This Field Study Report aims to advocate that the
target culture should also be taught while teaching the
English language to Chinese students. Chinese students
are learning English to communicate and socialize with the
English speaking people. But learning only the English
language is not enough for this purpose. They have to
learn the way the English speaking people express
themselves, their value judgements, and their customs.
In the review of literature, many linguists like Chastain
and Rivers share this same opinion.
English teaching in China started more than one
hundred years ago. The traditional teaching method still
has some influence. The present curriculum appears a
little unbalanced. Some of the teaching materials are
found to be inadequate to teach the target culture.
To illustrate some cross-cultural interferences, a
survey questionnaire was conducted among some Chinese
students and some Australian students. The data obtained
from the survey indicated some selected problem areas for
the Chinese students in talking with the native speakers
of English.
Two teaching aids were designed. One is a fifteenminute
video tape, the other is three simulation exercises.
They demonstrate several cultural conflicts between the
English speakers and Chinese English learners. Both the
video tape and the simulation were trialled among the
Chinese students. They proved to be relatively effective
in teaching the target culture.
The trialling convinced this writer that it was
possible for a teacher of English to prepare teaching aids
such as video and simulation exercises. However, this
may be very time consuming. But the result of the trialling
proved that it was worth the time and effort.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/219127 |
| Date | January 1984 |
| Creators | Li-Cheng, Gu, n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Liberal Studies |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright Gu Li-Cheng |
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