Cultural and Intercultural Education in Academic Foreign Language Curricula

1. Cultural and Intercultural Education in Academic Foreign Language Curricula Per Simfors, PhD Linköping University

2. Course Design –Aim of the Ongoing Work: • To integrate linguistic and cultural aspects in language curriculum design at university level • To combine previous research and a learner’s perspective in language education in order for students to more adequately develop intercultural competence

3. Outline: • Pre-considerations • Material and Method • Analysis: • Syllabi and questionnaires in relation to previous research • Implications for course design • Reflections

4. Preconsiderations: Constructive Alignment

5. Material and Method • Syllabi: • First semester full time study (1-30 ECTS credits) in French, German, and Spanish • 9 different Swedish universities • Fall 2009 • Focus on content and learning outcomes related to culture • Questionnaire: • Electronic questionnaire May 2010 • All students enrolled in language courses at Linköping university • 137 answers = 40-50 stud. per language • Majority: students of languages for special purposes

6. Syllabi • Few traces of relevant research with regard to teaching and learning of language and culture • Focus on facts on history, geography, culture and social conditions suggesting a product perspective • Surface approach to learning(?) • Inconsistencies in the internal logic of syllabi (”constructive alignment”)

7. Examples: Learning Outcomes and Content In half of the syllabi, the outcomes correspond with the content.

8. Students’ Views and Expectations • Electronic questionnaire to gather data • Students of French, German, Spanish, Swedish as a Foreign Language from different study programs • Open questions in order not to lead students in certain directions • Combination of free text and multiple choice answers • Ca 135 responses (from ca 300)

9. Questionnaire in 4 parts:

10. Students’ Views on Language Courses in General • Teacher • Commitment • Pedagogy • Knowledge • Course organization and teaching methods • Clarity • Structure • More hours of instruction • Variation • Co-ordination and co-operation

11. Students’ Views on Learning Outcomes • Focus on Language use • Communication • Relation between grammar and communicative competence • Students want to read about the target language countries in order to • develop intercultural understanding • learn the language better • Culture as a process and as a product

12. Learning Outcomes: Considerations • Learning outcomes and content should be interlinked with communicative skills • Integration of language and culture • Active communicative verbs • Culture as a process • Specific aims for higher education: • Theoretical content • Introduction to a discipline • Deep approach to learning

13. Students’ Views on Course Content • Grammar and communicative competences are emphasized • 1/3 emphasize oral communication • 1/3 want a “balance between oral and written proficiency” • Grammar aspects from the point of view of their function in a communicative context

14. Students’ Views on Course Content(2):“Three words which you associate with culture?” • Most frequent words • Areas Mentioned History Traditions Music People Art Language Other

15. Students’ Views on Course Content(3) • Students appreciat learning about target language countries • Product and process perspective in the answers • “traditions”; “behavior”; “popular culture” • “history”; “society”; “high culture” • “Language” • “People” • Current situation • Course literature / material: • Stressing: news paper articles; factual texts; texts on cultural matters • Film; media • Low appreciation for literature

16. Course Content – Theoretical and Methodological Considerations • Different kinds of sources of information / different perspectives • Current material • Integration of communicative skills in all parts of the course • Balance between language production and reception – orally and in writing • Disciplinary foundation: • Critical thinking and analysis • Basic theoretical concepts

17. Students’ Views on Forms of Work Negative view possibly because these methods are rarely used

18. Forms of work: considerations • Forms of work that activate students and stress their own responsibility for their learning • Learning in meaningful contexts • Student peer review • Forms of work that • Stimulate a reflecting and analyzing approach • Stress the importance of interaction for learning

19. Forms of Work - Suggestions • Adaptation to • Learning outcomes • Content • examination • Examples: • Role-play • tandem • Scenarios and simulations • Student peer review • Film and media • Process-based writing

20. Examination: Relevance learning outcomes and over-all aim Variation • Film / media / ICT • Different learning styles • Adaptation to outcomes, content, forms of work • Integration of communicative aspects • Poster presentation Combination of forms • Oral presentation on the basis of a written paper or reflection document combined with student peer review Fairness • Role-Play with a written reflection document

21. Concluding remarks • Formulation of expected learning outcomes as a starting point for course design • Students’ perspectives essential • Integration of language and culture through learning based on communication • Communicative skills included in all parts of courses • Cultural and intercultural understanding should be problematized in • reflection, analysis and critical discussion in a communicative and social context • Students’ perspectives call for a variety of content, methods and forms of examination