THE INEVITABILITY OF INCORPORATING CULTURE INTO AN EFL CLASSROOM CASE STUDY: FIRST YEAR MASTER STUDENTS

Abstract

It is widely recognized that language and culture are two correlative entities. Thus, acquiring a S/L embraces to a large degree acquiring its culture. One's the grammatical and lingual proficiency of a given language merely does not ensure the skillful and the communicative competence of the foreign language learner. Therefore, learning the culture of the target language is an obligatory ought. This research work conveys on an empirical survey into both learners and instructors general opinions and anticipations of inter-cultural learning/ teaching in the Algerian department of English more precisely in Tlemcen. It investigates teacher's and learner's awareness about the significant role of implementing culture through language education and what techniques required for a favorable cultural cognition and an analysis of the sufficiency of the module of cross culture -studies and the adequacy of the methods and approaches used. This dissertation stands on the assumption that inter-cultural teaching / learning is somehow marginalized in comparison to the other linguistic skills of language .In purpose of proving the credibility of this hypothesis, a study composed of the questionnaires as the leading research instruments. Two questionnaires are conducted .The first one addressed to the teachers of culture in the department of English owing to determine teachers perceptions and sensitivity toward culture and cultural norms and a second one that aims to measure the degree of learners awareness about learning culture as a fifth skill in parallel with the other skills of language. Unsurprisingly, the findings have positively reflected teachers and learners sensitivity about the crucial need of integrating culture .However; the findings predictably confirmed the weakness of the existence of culture in the Algerian universities. In addition to the insufficiency of the module of culture ,the lack of materials, the poorness of the Algerian curriculum and its limitation to a theoretical basis solely as declared by the participant students and teachers .The obtained feedbacks substantially certifies the hypothesis .More than a half 60% of the students declared that culture is fully marginalized. At a final position a list of some helpful suggestions and recommendations for a favorable teaching and learning of culture.