Cultural Representations as a Medium of Instruction in an ESL Classroom

Abstract

Culture in language teaching has long been understood to offer various benefits such as stimulating students’ motivation and fostering positive attitudes toward the language and language users. In this regard, language teachers have often adopted diverse ways to incorporate culture into teaching using images, textbooks, and technology (e.g., Levy, 2009). Much research has also attempted to analyze cultural texts and interpret perceptions of teachers and students (Duff, 2002; Vinall, 2012). In an effort to deepen our understanding about various ways cultural contents are delivered, negotiated, and represented in English learning environment, the present study examined classroom interactions in a universitylevel ESL writing course. This micro-ethnographic study explored how teacher’s use of cultural knowledge delivered certain messages about language, culture, and its users. Findings of this study argue how cultural dimensions in language learning are not limited to the immediate connection with the target community or people, but extend beyond to the broader social, cultural, and political contexts. This study suggests that language classrooms carry the potential to function as a locus where all participants could explore hidden messages around cultural representations and participate in the process of representing and re-producing multiple cultural perspectives.