negative attitude and showed a lack of learning interest toward English learning. Yet, during the first three months of the instruction, the learner’s learning attitude showed a progressive and positive change. In the final month of the instruction, the learner demonstrated more discernible and positive signs of attitudinal change. Behaviorally, he became proactive in undertaking extracurricular English learning activities; the participant voluntarily initiated learning endeavors outside class settings. Affectively, he demonstrated higher level of willingness and more patience when engaging in activities he once disliked. Finally, his heightened awareness toward the usefulness of English learning also indicated the enhancement of cognitive learning attitude. Based on this case, it was concluded that the IECT instruction and its accompanying cultural contents helped boost the participant’s once negative learning attitude through useful world knowledge, diversified and authentic materials. Additionally, the growing interest in different cultural knowledge also made the learner develop more integrative orientation toward learning English. The enhancement of motivation therefore enhanced the participant’s attitude, and this change in turn bestowed upon him the new purposes to learn English with more patience and willingness. Finally, the study suggested that more effort is required to broaden IECT related instructions and research to further examine other potential effects of such an instruction. The current study could be taken as a reference for the future design of similar cultural teaching programs to galvanize more young learners’ learning interest and develop their positive attitude toward English leaning.