Culture in Teaching:Experience over Training
Nicholas Bradley
Nagoya University of Foreign Studies

Today• Teachers’ views on culture• Teacher education regarding culture• Influences on teachers’ views

Study1. Culture & Essentialism Study• 121 survey responses from university English teachers at Japanese universities• 5 interview participants (class observations)
2. Teacher Background Study• 76 survey responses from university English teachers at Japanese universities

Before we start….
• What does the “cultural dimension” of language teaching mean to you?
• Is culture a vital component of language teaching?
• What informs your concept of culture? (Why do you understand culture theway you do?)The Cultural Dimension• Foreign-cultural, cross-cultural, multicultural, transcultural approaches(Risager, 1998).

• Culture / The cultural dimension is increasingly viewed as an important partof the profession (Damen, 1987; Kohler, 2015; Kumaravadivelu, 2008).

Teachers’ Views• 72.7% agree- culture is a “vital” part of language teaching.
• 66.9% agree- teaching culture is the responsibility of the language teacher.

• 91.7% agree- culture and language are strongly connected.
• 90.7% agree- culture and communication are strongly connected.

Teachers’ Views• Similarity in way teachers define culture.
• Strong difference in the level of essentialism in teachers views (Bradley,2018).

• Teacher training courses at universities overwhelmingly continue to use dated
understandings of culture (Hua et al., 2017).

So, teachers’ views of culture are aconsequence of the continued use of dated
concepts in teacher education courses?

Teachers typically held a master’s degree inTESOL / Applied Linguistics

80Highest Level of Education Achieved
80707060605050404030302020101000Bachelor

MasterPhD / EdD

Is your highest qualification connected tolanguage education?

YesNoHave you had any training regarding the culturaldimension of language teaching?
80706050403020100Yes

No

Most teachers hold master’s degrees or higher, but thecultural dimension was typically absent

Training / Education – The Cultural
Dimension
Incidental -----------------------------------------------------------------------------Focused
The odd workshop atconferences

Masters coursework

My main area of research

I have lived in another country
for 25 years

PhD coursework

Master’s thesis was focused on
thisCame up in some JALT forums

Took a culture course as part ofmy masters

Taught and developed courses
alongside a Prof. of Intercultural
Ed.

Part of a pragmatics workshop

Part of my BA studies

Have you had any training regarding the culturaldimension of language teaching?
80706050403020100Yes

No

Most teachers hold master’s degrees or higher, but thecultural dimension was typically absent

Culture in Teacher Education• Course literature of 24 master level TESOL / App Ling courses examined(Aus, Can, UK, US x5, Japan x4).

• Course literature examined for reference to culture or culture-related themes (crosscultural, intercultural studies, learner identity, etc).

• Only half made any reference in their compulsory courses.

• Typically this was a reference to “sociocultural” or “multiple cultures”.

If teachers believe in the importanceof culture, but do not have guidance/ training on the cultural dimension,
what informs their approach?

Concept Influences
Teacher Culture Concept Influence

Teaching Purpose

AInternational family – national traits highlighted. National
focus reinforced by / consequence of reading habits –‘Japanthink, Amerithink’

Be more empathetic, reduce
shock in encounters withforeigners

B

Highlights bachelor study of philosophy- Speech acts,
conservation maxims – topics seen as mere academic
curiosities until revisited in his MA TESOL.

Focus on pragmatics –communicative expectations

C

Initially held a strong nation based concept of culture. Thiswas challenged by living overseas in different countries.

Culture- pieces of knowledge tobe addressed when they come up

D

Distinct regional identities of different family members
caused questioning of traditional concepts. Disconnect
between culture guidebooks and experienced reality.

Culture as knowledge –information that will help
students overseas

E

Some recollection of Hofstede’s dimensions. Growing-up
in a multi-cultural district – bordered multicultural view.

Culture is content that allows forexposure to important vocab.

Filling the Gap• Interviews – teachers’ understandings of culture based on personal experiences, histories
and interests. No reference of teaching literature, theory etc.
‘Experience over Training’• Survey – Typical teacher:Entered university teaching in mid-30s.
Several years in unrelated profession(s).
Undergraduate degree in different discipline.

Different Bachelor’s Degree
Music

History

Journalism

Film and Media

Biology

Literature

Fine Art

Politics

Physics

Japanese Studies

EngineeringChemistry

Modern Foreign Languages International Relations

FrenchGermanAerospace EngineeringPsychology

Sociology

Computer Science

Ceramics

Pharmacology

Religious Studies

Theology

Social Policy and Admin

Creative Writing

Geology

Mathematics

Physical Education

Business Studies

RussianAnthropology

Job History
Research AssistantPublishing

Sales Staff

Call Center

Subtitler

Elementary School Teacher

Travel Agent

Translator / Interpreter

Hospitality

Pub Manager

Bank Teller

Waitress

Music Teacher

Flight Attendant

EngineerMusicianComputer Programmer

Shop Worker

Courier

Commercial Fisherman

Recruitment

Hotel Manager

Radio Announcer

Production ControllerIn the end..
• Culture concept in teacher training may be out dated (Hua et al., 2017)• But…..absent as much as it is present• Absences can result in huge potential for variation in concept.
-Especially as culture is a concept that forms/develops through life

• If culture is a concept of central importance then it shouldn’t be left to chance. Teacher
training should contain a more thorough examination of culture.
(Evolution of the concept, social essentialism, language use & concept development)

Thank you• nbradley@nufs.ac.jp
References• Bradley, N. (2018). Essentialism in the concept of culture: Gauging belief. Journal of InterculturalCommunication, 21, 55-76.

• Damen, L. (1987). Culture learning: The fifth dimension in the language classroom. Reading: AddisonWesley Publishing Company.

• Hua, Z., Handford, M., & Young, T. (2017). Framing interculturality: A corpus-based analysis of

online promotional discourse of higher education intercultural communication courses. Journal ofMultilingual and Multicultural Development, 38(3), 283–300.

• Kohler, M. (2015). Teachers as mediators in the foreign language classroom. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
• Kumaravadivelu, B. (2008). Cultural globalization and language education. New Haven: University ofYale Press.

Teachers articulate
their culture concept“I suppose there are two sort of distinct meanings ofculture…I suppose there’s one form which is simply
that…it just happens to be the habits of any particularsociety. So in that sense, every society- every time you havea group of people doing something together, you haveculture. ….then I think that sometimes when people talkabout culture, maybe in these situations, in language
teaching situations, I think their more about – you know –so you’re from the UK so you have British culture…”“I’d define it as ways of thinking, maybe? And actions. But
something deeper than….a lot of people think what people
like to eat or how they dress, which is true, but maybe alittle shallow. I would say primarily ways of thinking andwhat people value. Here it’s like a group culture, we’re moreindividualistic.”“Culture is like common beliefs and practices that the people in thecommunity share....it could be big, it could be very small.”“So for me it’s ideas about how groups of people live,ideas about how they act. The way they do things,including customs and things like that, I suppose. As wellas the other side of looking at culture is the arts,
really…..It’s not something I’ve ever really, massively
though out to be honest.”“I guess for me, culture is both the behaviors, attitudes andbeliefs – so some of them are visible elements- of a specificgroup…I think whatever group we’re referring to, that theculture has certain expected behaviors, or attitudes, orvalues that they hold dear, and that maybe can be comparedwith others in terms of whether they are similar, ordifferent.”