#61, Case Study: ‘Enhancing Cultural Role in Foreign Language Classroom: a Case Study of Malaysian International High Schools’ by Dr. Khairi Al-Zubaidi

(This paper is submitted by  Dr.Khairi Obaid Al-Zubaidi, Associate Professor, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, (UTM)International Campus, Academy of Languages. khairi_alzubaidi@yahoo.com)

Culture is an inseparable portion of language. Culture is the main source of input to foreign language learning. The culture of English as a foreign language is not well understood in some of our English classrooms, in spite of a lot of attention that has been paid to studying the possibilities of enhancing the culture in learning and teaching of the foreign language programs over the last decades. The researcher in this paper aims to discuss the importance of cultural role of the foreign language and to address cultural awareness, cultural competence, cultural diversity, and the foreign language cultural standards as well as to enhance the language skills and cultural components in the classroom. For the purpose of this study, a questionnaire was developed by the researchers on a number of international high school teachers in Malaysia to support the main aim of this study.

Keywords: Cultural awareness, cultural competence Cultural Standards, English second / foreign language.

Introduction

Cultural studies have received a noticeable attention in the last decades due to the emergence of the English as a global language and the rapid growth in the fields of technology and communication through which our universe has become a global village. The cultural awareness, cultural standards and cultural competence are essential components of foreign language learning and teaching. Language and culture are intertwined, interconnected and inextricable. Language is one of the main components of culture. Language would not be learned well and completely without learners be aware of its culture. In this globalized century education teachers and foreign language teachers in particular should be more aware than ever of the cultural standards to enable him/her to face the new challenges. Mastering English opens one to a whole new world of knowledge previously reached by people from all round the world. A strong command of the foreign language and cultural awareness are essential perquisites for the foreign language teachers. (more…)

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#61, Article: ‘The scope of SLA’ by Mohammad Hashamdar

(This article is submitted by Mohammad Hashamdar, PhD Student, Islamic Azad University-Science and Research Branch- Tehran- IRAN, E-mail: m_hashamdar@yahoo.com)

Second Language Acquisition has two different senses to be distinguished. Ellis (2005) classified these two senses. He referred to the first one as the learning of another language after the acquisition of one’s mother tongue is completed. He labeled it the object of inquiry. The second sense refers to the study of how people learn a second language; that is, it can be labeled as the field of enquiry.

There might be different views in scientific realms of various disciplines. Theses different views do not always lead to confrontation and debate. They may lead to separate development in that field. That field has to undergo a degree of fragmentation in which different areas of enquiry, while still under the title of the main discipline, can go for their own interest and add new discoveries. One highly dynamic area of enquiry of this kind is the field of Second Language Acquisition.
In 1960s onward, the study of First Language Acquisition was accelerated in the language domain. This acceleration in that field caused the initiation of the study in the SLA in 1970s. Cook (2003) states that SLA research concerned itself with both explaining and describing the process of acquiring a second language. At first, particular areas of interest have included the degree of transfer from the first language to the second language. Later, this transfer from first language to second changed direction and in some topic such as individual differences, the itinerary was from second language to first one. (more…)

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