A Study On Culture Teaching In Senior English Teaching

It is generally acknowledged by the linguists and language educators that language teaching should incorporate culture teaching. In the past few years, many scholars have carried out extensive research on culture teaching in the context of English education in China and have made great achievement. However, many problems, especially the influence of traditional teaching methods, lack of qualified teachers, poor language environment, and unsatisfactory class instruction, render it difficult for culture teaching to be brought into full play and hinder the cultivation of students? intercultural communicative competence during the process of English learning. Effective culture teaching is one of the feasible ways to improve foreign language learners? intercultural communicative competence. But, among the previous studies on culture teaching, few studies focus on culture teaching in senior English teaching in high school. So, this thesis will devote itself to discussing the main obstacles and existing problems in senior English teaching at country level based on a case study on status quo of culture teaching in Qinghua Middle School in Jiangxi Province. The present study, first of all on the basis of literature, defines the core concepts about culture teaching, and then explores the theories for conducting culture teaching. Secondly, the study investigates and analyzes how culture teaching is implemented in Qinghua Middle School in Jiangxi Province by combining both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Finally, the study expounds the concrete strategies for culture teaching and learning on the basis of the theoretical and empirical researches.This paper theoretically deals with the relationship between language and culture. The inseparable relationship definitely shows the necessity of culture education in language teaching. Besides, starting from the need of present society and requirement of New Concept Standard 2003, this study strengthens the necessity and significance of culture teaching in senior English teaching.The findings from the empirical method reveal that (1) in spite of their universal awareness of the importance of culture teaching, many teachers do not have an appropriate understanding of culture teaching, which has exerted a negative influence on the effective implementation of culture teaching; (2) some teachers fail to attach importance to the utilization of the curriculum resources such as modern teaching media and textbooks in culture teaching; (3) it is quite common that the methods of culture teaching are applied at random and in simplistic ways; (4) the cultural content the teachers instruct in classes is rather limited; (5) the exam-oriented instruction is still one of the important factors influencing culture teaching and learning.Based on the findings and the theories, this study puts forward the following strategies for culture teaching and learning: (1) teachers should enhance their awareness of culture teaching and establish their right outlook of culture teaching; (2) to conduct culture teaching effectively, teachers should follow correct principles, i.e., the principles of interest, practicality, graduation, and comparison; (3) teachers should apply a variety of ways and means to teaching culture:making best use of textbook;providing techniques of culture teaching as supplement to textbooks;organizing culture-based activities;(4) teachers should encourage students to enrich their channels of culture learning out of school, which can help gain more western cultural knowledge and improve their intercultural communicative competence more easily, comprehensively, and effectively.