An Investigation into culrural elements via linguistic means in New Headway textbooks

Scope of the study - Pointing out British and American cultural elements revealed in the New Headway Textbooks such as norms, values, attitudes and communication styles4. Methods of the

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES

(Nghiên cứu các yếu tố văn hóa thông qua phương tiện

ngôn ngữ trong bộ giáo trình New Headway)

M.A Minor Programme Thesis

FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS CODE: 60.22.15

HÀ NỘI – 2010

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES

(Nghiên cứu các yếu tố văn hóa thông qua phương tiện

ngôn ngữ trong bộ giáo trình New Headway)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH LINGUISTICS CODE: 60.22.15

SUPERVISOR: PHAN THỊ VÂN QUYÊN, M.A

HÀ NỘI – NĂM 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Declaration i

Acknowledgements ii

Abstract iii

Table of contents iv

List of tables vi

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale 1

2 Aims of the study 2

3 Research question 2

4 Scope of the study 2

5 Methods of the study 2

6 Design of the study 3

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 4

Chapter 1: Theoretical Background 4

1.1 Culture 4

1.2 Elements of Culture 5

1.2.1 British Culture 9

1.2.2 American Culture 10

1.3 Language 11

1.4 Interrelationship between Language and Culture……….12

1.5 Cultural dimension of English language learning and teaching……… 14

Chapter 2: Methodology 17

2.1 Materials under investigation……… 17

2.2 The context of the study……… 18

2.3 Research question……….19

2.4 Research methods ……….……… 20

2.5 Data collection procedures……… 20

Chapter 3: Findings and Discussions 21

3.1 Identifications of British cultural elements in New Headway textbooks 21

3.1.1 Norms………21

3.1.2 Values 22

3.1.3 Attitudes 23

3.1.4 Communication styles 26

3.1.5 Discussion……… 28

3.2 Identifications of American cultural elements in New Headway textbooks………31

3.2.1 Norms 32

3.2.2 Values ………32

3.2.3 Attitudes 33

3.2.4 Communication styles……… 34

3.2.5 Discussion 34

PART C: CONCLUSION……….36

1 Conclusions 36

2 Implications for incorporating culture teaching into English language teaching……39

3 Limitations of the study and suggestions for further study 40

REFERENCES……… 42

to another , cultural differences become apparent to them Bentahila, A and Davies, E (1998:99-111) when discussing culture and language use have come to the conclusion that if learners do not acquire some familiarity with the cultural norms of native speakers of their target language, they will meet difficulties in communicating these ones Thus, cultural knowledge is obviously a vital key for Vietnamese students for success in learning English because second language learning is second culture learning Without the study of culture, foreign language instruction is inaccurate and incomplete Clearly, if you do not understand about culture of a community, you cannot understand and express fully meanings in the context of that communication; therefore you will not be able to gain a successful communication

English – the popular language in international communication, has played a crucial role in many fields It has been taught in Vietnam for decades Nowadays, English has become a compulsory subject in schools, colleges and universities in Vietnam Therefore, different kinds

of English teaching and learning materials are available now in Vietnam However, the main emphasis on structural rules and forms often serves as the principal method of teaching English Most Vietnamese teachers tend to focus on teaching grammar, vocabulary, language skills without paying much attention to cultural background knowledge The students may get difficulties in achieving contextual, situational and cultural appropriateness in communication For foreign language students, language study seems meaningless if they know nothing about the people who speak that language or the country in which that language is spoken Foreign language learning is also foreign culture learning So, language learners need to be aware, for example, of the culturally appropriate ways to address people, make requests or invitations, suggestions or express gratitude to someone, etc To communicate successfully, language

learners need to understand that language use must be associated with other culturally appropriate behavior

Understanding a language involves not only knowledge of grammar, phonology and lexis but also of certain features and characteristics of the culture

For the aforementioned reasons, the author has decided to choose “Cultural Elements via Linguistic Means in New Headway Textbooks” as the topic for this thesis

2 Aims of the study

This research was carried out to serve the following purposes:

- To identify British and American cultural elements revealed in the New Headway Textbooks ( at Elementary, pre-intermediate, and Intermediate levels )

- To raise the teachers‟ and students‟ awareness of the importance of cultural knowledge in cross-cultural communication as well as in mastering English language

- To give suggestions for incorporating culture teaching into language teaching so that English learning and teaching become more interesting and effective

3 Research question

This research is carried out to find the answer to the research question:

What are the cultural elements that can be found in New Headway Textbooks?

4 Scope of the study

- Pointing out British and American cultural elements revealed in the New Headway Textbooks such as norms, values, attitudes and communication styles

- New Headway Textbooks at Elementary, Pre-intermediate, and Intermediate levels are under investigation

5 Methods of the study

- This study used quantitative method in order to quantify British and American cultural elements such as norms, values, attitudes and communication styles in New headway Textbooks

- Data was collected by means of descriptive analysis and statistic

6 Designs of the study

This research consists of 3 parts: INTRODUCTION, DEVELOPMENT, AND

This is the focus of the study which is divided into 3 chapters

Chapter 1: Theoretical Background

This part discusses the culture, elements of culture, British and American culture, language, interrelationship between language and culture, and cultural dimension of English language learning and teaching

Chapter 2: Methodology

It consists of materials under investigation, the context of the study, research question, research methods, and data collection procedures

Chapter 3: Findings and discussions

This part focuses on analyzing cultural elements such as norms, values, attitudes and communication styles revealed in the New Headway Textbooks Then, give discussions

Part C: CONCLUSION

To sum up the major findings, give implications for incorporating culture teaching into English language teaching and then, give suggestions for further research

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

This chapter consists of theoretical background such as culture, elements of culture, British culture, American culture, language, interrelationship between language and culture, cultural dimension of English language learning and teaching

“ Culture , in its broadest sense , is what make you a stranger when you are away from home

It includes all beliefs and expectations about how people should speak and act which have become a kind of second nature to you as a result of social learning When you are with members of a group who share your culture , we or you do not have to think about it, for you are all viewing the world in pretty much the same way and you all know , in general terms, what to expect of one another” ( Phillip K Bock, 1970: ix)

Levine and Adelman ( 1993) asserted that “Culture is a shared background ( for example, national, ethnic, religious) resulting from common language and communication style , customs, beliefs, art, music and all the other products of human thought made by a particular group of people at a particular time It also refers to the informal and often hidden patterns of human interactions, expressions and view points that people in one culture shared” Levine and Adelman compared culture with an “iceberg” The visible part of an iceberg or culture consists

of appearance, food, language, tradition and customs… and the invisible part includes values, beliefs, attitudes and communicative styles, perceptions, etc the visible part of culture is a small part of a much bigger whole Therefore, people cannot see the significant influence of culture on an individual behavior and interaction with others

Culture makes people bind together Culture is all the accepted and patterned ways of behavior

of a given people It consists of a group‟s way of thinking ,feeling, and acting and patterns for doing certain things in certain ways…

All in all, “ Culture is everything that people have, think and do as a member of a society”

( Ferrando, 1996:18, cited in Nguyen Quang, 2006:16) The concept of culture, therefore, involves the way people from a particular cultural background think, feel, act ,make friends, worship and behave in a community Culture distinguishes one human group from others It also distinguishes human being from animals Culture is shared, learned symbolic system of values, beliefs and attitudes that shapes and affects people‟s behaviors, norms, values, attitudes, customs, lifestyle, perceptions, taboos and communicative styles, art, history , geography, economics and political systems…

1.2 Elements of culture

There are many ways of understanding and defining about the culture So each author gives different definitions of cultural elements Some authors define and classify elements clearly, but others have not classified them clearly, only give some suggestions about them or only list some of typical elements of culture In this part, I only list some classifications of cultural elements from some famous authors such as Stephen Moore, Stephen Dahl, Saville-Troike, Tomalin and Stempleski, Gail Robinson, Nelson Brooks and UNESCO organization

According to Stephen Moore (1985:4 as cited by Do Mai Thanh & Dao Thu Trang , 2006: 5-6) culture consists of the following elements: Beliefs, values, norms, roles, role conflict, and status

 Beliefs: are general, vague opinions held about the world and about the nature of society They vary by society and sometimes by subcultures, eg God created the earth in seven days, or that Jesus was the son of God

 Values: are vague beliefs about what is right and correct in the world They imply that there are certain appropriate forms of action which ought to be taken, eg Life

is precious therefore, it is wrong to kill anybody

 Norms: are socially expected patterns of behavior (Actions that are regarded as normal) eg Not talking out loud during a play, wearing black clothes to a funeral

 Roles: social roles are patterns of behavior expected of certain people according to the occupation or position they hold in society Eg The role of clergyman is to be sympathetic, well-mannered, well-spoken, religious, and charitable A swering, heavy-drinking, perty-going clergyman would be regarded with astonishment by most people

 Role conflict : There are innumerable social roles- father, mother, child, shopkeeper, etc All of us occupy a number of roles, which are generally complementary, but sometimes they may conflict, for instance, …

 Status: refers to the position of a person or a social role in society according to the amount prestige received from others In different societies or cultures, status varies In Britain those with the highest status are the best educated and the rich , although this will obviously vary within subcultures In traditional Japan, it was the samurai warriors who received the greatest prestige, after the Emperor

In Stephen Dahl‟s description ( cited by Do Mai Thanh & Dao Thu Trang , 2006:6), culture is

“ order into” three layers, like an onion, where one peel has to be taken off in order to see the following inner

The outer layer, artifacts and products, this is the most explicit part including language and

food, architecture and style etc

The second layer is norms and values

The inner most layer, basic assumptions, represents the core assumptions of what life is ,

assumptions about how to handle everyday problems that have become self-evident, that is communication

Whereas, Saville-Troike (1982:30) suggest that norms, content of a language, beliefs, values and needs are components of culture

But Gail Robinson (1985, as cited by Tomalin and Stempleski, 1993:7) classifies culture into three components: Products, ideas and behaviors

 Products includes literature, folklore, art, music, and artifacts

 Ideas includes beliefs, values, and institutions

 Behaviors consists of customs, habits, dress, foods, and leisure

According to UNESCO ( World Conference on Culture policies Mexico City: 1982), components of culture consist of art, letters, modes of life, the fundamental rights of the human beings, values systems, traditions and beliefs

Nelson Brooks identifies five meanings of culture: growth; refinement; fine arts; patterns

of living; and a total way of life He believes that patterns of living should receive the major emphasis in the classroom It is patterns of living that are the least understood, yet

the most important in the early phases of language instruction He labels this meaning of culture as culture 4 “Culture 4 (patterns of living) refers to the individual‟s role in the unending kaleidoscope of life situations of every kind and the rules and models for attitude and conduct in them Culture 4 can be divided into formal culture and deep culture Formal culture, sometimes referred to as “culture with a capital C”, includes the humanistic

manifestations and contributions of a foreign culture: art; music; literature; architecture; technology; politics Deep culture, or “culture with a small c,” focuses on the behavioral patterns or lifestyles of the people: When and what they eat; how they make a living; the attitudes they express towards friends and members of their families; which expressions they use to show approval or disapproval

Obviously, there are many different ideas from the classifications of cultural elements To serve the purpose of this thesis, I will try to identify elements of culture such

as norms, values, attitudes and communication styles in the New Headway Textbooks

* Norms are the rules of culture that tell the members of a culture how they are expected to

behave in a given situation Other words, norms are cultural standards for behavior “The way we do things around here” Every society or every civilization has a set of norms This can include the folkways, mores, taboos and rituals in a culture

Eg: Not talking out loud during a play, wearing black clothes to a funeral

“Norms are prescriptive principles to which members of a culture subscribe The attributes

of a norm include: (1) a collective evaluation of behavior in terms of what ought to be; (2)

a collective interpretation as to what behavior will be; (3) particular reactions to behavior including attempts to apply sanctions or otherwise include a particular kind of behavior” ( Gibb,1965:590, cited by William B Gudykunst and Stella Ting-Toomey with Elizabeth Chua, 1988:61)

* Values are cultural standards or judgments of what is right, good, or desirable Values

are ideas that we hold to be important Values govern the way we behave, communicate and interact with others A value system differentiates right feelings, thoughts and behavior from wrong feelings, thoughts and behavior

Geert Hofstede (1980: 6) offers a short list of some topics that deal with values:

Decent versus indecent paradoxical versus logical

Values are feelings with arrows to them Each has a plus or minus pole And he also reminds us that “ values are programmed early in our lives”, therefore, values are not often irrational

Eg: Personal freedom, egalitarianism

Examples of right: loyalty to nation; sense of duty

Examples of wrong: cowardliness; abuse of authority

* Attitudes are the external displays of underlying beliefs that people use to signal to other

people of their membership This includes internal members Attitudes also can be used to give warning For example, in Vietnamese family, children are not regarded as having

„rights‟ Daughters are expected to assist with household chores from an early age, to defer

to men, to protect their virginity, and to regard marriage as automatic Boys are often indulged, and encouraged to pursue „manly‟ activities Children share rooms with their brothers and sisters, and in poor families, with their parents as well Nakedness and family discussion of sexual matters are taboo

* Communication styles

Communication style means the way a particular individual communicates with other persons Different people follow different styles of communication, depending on their personality and attitude Then, there are some people who follow all the communication styles, depending upon what is required at a given point of time, in a particular situation While some people are direct, honest and upfront; some are indirect, manipulative and aggressive in a rather passive way Most people use a mix of styles consciously or naturally The style of communication can affect the results achieved in business and personal situations For example, in Britain, “please”, “thank you”, and sometimes “thank you very much” are involved in just about every human transaction They are necessary and expected in communication with the British People in Britain are very time-oriented, respecting deadlines and punctuality People who talk loud are considered ill-bred, ill-mannered and ill-educated British people have a quite indirect communication style Most British are masters of understatement and do not use effusive language Brits tend to be indirect, subtle and suggestive communicators “Perhaps we could ask John whether he

could finish that report by Monday” actually means “Tell John he must finish the report by

Monday”

1.2.1 British culture

Britain is comprised of different countries (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and

Wales) and numerous different regions that all have their very own and very different

traditions, dialects and even languages The British culture is defined a very old culture

Societies change over time while their reputation lag behind Many things which are often

regarded as typically British derive from books, songs, or plays which were written a long

time ago and which are no longer representative of modern life However, in their private

everyday lives, the British as individuals are probably less inclined to follow tradition than

are the people of most other countries There are very few ancient customs that are

followed by the majority of families on special occasions In addition, for example, British

are the most enthusiastic video-watching people in the world, opposite to traditional

pastime Even when a British habit conforms to the stereotype, the wrong conclusions can

sometimes be drawn from it; for example, it would seem wrong to conclude that their

habits of queuing shows that the British are patient people Apparently, the British hate

having to wait and have less patience than people in many other countries Like all European nations, Britain does not have the luxury of space Houses, apartments,

cars and appliances are all smaller than you are accustomed British is well known for

drinking heavily at young ages, having sex from about the age of 12-16 and kicking the

crap out of each other pretty much daily Football is the greatest loved sport in Britain with

Cricket, Rugby and maybe Tennis Most people in Britain grow up with an ambition to

claim benefits, become a hair dresser or a car mechanic Religion is not very big in Britain

and maybe about 10% of the population are actually religious or actually believe in some

sorts of god The pub is a very important part of British culture and nothing will immerse

you more than a pint of beer Students, work colleagues, friends and family all meet in the

pub and it is used as a focal point of social contact

In general, the British people are well known with sense of fair play, integrity, and

understatement The British, especially the English, are renowned for their politeness and

courtesy So British communication style is “indirectness” When doing business in the UK

you generally find that direct questions often receive evasive responses and conversations

may be ambiguous and full of subtleties When chatting with the strangers, they often talk much about the weather to avoid private things They always apologize for bumping into someone even if it is not their fault They quite respect people's personal space and always wait in line They are quite reserved, quiet So it is difficult to make friends with them but when you are closer, they are very friendly We can learn the humour, stiff upper lip and patience of the British people The importance of humour in all situations, including business contexts, cannot be overestimated They accept the jokes One of the most confusing aspects of British culture is humor Bantering, ribbing, or "taking the mick" are all ways to describe making fun of someone but this isn't necessarily a bad thing Teasing someone is a common way to show affection In Britain, women are entitled to equal respect and status to men in all areas of life and tend to have more independence and responsibility than in some other cultures Women are usually independent and accustomed

to entering public places unaccompanied The British people consider the ideal person to

be an individualistic, self-reliant, independent person and they especially respect individual freedom, in thought, action and feeling, etc They have been trained since very early in their lives to consider themselves as separate individuals who are responsible for their own situations in life and their own destinies, for their own decisions Hence, they work very hard The people of Britain are also very conscious of time and they are very particular about reaching an appointment on time Being late for an appointment is considered impolite in Britain For examples, you should arrive a few minutes early for public meetings, plays, concerts, movies, sporting events, classes, church services, and weddings but if you are invited to someone's house for dinner at half past seven, they will expect you

to be there on the dot An invitation might state "7.30 for 8", in which case you should arrive no later than 7.50 However, if an invitation says "sharp", you must arrive in plenty

of time The British people are the ones who love the nature and animals They like fresh and healthy life in the countryside

1.2.2 American culture

The development of the culture of the United States of America has been marked

by a tension between two strong sources of inspiration: European ideals, especially British and domestic originality

American culture encompasses traditions, ideals, customs, beliefs, values, arts, folklore and innovations developed both domestically and imported via colonization and immigration from the British Isles It includes both conservative and liberal elements, military and scientific competitiveness, political structures, risk taking and free expression, materialist and moral elements It also includes elements which evolved from native American, and other ethnic subcultures; most prominently the culture of African American slave descendants and different cultures from Latin America In general, Americans are renowned for individual freedom Freedom is the most prominent value of American Americans commonly regard their society as the freest and best in the world Americans who respect the rights of other citizens are free to work, play, worship, travel, and live as they please We can encounter that in America children are also allowed to make many of their own choices – what to wear, what to watch on television, how to spend their free time, even what school to attend because American parents feel their children have many rights, including freedom of speech American life is marked by change and those who thrive are self-sufficient, quick jumpers, who can exist, if need be, far from family They are very self-reliant, self-sufficient and dependent people They are also very friendly and informal People tend to not wait to be introduced, will begin to speak with strangers as they stand in a queue, sit next to each other at an event, etc With Americans, equality is a good chance for a personal success They work hard and always compete to survive Americans believe that people should hold jobs and not live off welfare payments from the government Volunteerism in American community and political life reflects Americans‟ optimistic pride in their ability to work out practical solutions themselves In spite of equality, the women still do most of the housework and childcare in the family due to old habits They also love the nature and animals Cats and dogs are considered the rest of the family

In America, time is a very important commodity People 'save' time and 'spend' time as if it were money in the bank Americans ascribe personality characteristics and values based on how people use time For example, people who are on-time are considered to be good people, reliable people who others can count on Also, materialism has always been an integral part of life for most Americans They consider it almost a right to be materially well off and physically comfortable

1.3 Language

Living in a society, people cannot survive without communication with others In order to communicate, human beings need a means Language is the most effective means

of communicating between people to people over the world As we know, each community

or nation has its own language and each individual has competence to use at least one language which is called mother tongue Language plays an important part in our life Language is not only for communication but also for transferring culture from generation

to generation It is difficult to imagine what our life would be like without language Language is a sign that make human beings different from all other species in the animal Kingdom Radford ( 2000) said that language is regarded as a cognitive system which is part of any normal human beings‟ mental and psychological structure Every language has its own unique features and ways of allowing those who speak it to identify specific objects and experiences These linguistic features, which distinguish each language from all others, affect how the speaker of language perceive and experience the world Language is also considered as a social phenomenon It reveals social consciousness The fact that language serves society as a means of communication and the existence and development of language, in turn, are attached to the existence and development of a

society

According to Claire Kramsch (1998:3), “Language is the principal means whereby we conduct our social lives When it is used in contexts of communication, it is bound up with culture in multiple and complex ways.”

When communicating, human beings both express their experience and create their own experience through language They give meaning to it through the media they choose to communicate with one another in order to make people understandable to the community

or social group they belong to It is obvious that language is the primary and essential means people use to communicate and express their thoughts, feeling, ideas, desires, etc Moreover, language is not only our main link with the outside world, it is also a marker that distinguishes us from the animal creatures we share the world with ( Larry A Samovar, Richard E Porter, Edwin R McDaniel, 2007:164)

Thanks to language, people can understand each other more easily It helps people build a better society to satisfy their lives and desires

1.4 Interrelationship between Language and Culture

As we know, each country or nation, small or large, has its own language and culture Language and culture are not separate They are always interrelated

To gain a better communication, people not only use the spoken language fluently, but also need a stock of cultural background knowledge such as music, art, literature, history, geography, customs, traditions, habits, foods, clothes, drinks, norms, communicative styles, values, beliefs, perceptions, attitudes…… It is clear that one cannot master a language without its cultural background and in all communicative activities, culture makes itself strongly felt

It is commonly accepted that the relationship between language and culture is well established and must be placed within the social context They are dialectically interrelated and language is one of the most typical presentations for perception and thinking Language both reflects and affects one‟s world view When referring to the relationship between language and culture, Joyce M Valdes (1986:4) suggests the circular pattern of language, culture and thought in which each influences and is influenced by the others

“They are not all the same thing, but none can survive without the others” Obviously, it is impossible for human beings to study anything without being acknowledged of the language and its culture at the same time Culture is a deeply ingrained part of people‟s lives However, language - the means for communication among members of a culture - is the most visible and available expression of that culture

It is believed that language is a reflection of culture and in turn, words, of course, always reflect cultural elements Language and culture can be seen as the faces of a sheet of paper ( Nguyen Van Do, 2006) Language expresses, embodies, symbolizes cultural reality and

in turn, cultural knowledge makes language alive Language cannot exist outside the social context , language is a social institution, both shaping and shaped by a large society This relationship is expressed in the following this diagram:

Language

Culture Society

Language is used to maintain and convey culture and cultural ties Different ideas stem from differing language use within one‟s culture and the whole intertwining of these relationships start at one‟s birth From birth, the child‟s life, opinions, and language are shaped by what it comes in contact with Brooks (1968) argues that physically and mentally everyone is the same, while the interactions between persons or groups vary widely from place to place Patterns which emerge from these group behaviours and interactions will be approved of, or disapproved of Behaviours which are acceptable will vary from location to location (Brooks, 1968) thus forming the basis of different cultures

It is from these differences that one‟s view of the world is formed

Therefore, everyone‟s views are dependent on the culture which has influenced them, as well as being described using the language which has been shaped by that culture The understanding of a culture and its people can be enhanced by the knowledge of their language

In short, culture influences the way in which language is used; each individual, social group or community communicates basing on its own typical cultural viewpoint And in its turn, language which contains many factors of culture plays a crucial role in expressing cultural values and perceptions as well as maintaining and developing culture from generation to generation Culture shapes our view of the world and language is the most representative element in any culture

1.5 Cultural dimension of English language learning and teaching

Teaching a language cannot be separated from teaching its culture because the purpose

of teaching a language is to help people communicate with each other and culture plays an important part in communication Claire Kramsch ( 1993:93) asserted: “If language is seen

as social practice, culture becomes the core of language teaching Cultural awareness must then be viewed as enabling language proficiency Culture in language teaching is not expendable fifth skill, tacked on, to the teaching of speaking, listening, reading and writing”

Regarding teaching culture in language training, it is very important to mention the conclusion of Robert Polizer, “ As language teachers , we must be interested in the study of culture ( in the social scientist‟s sense of the word) not because we necessarily want to teach the culture of the other country but because we have to teach it” ( 1959: 100-101)

As Englebert (2004) also describes: “…to teach a foreign language is also to teach a

foreign culture, and it is important to be sensitive to the fact that our students, our colleges, our administrators, and, if we live abroad, our neighbours, do not share all of our cultural paradigms.” In addition, Prodromou (1988) argues that the way we teach reflects our attitudes to society in general and the individual‟s place in society The nature of teaching culture is to increase the students‟ awareness and to develop their curiosity towards the target culture and their own, helping them to gain the understanding among the cultures If one teaches language without teaching about the culture in which it operates, the students are learning empty or meaningless symbols or when using the learnt language, may use the language inappropriately in a cultural context, thus fail to achieve the purpose of learning a language

Language teachers must remember that people from different cultures learn things in different ways For example, in China memorization is the most pronounced way to study a language which is very different from western ideologies where the onus is placed on free speech as a tool for utilizing and remembering vocabulary and grammar sequences (Hui 2005)

In learning a second language, culture becomes highly important because it is “ an ingrained set of behavior modes of perception” ( Brown 2000:118 ) It is impossible to learn a language by simple acquiring the forms without their contents And the content of a language is always culture-bound Tomalin & Stempleski (1993:9) said “When students have understood the language being used in a situation and then go on to gain an understanding of the cultural factors at work, this is for them one of the most absorbing and exiting parts of any language lesson” Equipped with the cultural knowledge and different worldviews, learners can easily fully understand and can use language as a tool to communicate and to avoid stereotypes Because culture affects our ways of thinking, feeling and acting Language learners need to be aware , for example, of the culturally appropriate ways to address people, express the gratitude, make requests, give and receive compliments…They should understand that language must be associated with other culturally appropriate behavior Therefore, if we want to learn another language, we need

to learn to appreciate the culture of which the language is part Many of the meanings constructed in the language are culture – specific Culture provides guidelines for our linguistic behavior

However, many Vietnamese teachers and students have not truly paid attention much to cultural elements revealed in the textbooks, they only focus on vocabulary, grammar and four language skills Linguistic competence alone is not enough for learners

of a language to be competent in that language (Krasner,1999) Being lack of cultural knowledge seems to cause misunderstandings in real life communication The students may face culture shock when they learn and try to understand English language If the students are equipped fully about cultural background knowledge, they will understand that all people exhibit culturally-conditioned behaviours; social variables such as age, sex, social class and place of residence influence the ways in which people speak and behave; more aware of convential behaviour in common situations in the target culture; increasing their awareness of the cultural connotations of words and phrases in the target language; necessary skills to locate and organize information about the target culture; curiosity about the target culture Basing on those, the students will be more interested in lessons

Thus, culture must be fully incorporated as a crucial factor of language learning Teachers should recognize the basic cultural items in every aspects of the language that they teach The more the teachers enrich cultural knowledge , the more they are confident about what they teach This will affect the success of communication as well as teaching English language Teachers must be learners themselves, if they want to teach culture to their students

Teachers as well as learners should raise their awareness of the importance of the target language culture and their own Cultural awareness should become a vital part of foreign language education When the awareness of culture is raised , teachers will pay more attention to and convey cultural knowledge in lessons more attractively and effectively Developing cultural awareness in the EFL classroom is really important that we help our students distinguish between the cultural norms, beliefs, or habits of the majority of a speech community and the individual or group deviations from some of these norms Students should be enabled to discuss their native culture with their foreign-speaking friends at the same time The aim of raising cultural awareness is to promote learning as well as to increase the motivation of learners The role of cultural background knowledge that derives from textbooks, pictures, and realia is seen as essential Cultural knowledge makes it easier to understand texts (Brown,1990, cited in Zhang & Yan,2008 )

It is obvious that culture becomes an indispensable part in any foreign language teaching

CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY

This chapter mentions materials under investigation, the context of the study, research question, research methods and data collection procedures

2.1 Materials under investigation

New headway textbooks ( written by Liz and John Soars) consist of six levels which are at beginner, elementary, pre-intermediate, intermediate, upper-intermediate and advanced However, in my research only New headway at elementary, pre-intermediate, intermediate levels are under investigation New headway-elementary is divided into 14 units, New headway- pre-intermediate is also divided into 14 units but New headway- intermediate is only divided into 12 units Each unit of textbooks is divided into sections such as reading, listening, writing, speaking, vocabulary and grammar The textbooks have been designed according to the miscellany approach It is a type of course books the content of which is eclectic This means that there is no link between the units The textbooks are based on written texts and focus on various topics that the writers thought to

be interesting for the learners

The authenticity of texts and the accompanying visuals arouse the learners‟ interest and stimulate their work The texts are taken from a wide range of different sources, such as newspapers, radio programmes, interviews, magazines All materials have an authentic source but many have been adapted in order to suit the levels of the learners The type and amount of information selected is well related to the purposes of language teaching The texts are accompanied by tasks which require the learner to work for a purpose The course books also provide a wide variety of practice activities These activities range from controlled practice such as sentence transformation and completion to free practice such

as information gap and role play

New Headway textbooks may satisfy the demands of the communicative approach to language teaching They emphasize the learning of the language for clearly defined purposes and four major skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking in a very systematic way They also provide many opportunities for developing minor-skills such

as gist listening, skimming, scanning, predicting, summarizing and analyzing The

textbooks have clear approaches to grammar Grammatical structures are initially introduced in context, with exercises that encourage the students to work out the rules The learners can also refer to the grammar section at the back of the book, which is a useful tool that may be taken advantage of before, during or after the lesson Each unit has a language review section, which gives a short summary of the target structure and its uses Moreover, the authors of these course books also try to mention and emphasize to cultural topics in every text, activity and conversation in each unit For these reasons, the course books become a pleasure to use

Furthermore, the course books have useful Teacher‟s Books They include clear explanations

of the methodology and guidance for using the activities Therefore the textbooks provide comprehensive help with useful suggestions for setting up pair work, group work and lesson planning The Teacher‟s Books also provides photocopiable progress tests and additional activities as well as detailed answer keys and notes, so that teachers have a wealth of support In addition, we can see some notes and explanations for cultural features of countries, especially English speaking cultures Indeed, if we have a closer look at New Headway textbooks, we discover cultural elements in almost every text

or activity It would be extremely difficult to cover all the cases in which the course books offer learners information about the target culture The presentation of culture takes various forms: examining everyday life and cultural behaviour, looking into communication styles, norms, values and attitudes, etc The activities focus on particular subject areas like shopping, food, meals, traffic, restaurants, jobs and many more A great advantage of the course books is that it gives not only information and knowledge about the target culture but also other foreign cultures Learners are given an opportunity to deal with various cultural issues The aim is to develop an understanding of English countries in general However, British and American cultures are the most prominently described in these textbooks

2.2 The context of the study

New headway textbooks are used as course books for students of Nghe an tourism and trading vocational college English department of this college is divided into two parts, one for students having to learn English as a compulsory subject, other for English foreign center with free students (mostly second-year students) With New Headway – elementary, the first year-students have to study in 120 periods for general English After that, they

have to study English for Special Purposes (ESP) in second and third years for their future career New Headway of pre-intermediate and intermediate levels are used for free students of English foreign center in this college to enrich English knowledge and communicative competence for their individual purpose Pre-intermediate as well as Intermediate textbooks are taught in 120 periods Students need to enhance not only English knowledge but also communicative competence So, New headway textbooks are chosen to develop the students‟ ability to communicate effectively

In order to communicate well, learners need to have a large cultural knowledge As we all know, language is the expression of social and cultural values Language is considered to

be a social and cultural phenomenon Norms of conversations of this culture are different from those of other culture Consequently, communication problems may arise among speakers who do not know or share the norms of other culture ( Cakir, 2006)

Therefore, when studying a language ,we also have to study its own culture Most students seem to enjoy participating in activities that help them to use language, but which cultural elements should be introduced to students is a problem and whether teachers and students

at Nghe an tourism and trading vocational college have ever been aware of cultural knowledge revealed in New headway Textbooks? In fact, they have but not much Teaching cultural elements in textbooks is not a habit of these teachers Grammar, vocabulary and four skills are still considered the main teaching contents As a result, many cultural elements such as people, history, country, society, food, drink, attitudes, lifestyle and communication styles, etc which are essential parts of the course books are seldom presented to students Maybe it is because time is limited or the teachers‟ cultural knowledge is not good enough This may be one of the causes of students‟ low motivation

to learn English Then, the teaching and learning English at Nghe an tourism and trading vocational college is not very effective, which is evidenced by the students‟ passiveness in learning English and their bad English test-results

2.3 Research question

The study focuses on identifying the cultural elements such as norms, values, attitudes and communication styles of British and American in the New Headway textbooks So the study is set up to answer this question: What are the cultural elements

that can be found in New Headway Textbooks?

2.4 Research methods

The data collection instruments applied in this study is aimed at using quantitative method in order to analyze and quantify British and American cultural elements such as norms, values, attitudes and communication styles in New headway textbooks The data collected from references, investigation, findings and discussions was analyzed

The first one was reference to background theories of culture and language such as culture, language, cultural elements, norms, values, attitudes, communication styles and the knowledge of British and American cultures The next instrument was investigation in the New Headway textbooks - Elementary, pre-intermediate and intermediate levels The last one was findings and discussions about frequency of occurrence of cultural elements in the

New Headway textbooks

2.5 Data collection procedures

In this study, the investigation into cultural elements in the textbooks is conducted according to the following procedures:

Firstly, read and review background theories of culture from referent books, magazines, papers, even on internet

Secondly, find out cultural elements in general and British, American cultures in particular from the referent books, magazines, papers, internet, and consultation from the supervisor Then, list norms, values, attitudes and communication styles of British and American culture

Next, investigate the New Headway textbooks to point out cultural elements such as norms, values, attitudes and communication styles of British and American revealed Lastly, make statistics and present the results in tables to analyze, compare and summarize about the frequency of occurrence of British and American norms, values, attitudes and communication styles in the textbooks Then, give implications for teaching culture into language training