Story as Culturally Appropriate Content and Social Context for Young English Language Learners: A Look at Lebanese Primary School Classes

Abstract

The relationship between second language learning and meaningful interactions is now well recognised in second language acquisition research. While English is a widely taught foreign language around the world, much of the interaction research comes from core-English countries, which are also the major producers of English language teaching (ELT) materials. The rich cultural diversity of English language teaching and learning contexts raises questions about the applicability of the materials in other cultures. Using transcript data collected from 12 primary school classrooms in the Lebanon during 18 hours of observation, this article takes a critical look at how different coursebook tasks unfold in the reality of the classroom. The findings suggest that a story-based approach to English language teaching provides a more culture-sensitive medium for classroom interactions, adaptable to diverse cultural expectations about the roles of teachers and learners than the traditional communicative language practice typical in primary school ELT courses.