An-Najah Staff

The Importance of Integrating the Target Culture in English Language Teaching from the Teacher's Perspectives

Abstract

This study aims to examine the importance of integrating target culture in ELT classes in secondary schools in Jenin district from the teachers' perspectives.  To achieve this aim, the researcher distributed a 25-item questionnaire amongst English Language teachers from Jenin district to determine how important the target culture in English textbooks is.

The sample which was randomly selected consisted of 40 male and female teachers who teach English in secondary schools in Jenin district during the scholastic year 2010-2011.

The results of the study showed good degrees of evaluation for the four domains of the questionnaire with a percentage of 70.05%. However, the textbook domain and the activities domain get the lowest degree of evaluation with a percentage of 69.00%, and 62.07% respectively. While the importance of teaching culture domain and goals of teaching culture domain get the highest degrees of evaluation with percentages of 76.06%, 74.44% respectively.

In the light of the study findings, the researcher recommends that integrating culture in ELT is a vital component of language learning and teaching, since it has a great deal to offer to the development of communicative competence To achieve this successfully, the teacher doesn't have to cover everything in the target culture, but he has to teach the target culture purposefully depending on student's needs and levels, and of course, through enjoyable activities.

Key words: Integrating target culture, ELT, Teachers’ perspectives, Jenin area