Language Learners’ Acculturation Attitudes

Vahid Rafieyan,Maryam Bijami,Maryam Sharafi Nejad,Lin Siew Eng,Maryam Orang

doi:10.5539/elt.v7n1p114

Abstract

Learning a language involves knowledge of both linguistic competence and cultural competence. Optimal development of linguistic competence and cultural competence, however, requires a high level of acculturation attitude toward the target language culture. To this end, the present study explored the acculturation attitudes of 70 Iranian undergraduate students of English as a Foreign Language, following a one-semester academic sojourn in the United States. The data of the study were collected through a 29-item 5-point Likert scale acculturation attitude questionnaire. Findings indicated that sojourners tended to have close contact with the people of the target society while maintaining their original culture, adopting Integration and Assimilation strategies as their acculturation attitudes. The pedagogical implications of the findings suggested providing opportunities for students of English as a Foreign Language to immerse in the target language culture through organizing academic exchange programs.

Highlights

Learning a language requires knowledge of linguistic competence and knowledge of cultural competence (Culhane, 2004) as language and culture are bound together and it is impossible to separate them from each other (Kramsch, 1993)
Among the mentioned acculturation strategies, Integration and Assimilation strategies received the highest preference by sojourners while Separation and Marginalization strategies received the lowest preference
The study found that Iranian sojourners in the United States had a high level of acculturation attitude toward the target language culture

Summary

Introduction

Learning a language requires knowledge of linguistic competence and knowledge of cultural competence (Culhane, 2004) as language and culture are bound together and it is impossible to separate them from each other (Kramsch, 1993). High level of target language proficiency is supposed to be associated with high level of contact with the target language people and low level of maladaptation to the target language culture (Ward & Kennedy, 1999). This has raised the issue of acculturation which refers to “the phenomena which result when groups of individuals having different cultures come into continuous first-hand contact, with subsequent changes in the original culture patterns of either or both groups” To obtain optimal linguistic knowledge through out-of-class contact and to optimize the sojourn experience, sojourners must maintain regular contact with the people of the target language society (Wang, 2010)

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion