ERIC Number: EJ1014407
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Jun
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0015-718X
EISSN: N/A
Impact of Instruction on Shaping or Reshaping Stereotypical Cultural Representations in an Introductory French Course
Drewelow, Isabelle
Foreign Language Annals, v46 n2 p157-174 Jun 2013
Learning a foreign language promotes new ways of seeing the world and the self in relation to it (Gee, 1996), making practices and perspectives underlined through the acquisition of vocabulary and grammatical structures available for appropriation (Bakhtin, 1981; Kramsch, 1993, 2009). Using a combination of interviews and self-reported questionnaires, this study explores what may influence learners' preconceived images and cultural representations of the French language and culture in an introductory French language course. Data analysis shows that participants started a reflection on how learning a foreign language opens access to the cultures that speak it and embodies cultural acts. However, the findings suggest that at the beginning level, the reflection on the interconnection between a language and its culture needs to be nurtured within the course content itself in order to encourage the process of developing cross-cultural understanding. (Contains 1 note and 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Stereotypes, Interviews, Questionnaires, Cultural Awareness, French, Introductory Courses, Vocabulary, Grammar, Second Language Instruction, Second Language Learning, Course Content, Teaching Methods, Comparative Analysis, Undergraduate Students, Qualitative Research
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A