NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
PDF on ERIC Download full text
ERIC Number: EJ1336046
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2630-0672
EISSN: N/A
Multicultural Literature for Multicultural Education: Idealism, Reality and Practicality in a Thai Tertiary Education Context
Tangkitjaroenkun, Thanis; Nawarat, Nongyao; Jatuporn, Omsin
LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, v15 n1 p548-564 Jan-Jun 2022
The authors of this paper argue that to promote multicultural education, multicultural literature can be a very useful tool. Since the ultimate goal of multicultural education is to achieve a more equal and more inclusive society, the literature of Southeast Asia, regarded as the true "minority" literature, should be seriously taken into consideration. Southeast Asian literature in English has advantages in terms of its local and universal characteristics, allowing students to explore the multicultural world and enhance their understanding of it. Unfortunately, in Thailand, English literature is usually not implemented in EFL classes in which the main focus is the drilling and development of four language skills. English literature classes, on the other hand, strongly emphasize the British and American literature, without much room for non Anglo-American literature. It is therefore proposed that to promote the diversity of literary texts and to enhance students' multicultural learning experience, teachers and educators could incorporate the English literature of our neighboring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines in their syllabi and exploit it in their pedagogical approaches. It is hoped that the inclusion of multicultural literature will help lead Thai learners and teachers alike to the ultimate goal of multicultural education.
Language Institute of Thammasat University. The Prachan Campus, 2 Prachan Road, Bangkok 10200 Thailand. e-mail: learnjournal@gmail.com; Web site: https://www.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/learn
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Thailand; Singapore; Malaysia; Brunei; Philippines
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A