Blog #8

Beyond Behavior: Goals of Cultural Learning in the Second Language Classroom

Tang, Y. (2006). Beyond Behavior: Goals of Cultural Learning in the Second Language Classroom. Modern Language Journal, 90(1), 86-99. Retrieved from ERIC database on July11th, 2010.

The definition of culture is still not agreed-upon. In foreign language (FL) education where culture has been increasingly promoted as an important part of the curriculum, discussions over the meanings of the term is often centered on the question of what component of a foreign culture should be taught in the FL classroom. “Behavioral culture” has replaced “achievement culture” as the center of instruction in many foreign language programs. This article argues for going beyond behavior in the instruction of culture to identify the values and beliefs that shaped a given behavior in a second culture in the first place.

In 1996, the National Standards incorporated the latest concept of culture in the field of FL education. Approach to culture were divided into three parts: (1) cultural perspectives include the popular beliefs, commonly upheld values, shared attitudes, and widely maintained assumptions of the members of a culture, the products of a culture are both tangible (e.g., paintings) and intangible (e.g., rituals), (2) Cultural practices include the patterns of behavior accepted by a society and, (3) procedural aspects of culture such as use of the forms of discourse.
The National Standards re-examined the goals of cultural learning in FL programs.

As an example, in the literature class, the emphasis in teaching the literature of a foreign culture seems to shift from the text to the cultural, social, and historical setting that has produced the text. The goal of literary study in the foreign literature classroom is to understand the underlying values, beliefs, and worldviews that have shaped the literary product. Language and literature are both derived from the same culture; therefore, learning a FL should go hand in hand with learning the literature produced by that culture.

The article concluded that cultural perspectives are very important in training FL students to perform meaningfully in a second culture. To linguistically perform efficiently in the second language, students must have a concrete understanding of the culture. An in-depth knowledge of the cultural perspectives of a target culture helps in reducing misunderstandings.

Teaching cultural perspectives represents the most challenging task because it requires teachers to be proficient in the culture in which the studied language is spoken.

Also apparent is the fact that we need proper teaching materials to facilitate the instruction of culture in the FL classroom, materials that help deliver language instruction in the context of cultural perspectives. Such materials will make it more meaningful, informative, and fruitful for our students.