Integration of Culture in English Courses for Korean Students in the Philippines

Abstract

Culture, a complex interdisciplinary topic, has never been exhausted. One of the most recent topics that have gained attention in the field of applied linguistics is the integration of second cultures in English as a second language (ESL) courses. Studies, on the integration of culture in ESL courses, continue to show that not much attention has been given to the explicit instruction of culture as an integral part of teaching English to speakers of other languages. The Philippines, a country in the Outer Circle, presents an even more interesting case because English is used, not as a second or foreign language, but rather as a lingua franca to help bridge communication between Filipinos from varied linguistic backgrounds. The goal of this study was to investigate the current instructional practices of integrating culture in English languages courses and how teachers learn these practices. This paper presents the findings of a quantitative descriptive study that investigated how English teachers integrate culture in their courses in the Philippines, and how they learn to do so. A survey of 64 teachers, most of whom were nonnative speakers of English, revealed limited current practices of culture integration in the teaching of English courses for Korean students. Based on the findings, this paper proposes some instructional implications for this unique and intricate setting where English is used as a lingua franca. Keywords - Quantitative methods, survey, applied linguistics, Manila, Philippines, Asia, contact zone, culture shock, EAP, EFL, EIL, ESL, ESP, expanding circle, Filipino teachers, inner circle, Korean, language learning, lingua franca, outer circle, target culture