A Study On Application Of Native Culture In English Language Teaching

Culture has become an increasingly important component of English language teaching. It is impossible to learn a new language without learning its culture and it is therefore necessary to combine the teaching of a language with the culture of the target language (Robert B, 2002). Generally speaking, from the perspectives of cultural belongings category, culture might be made up of learners' native culture and target culture. According to a survey, the students in the Vocational Secondary Schools (VSS) in Beijing in English Language Teaching (ELT) are exposed to little native culture which result in the difficulty in using English to express their native culture. There are some incorrect concepts about English learning like "English is just for people from English-speaking countries", "To study English is to learn western culture ignoring native culture", "The fact that you don't pass the English exam proves that you are patriotic" and so on. All that resulted in the low interest in learning English and low score in English exams. Therefore, whether applying teaching materials of the native culture in ELT can promote learners' English learning interest and improve second language acquisition(SLA) is the focus of this study.After analyzing the current situation of culture teaching in ELT in three vocational secondary schools in Beijing with survey, interview and questionnaire, the writer points out that the teaching of the target culture in ELT is emphasized, while the teaching of learners' native culture in ELT is much less emphasized. As to whether the instruction of native culture plays an important role in ELT, the author puts forward a hypothesis that applying the teaching material about native culture in ELT can promote English learners' learning interest and second language acquisition.In order to prove the hypotheses reasonable and feasible, the author conducted an action research in Beijing Mechanical Vocational School. The study lasted three school terms (March 2004—June 2005). It was performed on the sample of 96 students aged 15-17 in two classes. Instruments used for the study include: survey, interview, pre-test, post-test and logs of spoken English. The two classes have the same English teaching hours each week. Students in the two groups used the same textbooks. In the experiment, the routine teaching activities were carried out for both groups. The experiment group was supplemented with...