Incorporating english cultural elements into english training with the comparing - Contrasting approach: A case of tourism students at haiphong community college

ontrasting as activities of raising students’ culture awareness 2.3.1. Comparing- Contrasting approach Teaching culture is considered important by most teachers but is has remained “insubstantial and sporadic in most language classroom” (Omaggio, 1993: 357). Omaggio gives several reasons for this including lack of time, uncertainty about which aspects of culture to teach, and lack of practical techniques. Although language teachers realize the importance of teaching culture in EFL classes and the potential of improving the teaching of culture is tremendous, the outstanding problems to be solved are still improving. Among many others, the biggest headache for language teachers, especially the teacher of EFL, is how to integrate culture teaching into our language programs. Comparing- Contrasting is an approach to teach language and culture together in the Framework of Cultural Awareness Model (Liddicoat and Crozet, 2001 : 120). The model assumes that in order to successfully interact with people from other cultures we have to understand ours and the other’s cultural values, norms, customs, and social systems. It also argues that the knowledge of ourselves as the cultural being is the foundation of knowing others in terms of their own culture. It is especially important that students have the opportunity to think about and talk about what they notice, either in their first language or in the second language. According to Comparing- Contrasting approach, students’ noticing is followed up wherever there is an explanation of the function of particular actions in the target culture. Some teachers may worry that as non- speakers, they do not have enough insight into the other culture to teach it. However, being a native speaker is not always an advantage, because in an intercultural approach, the teacher needs to know something about both cultures. Because this approach is comparative and is based on learning to notice differences, the important element is the exploration of difference that is something teachers and students can do together. Oxford (1994 : 26) shares the same view that teacher must be careful to teach the pleasant aspects. The essence of culture understanding is to know how your own culture is both similar to and different from the target culture. Therefore, activities and materials should portray different aspects of the culture. In other words, teachers need to “sell” different views of the culture to their students. Introducing deliberate contrasts within a culture can be useful. Some different ‘selling points’ are contrasted below: + Attractive vs. Shocking + Historical vs. Modern + Similarities vs. Differences + Old people vs. Young people + Dark aspects of culture vs. Bright + City life vs. Country life + Facts vs. Behaviour + Stated belief vs. Actual belief Briefly, the Comparing- Contrasting approach that has been found to be successful in raising students’ cultural awareness through lessons. Nevertheless, how do the teachers employ Comparing and Contrasting activities in their language classroom with the view of encouraging students to learn and understand about culture in such an easier way ? This matter will be discussed with some activities for incorporating culture into foreign language training. 2.3.2. Activities for incorporating culture into foreign language training It is the fact that interesting activities will get students more involved in the culture lessons. Some Comparing and Contrasting activities introduced below are cited from the book of Barry Tomalin and Susan Stempleski (1993, 41- 100). These activities are designed to adapt the Tourims students’ learning styles and interests. Each activity offers students the following information: the cultural aim of the activity, the materials needed, the level at which the activity can be used, what preparation is needed, and step- by- step directions for carrying out the activity in class. Where appropriate, variations of the activity have been included. 2.3.2.1. Cartoon categories * Aim: To increase awareness of the subject matter of British cartoons; to compare British cartoons with cartoons in the students’ own culture. * Materials: Cartoons from British newspapers and magazines * Level: Advanced * Preparation: Select 15- 20 cartoons from British newspapers and magazines. Make sure you have enough copies of the cartoons to give a complete set to each group of students. * In class: 1. Divide the class into groups of three or four, and give each group a set of cartoons. 2. Tell the students to look carefully at the cartoons and to group them according to the subject matter of the humor; for example, the desert island situation, relations between men and women, polities, drunkenness, etc. The students’ task is to work together and draw up a list of the different types of subject matter used. 3. The students work in groups, categorizing the cartoons and preparing their lists. 4. A spokesperson for each reads the list to the class. 5. Write the different categories of subject matter mentioned by students on the board. Then write the following questions on the board: - Are cartoons common in your country?If so, what is the most common subject matter? - How are British cartoons similar to cartoons in your country? How are they different? 6. Students work in groups, discussion of the following questions: - What did you learn about British humor from this activity? - What did you learn about humor in your own culture? * Variation: Intermediate level and above Instead of focusing on the subject matter of the humor, students can draw up a list of visible aspects of British life contained in the cartoons, for example: Houses and homes (rooms, furniture, etc.) Work environments (offices, factories, etc.) Leisure (fishing, reading, watching TV, etc.) Eating and drinking (restaurants, pubs, etc.) Travel (traffic, road signs, etc) Shopping (supermarkets, department stores, etc.) 7. Clothes and fashion (uniforms, hairstyles, etc.) 2.3.2.2. Dating customs * Aim: To compare relationships between men and women in the UK with those in the students’ culture(s) * Materials: A task sheet for each student * Level: Lower- intermediate and above * Preparation: Photocopy the task sheet overleaf. * In class: 1. Explain to the class that they are going to compare relationships between men and women in the UK with relationships between men and women in their our culture(s) 2. Divide the class into pairs, distribute the task sheet. 3. The students work in pairs, discussing the customs listed on the task sheet, and indicating whether each practice is the same or different in their culture. If the custom is different, they make brief notes explaining the difference. 4. Following the pairwork, volunteers take turns to report their answers to the class. 5. Follow up with a whole- class discussion on the following questions: - What have you learned about relationships between men and women in the UK from this activity? - Can you make generalizations about relationships between men and women in the UK? - In what ways are the relationships different from the relationships in your culture? - In what ways are they similar? * Variation: As homework, you could ask the students to write a short composition, comparing and contrasting between men and women in the UK with the behaviour between men and women in their country. Task sheet Dating customs The statements below give information about relationships between men and women in the UK. Are these customs the same ( S) or different ( D) from ones in your country? Tick the appropriate box. If a custom is different, write brief notes explaining the differences. In the UK In your country 1. Young men and women go to the party together. S £ D £ Note:............................................ 2. A men often goes to collect his date at her home. S £ D £ Note:............................................ 3. In their mid- teens, boys and girls go on dates (to parties, dances, the cinema). S £ D £ Note:............................................ 4. Parents very rarely choose dates for their children. S £ D £ Note:............................................ 5. Women may invite men to parties or other social events. S £ D £ Note:............................................ 6. Teenagers usually date people of the own age, but sometimes girls date boys who are two or three years older. S £ D £ Note:............................................ 7. Teenagers meet members of the opposite sex at school, parties, or other social events. S £ D £ Note:............................................ 8. Men and women sometimes share expenses on a date. S £ D £ Note:............................................ 9. Teenagers and young adults meet and choose their own dates. S £ D £ Note:............................................ 10. Men and women date people of different economic, ethnic, social, or religiuos backgrounds S £ D £ Note:............................................ 2.3.2.3. Cross- cultural role plays * Aim: To increase awareness of the types of misunderstanding that can occur between people of different cultures * Materials: No special materials are needed * Level: Intermediate and above * Preparation: Prepare a brief description of an incident that happened to you and that led to a cultural misunderstanding. * In class: 1. Explain to the students that, at one time or another, most of us have been involved in situations that have led to cultural misunderstandings. 2. Divide the class into groups of three or four. To make sure that the students understand what you mean, and to encourage recall of similar incidents in the students’ own experience, describe a cultural incident in which they were involved. 3. Each group selects one of the incidents described. Together they plan how to dramatize the incident. 4. Groups take turns to perform their role plays in front of the class. The other students try to guess which student was actually involved in the incident. 5. The whole class discusses each incident and its cultural implications. 2.3.2.4. Shopping habits * Aim: To compare shopping habits in the UK with shopping habits in the students’ culture * Materials: A task sheet for each student * Level: Lower- intermediate and above * Preparation: Photocopy the task sheet below. * In class: 1. Explain to the class that they are going to compare shopping habits in the UK with shopping habits in their own culture (s). 2. Divide the class into pairs and distribute the task sheet. 3. The students work in pairs, discussing the statements on the task sheet, and nothing whether the practice is the same or different in their culture(s). 4. Follow up with a whole- class discussion on the following questions: - What have you learned about shopping habits in the UK from this activity? - In what ways are shopping habits in the UK different from shopping habits in your culture? Task sheet Shopping habits The statements below give information about shopping habits in the UK. Are these habits the same ( S) or different ( D) from ones in your country? Put a tick in the appropriate boxes. If any of the habits different, write brief notes explaining the differences. In the UK In your country 1. Adults do most of their own shopping for clothes. S £ D £ Note:........................................................ 2. Mothers usually buy all the clothes for the young children in the family. S £ D £ Note:........................................................ 3. Teenagers usually choose their own clothes. S £ D £ Note:........................................................ 4. Married couples usually shop for large items such as cars, furniture, and TV sets together. S £ D £ Note:........................................................ 5. Shopping for groceries usually done by going to the supermarket once a week. S £ D £ Note:........................................................ 6. Shops do not close for lunch, and some stay open till 7.00 p.m. or later on certain days, especially in big cities. S £ D £ Note:........................................................ 7. Department stores and grocery stores are open all day on Saturdays. S £ D £ Note:........................................................ 8. In families, it is often the mother who does most of the food shopping. S £ D £ Note:........................................................ 9. Many oven- ready items are available in supermarkets. S £ D £ Note:........................................................ 10. Many people buy bread, cakes, and pies in a supermarket rather than in a bakery. S £ D £ Note:........................................................ 2.3.2.5. Show and Tell * Aim: To heighten awareness of one’s own culture; to practice speaking about something characteristic of one’s own culture; * Materials: Objects that the students choose to bring to class. * Level: Lower- intermediate and above * Preparation: No special preparation is needed. * In class: Day 1 1. Tell the students that they have an opportunity to show and talk to the class about an object that is meaningful to them. Everyone brings to class something they value 2. It may help to give some examples of the kind of object you mean: an article of clothing, a picture of a national monument, a book by a favourite author, a musical instrument, etc. Day 2 1. Tell the class that they will have 2 minutes to show their objects and to talk about English. Everyone discuss what they have seen and heard at the end of the presentations. 2. The students present their objects within the two minutes limit. 3. When all the students have finished, write the following questions on the board: - What one thing did you learn about each person’s culture? - What more would you like to know about the culture of each member of the class? - What have you learned about your own culture in doing this activity? 4. Allow enough time for students to think about and write their answers to the questions. 5. Finally, conduct a whole- class discussion based on the questions. If your class is very large, the discussion can be carried out in groups. 2.3.2.6. Front- page features * Aim: To identify characteristic features of the front pages of British newspapers; to compare British front pages with the front pages of newspapers from the students’ own countries. * Materials: Front pages of British newspapers and newspapers * Level: Lower- intermediate and above * Preparation: 1. Collect front pages of local, regional, or national newspapers from the UK and from the students’ own countries. Put pages up around the walls of classroom. 2. Make enough copies of the task sheet below to give one to each student * In class: 1. Explain to the class that by looking at the front page of a newspaper, they can learn a great deal about the values of the country that produced it. Tell the students that they are going to have a change to compare the front pages of newspapers from different countries, to discover their similarities and differences. 2. Hand out the task sheets and explain that the students look carefully at the front pages displayed around the room, and answer the questions on the task sheet. 3. Allow enough time for the students to examine the front pages and make notes. 4. Then conduct a whole- class discussion based on the questions on the task sheet. 5. Conclude the activity with a feedback session. Ask the class: - What did you learn about British newspaper from this activity? - What did you learn about newspapers from your own country? TASK SHEET 1. How are the front pages from each country different from each other? 2. How are they similar? 3. What kinds of news do the editors in each country think is worth putting on the front page? 4. Look at the main news story and then at the other major news articles on each front page. Would the same news item be on the front page in your country? Why or why not? 2.3.2.7. Today’s TV schedule * Aim: To increase awareness of types of TV programme broadcast in the UK; to compare them with those in students’ country. * Materials: A TV schedule from a British newspaper * Level: Intermediate and above * Preparation: Photocopy task sheet below to give one to each student. * In class: 1. Distribute the task sheets. Then divide the class into groups of three or four. 2. Explain the task to the students. They are to work together in groups, studying the schedule and answering the questions on the task sheet. 3. Ask for one person in each group to report the group’s answer. 4. Follow up with a whole- class discussion based on these questions: - In what ways is the schedule different from a TV schedule in your country? - In what ways is it similar? - What did you learn about TV programmes in the UK from this activity? 5. Give the students copies of TV schedules from British papers. Ask them to look for the differences and similarities in content and organization of television in the two countries. Task sheet TODAY’S TV SCHEDULE Use the information in the TV schedule to answer the following questions: How many channels (separate broadcasting stations) can viewers choose from? During what hours do these channels broadcast? Do any of the channels seem to specialize in particular types of programmes? Which programmes are documentaties? Which are news programmes? Which are sports programmes? Which are for children? Which are do- it- yourself programmes (cooking, gardening, home repairs, etc.)? 2.3.2.8. Early, on time, or late ? * Aim: To compare the concepts of time in the UK with the concept of time in the students’ culture * Materials: A task sheet for each student * Level: Lower- intermediate and above * Preparation: Photocopy the task sheet opposite. * In class: 1. Explain to the class that the concept of time can be very different in different cultures, and that in this activity they are going to compare the concept of time in the UK with the concept of time in their own culture. 2. Divide the class into pairs, and distribute the task sheet. 3. The students work in pairs, discussing events listed on task sheet, and ticking their answers. 4. Following the pairwork, volunteers take turns to report their answers to the class. 5. Follow up with a whole- class discussion on the following questions: - What have you learned about the concept of time in the UK from this activity? ( In the UK people are expected to arrive either early or on time.) - What generalization can you make about the concept of time in the UK? ( Exact time- keeping is regarded as important in these countries.) - In what ways, if any, is the concept of time in the UK different from the concept of time in your culture? * Variation: As a follow up, you could ask the students to write five rules relating to time in the UK and the US and five rules relating to time in their own culture. The important point to bring out in the discussion phase is thta in the UK people tend to arrange their lives and plan their activities around specific times. For exmple: while it is acceptable to arrive a few minutes early for a business meeting, it is considered extremly rude to arrive late. The events for which you should arrive early are 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. The events for which you should arrive on time are 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10. You should not arrive late for any of the events listed! Task sheet Early, on time, or late ? Iamgine that the followinf events take place in the UK. Decide whether you sould arrive early, on time or late. Tick the appropriate column. Event Early On time Late 1. A business meeting 2. A school examination 3. A concert 4. A wedding 5. A job interview 6. A meeting with a friend 7. A film 8. A graduation 9. A dinner party 10. A class 2.3.2.9. Holiday photographs * Aim: To highlight items for cultural comparisons. * Materials: Family or holiday photographs which show a variety of people and settings * Level: Elementary and above * Preparation: Go through your holiday photograph album and choose pictures with a cultural feature which can be compared with a feature in the students’ culture(s). For example, photographs from a holiday in the West of Ireland. * In class: 1. Introduce the topic and the photographs. You might say: This year I went on holiday to Ireland. Here are some of my holiday photographs. 2. As a warm- up before the students see the pictures, ask them to call out some work that sum up their impressions of Ireland. 3. Ask the students to work in pairs or small groups. 4. Go around the groups and hand out one picture to each group. At the same time, give a brief commentary on each one. For example: - This is an Irish telephone box. - This is the mountain scenery near Kerry. 5. The groups discuss the photographs, and look for cultural differences. 6. Next, the students give you their impressions and feedback on any cultural feature they notice. For example, they might say: Ireland is green. I thought it was grey. 7. At the end of the activity, students summarize the key differences and similarities. 2.3.2.10. Social behaviour * Aim: To heighten awareness of the differences in appropriate social behaviour between the students’ culture (s) and that of the UK. * Materials: A task sheet for each student * Level: Intermediate and above * Preparation: Prepare enough copies of task sheet below to give one to each student. * In class: 1. Distribute the task sheet to the students. 2. Explain the task to students: work in small groups to discuss the situations described on a task sheet, and to decide what would happen in similar situations in their own culture (s). 3. The groups discuss the situations and complete the task sheet. 4. When the groups have finished, lead a short discussion on the situations described, eliciting what would happen in similar situations in the different countries representd by the class. Focus the discussion on the following questions: - In which situations is behaviour in the UK different from behaviour in your own country? - In which situations is behaviour similar? - What did you learn about behaviour in the UK and your country from this activity? Task sheet In the UK In your country 1. When people are invited to a party, they often take a bottle of wine or even bottles of beer. 2. When invited to a dinner party, people usually arrive within fifteen minutes of the appointed time. 3. At an informal party, people don’t wait to be introduced. They introduce themselves. 4. When people are being introduced, they try to make direct eye- contact with the other person. 5. After a formal introduction, people often use titles until they ar invited to use first names. 6. People shakes hands when they meet other people for the first time, but not every time they see them after that. 7. Men and women friends may kiss each other on the check if they see each other after a long time, or even each time they meet. 8. People often try to start a conversation with someone they don’t know by making a comment about the weather. 9. People may try to start a conversation by complimenting the other person. 10. During the “farewell” stage of a conversation, people will often move away from each other little and decrease eye- contact. Briefly, there are many activities for incorporating English cultural elements into the English training with the Comparing- Contrasting approach which are applied by a lot of foreign language teachers in Vietnam and in the world. Actually, some of them are simple but others are complex and quite difficult to use. In my opinion, some above typical ones given by Barry Tomalin and Susan Stempleski are not only practical and consistent with the Tourism students at HCC but also useful to increase the teacher- student interaction in the classs. 2.4. Conclusion In this chapter, the relevant literature which has been reviewed in order to form the theoretical and conceptual framework for the study is presented. From the literature review, the place of cultural knowledge in foreign language learning has been discussed. It has been concluded that language is inextricably connected to cultural knowledge that is the interactive and complementary. Knowledge of the target culture not only helps learners understand what is stated but also motivates foreign language learners to learn the target language intrinsically. However, although teachers feel culture has played an important role in EFL, no systematic ways of approaching how to teach it as an integrated part of language program were actually uncovered. Secondly, the research in the field of second/ foreign language learning has shown that there are many useful techniques in teaching language and culture. Due to the size of the study, the researcher has only taken more consideration to activities of Comparing- Contrasting approach in the framework of cultural awareness model. CHAPTER 3: THE STUDY In the previous chapters, the thesis author discussed the place of cultural knowledge as the motivator for Tourism students to learn the target language intrinsically. This chapter presents the study for the purpose of finding answers to the main issues: i. The attitude of Tourism students at HCC towards the role of the foreign language culture ii. The effectiveness of Comparing and Contrasting activities in motivating the student to learn. iii. The change in Tourism students’cultural knowledge after an experimental term of teaching culturally integrated lessons. 3.1. Situation analysis 3.1.1. Setting of the study The study is carried out at HCC where the students are trained to do various tourism- related careers such as tourist- guides, hotel managers, and housekeepers and others. English is a compulsory subject in the curriculum of teaching and learning at HCC. This subject is graded into two major stages: The first stage aims at providing students with basic general knowledge of English and four main skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The textbooks that have been used in this stage are Headway Elementary and Pre- intermediate (Liz & John Soars, 1990). The time allocated for this stage is 150 periods, so the teachers often concentrate on teaching grammar and vocabulary instead of speaking and listening. Besides, it is very hard for teachers to implement communicative approach in the classroom because the class time is limited and classes are large (Classes of at least 45 students are common) and too crowded to take part in activities. Moreover, most students do not have obvious communicative need because they never seem to have chances to interact with foreigners. All of them seem to be concerned with passing the exams. The students see employment as the main goal, and most jobs in Vietnam do not require fluency in English, as Bock (2000: 25) shows: ‘They are motivated to pass exams to move up some ladder toward a better job, but that does not often seem to include real fluency’. The second stage is time for students to study English in their field. ESP taught for the third- year students in about 120 periods. One of the purposes of teaching ESP at HCC is to develop the ability to use English effectively for their study and their future careers. In this stage, the textbook HIGH SEASON (Keith Harding & Paul Henderson, Oxford University, 2000) is introduced. As the name of the faculty (Tourism ), major subjects of the study are closely related to tourism, and English have been great priorities in the training program at the faculty as well as the college. 3.1.2. Participants and classroom context The study is carried out with the participation of 100 students of tourism at HCC. They are the ones from classes C.QDL 05.1 and C. QDL 05.2 representing a population of over 4000 students in 78 classes of the course. Most of them are 19- 20 years of age. In terms of language learning, they have different experience. Nevertheless, their level of English proficiency is still quite low and varies a lot due to the fact that they come from different places. Many of them come from the rural areas where there are no favorable English learning conditions. The others come from the towns and cities and have better chances for leaning English. Furthermore, during the years at school, a majority of the students did not have chances to learn about what we call ‘culture’. However, it is the fact that although the students have learnt English for several years, along with their difficulties in acquiring any effective language skills at university, their cultural background knowledge is still very poor. 3.2. Data collecting instruments The data collection methods applied in this study is aimed at collecting both quantitative and qualitative data to make use of analytical and exploratory- interpretive paradigms in applied linguistics. The quantitative and qualitative data collected from questionnaires, observation, structured interviews and informal discussions are analyzed statistically and interpreted from the researcher’s stance. The procedure of data collection is as follows: i. Before the course, a questionnaire (Questionnaire 1- Appendixes) is distributed to Tourism students to get the general overview on the situation of English culture learning at HCC and identify their expectation in learning English culture. ii. Two classes C.QDL 05.1 and C.QDL 05.2 are chosen in the study. During the English course, class C.QDL 05.2 is not interfered by any cultural items, whereas class C.QDL 05.1 has a lot of chances to work with English culture. Two selected classes have the same level in English. This is confirmed by a pre- test (Test 1- Appendixes) before the course. The researcher directly teaches class C.QDL 05.1 and observes class C.QDL 05.2. iii. After the course, another test (Test 2- Appendixes) and another survey questionnaire (Questionnaire 2- Appendixes) are given to students in order to see if there is any change in the participants’English culture achievement after applying culture- teaching activities of Comparing and Contrasting approach in ELT. iv. An informal interview and discussion with teachers of English at HCC is carried out to explain the changes. 3.2.1. Survey questionnaires This study uses survey questionnaires as an information collection instrument. The overall purpose of the survey is to investigate the perceptions of Tourism students of the importance of English cultural awareness to ELT and ELL and to work out the changes in English culture achievement after applying some methods and techniques. Items of the questionnaire are designed in a short and clear way. Each questionnaire takes 10 to 15 minutes of class time. The researcher explains items carefully while urging the respondents to answer faithfully to themselves. As the questionnaires are handed in, answers are collected and presented in the percentage tables and charts. Questionnaire is an easy and quick instrument to get information from a lot of people in limited time. However, sometimes it is impossible to check seriousness or honesty of the answers. This is especially true in this study, which is an abstract, attitudinal concept. Therefore it is advisable to incorporate more than one method of data collection in a study. 3.2.2. Class observation It is an on- the- spot observation in which they are performing in the real classroom settings. The observation aims at enabling the author to get what she watches, follows, and records all the activities as they are the most reliable data, or to check the reliability of the data collected from other sources- the survey questionnaire. The author of the study observed the C.QDL 05.2. The observation is carried out with a set of checklist made by the author including the students’ attitudes towards teachers’ activities, their involvement in the activity, and their reactions with each other while completing the task. 3.2.3. Interviews and informal discussions Based on the survey questionnaires, teachers of English at HCC are asked for an interview after the post- course test. Informants are invited to answer the questions with the author explaining the questions and clarifying unclear answers. The data collected from the interviews is transcribed for the purpose of analysis. Informal discussions are carried out in short breaks and gatherings during the course. 3.3. Data analysis In this part, the data collected from the survey questionnaires will be analyzed to figure out the English culture- teaching activities of Comparing and Contrasting approach that can be applied to the real classes. An evaluation on the effectiveness of English culture- teaching activities of Comparing and Contrasting approach is also discussed in detail at the end of the chapter by the means of observation, interviews, informal discussion and tests. An overview to culture learning at HCC will be presented in the investigation through a survey questionnaire and informal discussions. This is useful for proposing some tools that can be applied into English culture learning of the study. 3.3.1. An overview on Tourism students’ English culture learning at HCC. In this section, an overview to Tourism students’ learning at HCC with be presented in the investigation through a survey questionnaire (Questionnaire 1- Appendixes) and informal discussions. This is useful for proposing some tools that can be applied into English culture learning of the study. 3.3.1.1. Tourism students’ choice of suitable sections for English cultural delivery at HCC- Table 1 Question 4: Please think of your textbooks and tick the section that you find suitable to contain cultural exchange. Section Ss’ choice(%) Section Ss’ choice(%) Presentation 15 Listening 32 Grammar 7 Speaking 89 Vocabulary 22 Reading 80 Practice 20 Writing 31 It is apparent from the table that Tourism students strongly agree to choose speaking and reading sections to deliver cultural items. The students (89%) find speaking sections the best one to learn English culture. From further discussion most of the students say that they are free to exchange with their friends or teachers to get cultural information. In speaking lesson, the teachers have a great chance to deliver and correct their students’ mistake in culture. The reading section is another favorable one for their choice (80%) because they want to deliver or have cultural information because the reading text is the most rich in cultural information. They can exploit a lot from this. 3.3.1.2. Tourism students’ preferences in English cultural elements- Table 2 Question 5: What English cultural elements do you do you find motivated in ELT and ELL? English Cultural Elements Ss ( % ) English cultural elements Ss ( % ) Living conditions 34 Art 32 Work 70 Relationship 48 Entertainment 72 Festivals and Holiday 65 Food and Drink 47 Traditional values 51 Fastion 50 Belief and Behavious 65 As the table indicates, entertainment and work are thought to be the elements motivating the students most (72%, 70% respectively) whereas living conditions and art element do not attract the students’ attention much (34%, 32% respectively). From the discussion, the students say that they care work element most because they think it will help them with their future jobs. Besides, they confide that they want to learn the other English elements like festivals and holiday as well as English behaviors. 3.3.1.3. Tourism students’ sources for enriching cultural information- Table 3 Question 6: How do you enrich your cultural knowledge? Students’ cultural sources Ss ( % ) Students’ cultural sources Ss ( % ) TV, video 44 Newspapers 70 Internet 90 Literature 33 Songs 55 Photographs, pictures 45 Stories 52 Interviews 25 The above table shows Tourism students’ facts on the cultural information resources they use to enrich their cultural knowledge at HCC. We are living in the information technology age, so most the students (90%) use it. In fact, Internet is the most diversified source that covers all the other sources because we can find almost everything online such as stories, pictures, songs, newspapers, literature, TV program. It is unsurprising when the Tourism students choose it as the most favorite source of the cultural information. 3.3.1.4. Tourism students’ opinion of the problems when they deal with cultural activities in the class- Table 4 Question 7: What are your problems/ difficulties when you deal with cultural activities in the class ? Problems Students ( % ) Being lack of cultural knowledge 90 Being shy and can not do well 56 Not interested in cultural activities 15 From the students’ answers, the major difficulty when they do cultural activities is the lack of cultural knowledge which is proved by such a great percentage of 90%. Another difficulty is that the students are shy and can not do these activities well with th percentage of 56%. Just a small number of students say that the problem is they are not interested in these activities (15%). Furthermore, one idea added by some students is that they find it hard because they have little time to practice in class. 3.3.2. The change in Tourism students’ test result after the application Before the course, a test (Test 1- Appendixes) is given to the two classes C.QDL 05.1 and C.QDL 05.2. The test result proves that the students of the classes are at the same level. It can be seen from the table below: Marks Class C.QDL 05.1 (%) Class C. QDL 05.2 (%) Excellent (9.0- 10) 4 3 Good (8.0- 8.9) 8 7 Fair (7.0- 7.9) 8 8 Medium (5.0- 6.9) 14 14 Weak (3.0- 4.9) 36 37 Bad (1.0- 2.9) 3 31 Table 5: Tourism students’ test result before the application During the study, the above activities are applied in C.QDL 05.1, and the other class C.QDL 05.2 is let free during the process of learning English. At the end of the term, another test in culture (Test 2- Appendixes) are given to the two classes and the results are found different as follows: Chart 1: Tourism students’ test result after the application Class C.QDL 05.1 gets higher results comparing to those of class C.QDL 05.2. We can see that 15% of the students in class C.QDL 05.1 gets excellent marks, 12% gets good marks and 20% gets fair marks while the respective numbers of the students of class C.QDL 05.2 are 5%, 10% and 15%. The numbers of C.QDL 05.1’s poor students is lower comparing to those of class C.QDL 05.2. That means the teaching methods mentioned above proves to be effective in ELT and ELL at HCC. 3.3.3. The change in Tourism students’ survey questionnaire result after the application The other survey questionnaire (Questionnaire 2- Appendixes) after the application also gives the same result with the test result above. 3.3.3.1. The change in Tourism students’ viewpoints on the role of culture in ELL- Chart 2 Surprisingly, Tourism students’ attitudes to the importance of English cultural knowledge in English learning are considerably changed. It can be seen in the chart below: From the chart, we can see Tourism students’ attitudes towards the role of culture in ELL change in an optimistic way. The number of students appreciating the role of culture in ELL increases (18%- very important and 13%- important) whereas those who refuse the role of culture in ELL decrease (rather important- 16% and not important at all- 15%). In the discussion, Tourism students confide that their English cultural knowledge is improved, which helps them understand the language better. Moreover, they feel much more confident to communicate with the foreigners they meet. This proves that the culture teaching activities are effective as they can change Tourism students’ viewpoint on the importance of culture in ELL. 3.3.3.2. The change in Tourism students’ evaluation on their own English cultural knowledge – Chart 3 The change in Tourism students’ evaluation on their own English cultural knowledge is shown in this chart: It is apparent that Tourism students are much more confident in their English cultural knowledge after applying the culture teaching activities of Comparing and Contrasting approach: 30% instead of 10% of the students say that they are very good at English. The same thing applies to the students who believe that they are good at English (28% instead of 8%). Especially, the number of the students who are unconfident in their English cultural knowledge declines sharply (by 35%). In the interview, the students confirm that they perceive almost English culture from the lessons. That means culture teaching activities of Comparing and Contrasting approach really work well. 3.3.3.3. The change in Tourism students’ expectation on the frequency of English culture learning- Chart 4 The number of Tourism students’ preference on the frequency of the culture lessons is shown in two pie- charts below: After the course we can see that the students want to have more intensive course in culture. 14% of Tourism students instead of 7% want to ‘always’ have cultural lessons in ELL whereas 11% instead of 25% of Tourism students want to learn culture at the frequency “rarely”. This indicates that Tourism students become more interested in English culture after we introduced culture teaching activities of Comparing and Contrasting approach. To sum up, most of Tourism students agree that the activities used in the course are very interesting and effective respectively. From the discussion, they share their excitement with the author. They conclude that the activities so very interesting that they can learn with ease. The activities also bring them many chances to practice their English because during the time of doing the tasks they can speak English. Other students think that the activities are not effective and interesting at all. They confide that they are not competent in English, so they find it difficult to join the activities. Culture lessons are boring and challenging for them. From the interviews and informal discussion, Tourism students like Cartoon categories most. This kind of activity bring about a lot of fun and a new breeze to the students. They confide in the formal discussion and interview that they feel relaxed after each stage of hard study without missing a chance to learn culture. Show and tell is found very motivating to the participants. They show a big surprise and satisfy as well because students can observe the target culture with their own eyes. Students admit that this is the first time they are oriented to culture at the beginning of the term. It makes them more interested and confident in learning English. Social behaviour and Shopping habits are the third- rank interesting to the students. Dating customs are a rich land for the teachers and students to exploit their knowledge and they can compare with their own culture. Cross- cultural role plays is always inviting to any students because it brings comfortable atmosphere into the classroom. The other activities also give an impression on the researchers. Students have a clear understanding because they have a great chance to compare the target culture with their own culture. These activities require students to analyze culture- bound situations. Holiday photographs ; Early, on time, or late ? and Today’s TV schedule enabled students to actively participate in the cultural heritage of the people they are studying. 3.4. Conclusion In this chapter, the setting of study has been described. One notable contextual feature of the study is that English learning is compulsory in a technical college, where students tend to conner the mainly in language rather than culture. The choice of research method as well as the rationale of employing such methods was also discussed. The chapter also presented a brief description of some culture- teaching activities of Comparing and Contrasting approach applied in the study, aiming at finding the effective ways of incorporating English cultural elements into English training. An analysis on the collected data found out the Tourism students’ attitudes towards culture learning as well as the difficulty in learning culture. Evaluations on the effectiveness of the culture- teaching activities of Comparing and Contrasting approach employed in the study have been discussed in this chapter, too. CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION In the previous chapter, various activities for incorporating English cultural elements into English training at HCC have also been introduced and applied. The findings of the study and the implications will be presented in this chapter. 4.1. Summary of the study In the process of international integration, ELT should be viewed in a wider social and cultural perspective. That is why the study aimed to incorporate English cultural elements into English training at HCC with the view to giving some practical knowledge and draw attention of the teachers of English. First of all, the study reviewed some theoretical background including the definitions of culture, the relationship between culture knowledge and foreign language learning, cultural topics in foreign language learning, goals for incorporating culture into the foreign language class, and Comparing and Contrasting as activities of raising students’ culture awareness. The significant of the study is the survey from which the author has discovered some major findings as follow. During the study, a number of activities such as Cartoon categories, Show and tell, Social behaviour, Holiday photographs, Early, on time, or late ?, Today’s TV schedule, Dating customs, Cross- cultural role plays, Shopping habits are applied into ELT and ELL, which brings about a good result in incorporating English culture elements into English training. The majority of Tourism students show a strong motivation with the activities used in the classroom, especially they can exploit their culture knowledge, analyze culture- bound situations, compare the target culture with their own culture. Culture- teaching activities of Comparing and Contrasting approach must be used in harmony. A single activity can not effectively work alone. It takes times and effort for stable effectiveness to take place. However, there are still some problems in teaching culture at HCC. They come from the teachers and students themselves and from the teaching and learning conditions. The first problem is the students’ fear of lack of adequate knowledge of the target culture. The fact for not having a good knowledge of culture discourages them from the involvement in this field during the course. The second one is students’ negative attitudes. When the cultural phenomena differ from what they expect, students often react negatively, characterizing English culture as “strange”. Therefore, teachers need to help students revise not only their “linguistic patterns,” but also their “cultural patterns”. The low linguistic proficiency of their students made them unsuccessful in applying the activities in teaching, too. The next problem HCC teachers are facing is heavy- loaded curriculum. The study of culture involves time that many teachers feel they cannot spare. They content themselves with the thought that Tourism students will be exposed to cultural material later, after they have mastered the basic grammar and vocabulary of the language. The last one is the lack of adequate training. HCC teachers may not have been adequately trained in the teaching of culture and, therefore, they do not have strategies and clear goals that help them to create a viable framework for organizing instructions around culture themes. 4.2. Limitations of the study Although this study is carefully designed, it is inevitable that it has certain limitations. Firstly, due to the limitation of time, the study is considered short for any remarkable attitudinal change. The participants involved in the survey are of small size, questionnaires were administered to a limited number of students, therefore the findings are not quite of popularity. Secondly, the access to richer and more updated materials is not really available. Morover, the researcher just has suggested some activities based on her little experience in a class beforehand. Finally, the lesson plan for incorporating English cultural elements into English training was not suggested from the textbook. 4.3. Recommendations for further study As written above, there are still some problems in the matter of incorporating English culture elements into English training at HCC. In order to be better in English teaching and learning with reference to the context of HCC, further studies are needed to gain better insights into the following aspects. Firstly, there should be a research, which works with how to balance the linguistic content and cultural content in English training curriculums. In addition, the researcher hopes to work with other colleagues to combine and compile some more supplementary materials that are useful for Tourism students when they deal with cultural interactions. Another aspect that the study should be applied on students of other faculties in HCC. And the last is that there should be more research into designing culture- based textbooks by teachers who major in culture items so that both Vietnamese teachers and students can have a better understanding of culture knowledge