Senior Capstone: Importance of Teaching Cross-Cultural Skills in Foreign Language Classrooms
Found below is evidence of my senior capstone, which I worked on with my partner, Karina Koagedal
Abstract:
People’s actions are influenced by the attitudes of culture and customs of the country they grew up in. To broaden one’s horizons and improve cross-cultural communication flexibility, foreign language education should aim to help students learn another country’s culture and language that is sometimes completely different from their home country. To explore this idea we asked the following questions to university students. How does foreign language education affect students perceptions of their ability to function in the target culture?What areas of cross cultural competency can be enhanced by study abroad that would not be found in the foreign language classroom? In what way does cultural bias affect student’s perception of appropriate interpersonal communication? We administered a survey to Japanese and American students. The results of the our research are as follows below. Foreign language education largely affected the students’ perceptions of how they were able to function in a foreign country, as well as providing evidence that they learned more about cultural aspects of language and behavior through trial and error while abroad instead of in the classroom. We also demonstrated that cultural bias was diminished over all by study abroad. The findings in the context of foreign language classrooms in one’s host and home country disprove Hofstede’s (1991) research.The results were that the student’s home cultures did not necessarily affect how they deemed communications appropriate or inappropriate when using their target language.
人の態度や行動、考え方は育った国の文化や慣習に影響される。外国語教育では自分の国とは全く違う国の文化や言語を学ぶため、さらに幅ひろい見解を養うことができるうえに異文化でも柔軟にコミュニケーションできる能力をつけることができる。この研究では外国語教育はどのように実生活で使える言語能力取得に貢献しているか。外国語の授業ではなく、留学することにより習得できる異文化理解にはどのようなものがあるか。そしてどのような文化的偏見が適切なコミュニケーションに影響を与えるかという質問を日本とアメリカの大学生にアンケートを行い調べた。その結果、日本の学生もアメリカの学生も留学した国で正しいマナー、やってはいけない事を学ぶことがわかった。またそれは授業以外の場で学ぶことの方が多いこともわかった。その他に日本人もアメリカ人もほとんどが留学先での授業で異文化コミュニケーションへ対応できる力を学ぶことができたとしていることも明らかになった。Hofstede (1991)は日本とアメリカではそれぞれの文化的偏見を持っているとしているがこの研究ではその違いの差はでなかった。
In order to start our research, Karina and I asked 3 questions:
1) How does foreign language education affect students perceptions of their ability to function in the target culture?
2) What areas of cross cultural competency can be enhanced by study abroad that would not be found in the foreign language classroom?
3) In what way does cultural bias affect student’s perception of appropriate interpersonal communication?
After our preliminary literature review, we determined that we would distribute an online survey to 60 students, both American and Japanese, who had already studied abroad or were in the process of studying abroad, to find answers to these questions.
Find our Presentation and Survey Questions below:
Japanese Presentation
English Presentation
Japanese Survey
English Survey
Japanese Paper
English Paper
Abstract:
People’s actions are influenced by the attitudes of culture and customs of the country they grew up in. To broaden one’s horizons and improve cross-cultural communication flexibility, foreign language education should aim to help students learn another country’s culture and language that is sometimes completely different from their home country. To explore this idea we asked the following questions to university students. How does foreign language education affect students perceptions of their ability to function in the target culture?What areas of cross cultural competency can be enhanced by study abroad that would not be found in the foreign language classroom? In what way does cultural bias affect student’s perception of appropriate interpersonal communication? We administered a survey to Japanese and American students. The results of the our research are as follows below. Foreign language education largely affected the students’ perceptions of how they were able to function in a foreign country, as well as providing evidence that they learned more about cultural aspects of language and behavior through trial and error while abroad instead of in the classroom. We also demonstrated that cultural bias was diminished over all by study abroad. The findings in the context of foreign language classrooms in one’s host and home country disprove Hofstede’s (1991) research.The results were that the student’s home cultures did not necessarily affect how they deemed communications appropriate or inappropriate when using their target language.
人の態度や行動、考え方は育った国の文化や慣習に影響される。外国語教育では自分の国とは全く違う国の文化や言語を学ぶため、さらに幅ひろい見解を養うことができるうえに異文化でも柔軟にコミュニケーションできる能力をつけることができる。この研究では外国語教育はどのように実生活で使える言語能力取得に貢献しているか。外国語の授業ではなく、留学することにより習得できる異文化理解にはどのようなものがあるか。そしてどのような文化的偏見が適切なコミュニケーションに影響を与えるかという質問を日本とアメリカの大学生にアンケートを行い調べた。その結果、日本の学生もアメリカの学生も留学した国で正しいマナー、やってはいけない事を学ぶことがわかった。またそれは授業以外の場で学ぶことの方が多いこともわかった。その他に日本人もアメリカ人もほとんどが留学先での授業で異文化コミュニケーションへ対応できる力を学ぶことができたとしていることも明らかになった。Hofstede (1991)は日本とアメリカではそれぞれの文化的偏見を持っているとしているがこの研究ではその違いの差はでなかった。
In order to start our research, Karina and I asked 3 questions:
1) How does foreign language education affect students perceptions of their ability to function in the target culture?
2) What areas of cross cultural competency can be enhanced by study abroad that would not be found in the foreign language classroom?
3) In what way does cultural bias affect student’s perception of appropriate interpersonal communication?
After our preliminary literature review, we determined that we would distribute an online survey to 60 students, both American and Japanese, who had already studied abroad or were in the process of studying abroad, to find answers to these questions.
Find our Presentation and Survey Questions below:
Japanese Presentation
English Presentation
Japanese Survey
English Survey
Japanese Paper
English Paper