Chapter 5 Conclusions, Limitations, and Suggestions
5.2 Limitation and Suggestion
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5.2 Limitation and Suggestion
This research aims to help English learners to have a basic idea on the current situation of culture-related contents in English learning magazines in Taiwan, and help foreign language course designers, English learning material writers, and English magazine editors those who decide what culture means to improve and reevaluate whether their text is informative, appropriate, and useful. For language teachers and readers, they can decide what English learning magazines to choose as good
supplementary teaching and learning aids.
The present study uses textual analysis to closely examine and analyze how and what the representation of culture-related themes is shown. The research method can help uncover the connotation and unsaid contents in the text; however, it may easily be misinterpreted. In other words, the use of textual analysis can be subjective in
explaining and interpreting the text. It is better to combine with other quantitative research methods such as questionnaires or content analysis. Moreover, this research focuses only on two English learning magazines in Taiwan. There are more than twenty English learning magazines sold in bookstores (Lin, 2000), and many of them may contain culture themes. Therefore, it will be more complete and objective if the researcher can analyze all the English learning magazines and compare the
representation of culture themes in different magazines targeting at learners on different English levels. Besides, the study pays attention mostly to the text and the phrases used to introduce and describe the culture-related contents. For future study, the researcher can focus on the use of pictures or illustrations that are related to culture-related themes.
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Appendix: 1
Checklist of analyzing English learning magazines
Part one: Formats
How is culture-related content presented? In which form is it presented?
□ Dialogues: Conversation made by more than one person.
□ Informative text/descriptive text: A paragraph or a short article that provides information and knowledge about cultural themes and details of everyday life.
□ Text presenting foreign attitude and opinion: Comments and opinions made by the writer or the speaker in the conversation.
□ Contextualized practice activities: Practice on English grammar or reading comprehension by using culture-related article or news.
□ Idioms: group of words which when used together have a different meaning from the words individually, and requires some cultural background knowledge.
□ Vocabulary: words or illustrative sentence that includes culture-related lexicon
□ Pictures: Real images of a country, movies, or food.
□ Illustration: Use comics or paintings to illustrate culture-related ideas or words.
□ Comparison/contrast: The text compares the differences of cultural themes such as food, ways to celebrate a holiday, and customs among distinct countries
□ Written exchange information: Text in forms of E-mail, letter, postcard, or short message belongs to this category.
□ Advertisement: Written advertisement such as flyers, invitation, and activity promotion.
□ Other: ______________
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Part two: Cultural themes
Which cultural theme is introduced in the text? Which country does it belong to?
Symbol:
□ Country/city names
□ Nation flags
□ National monuments/natural setting
□ Nation heroes (history and myth): Famous real-life or fictional people who live in the past.
□ Celebrity: Famous people in different fields who are currently alive.
Products:
□ Literature, folktales
□ Music/songs
□ TV shows
□ Movies
□ Art/crafts
□ Customs
□ Values
□ Food and drinks (食)
□ Clothing (衣)
□ house life (住)
□ transportation (行)
□ Leisure activities/sports
□ Traveling
□ measurement Behaviors/practice:
□ Celebration of holidays and festivals
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□ greeting
□ Table manners
Part three: Description and representation of cultural themes What is said? (言下之意)
What is its connotation? (言外之意)
Part four: Culture teaching goal evaluation To learn more about Chinese culture and customs
□ It includes native culture
□ It reinforces learner’s own identity toward native culture To learn more about foreign culture and customs
□ It includes foreign culture
□ It develops knowledge and awareness of foreign cultures.
□ It involves learners in problems of culture shock
□ It helps to gain the ability to analyze the target culture.
The arrangement of cultural themes
□ It includes both native culture and foreign culture
□ It presents cultural topics in thematic units
□ It teaches vocabulary in the context of culture (culture-related clusters)
□ Each text should is followed by explanations and footnotes on cultural themes
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Appendix 2
Examples of pictures
Source: June, 2010, ABC Interactive English Magazine
Source: November, 2009, Let’s Talk in English
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Appendix 3
Example of illustration
Source: November, 2009, Let’s Talk in English
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Classification of different culture-related contents
Checklist of analyzing English learning magazines ABC Interactive English Magazine, June, 2009 溫布頓 變型金剛:復仇之戰 白雪公主
Part one: Formats
How is culture-related content presented? In which form is it presented?
□ Dialogues-no
□ Informative text/descriptive text p. 26, 27 Wimbledon
□ Contextualized practice activities p. 46 Twitter Away—Cloze test p. 50
Earth Day takes place every April 22. It’s the largest environment celebration in the world. On this special day, over one hundred countries over the world take part in the fun. Many cities hold environmental fairs. Environmental events usually have different activities about protecting the earth. Planting trees, cleaning up a park, and starting a vegetable garden are all examples of Earth-friendly activities you can do
Earth Day takes place every April 22. It’s the largest environment celebration in the world. On this special day, over one hundred countries over the world take part in the fun. Many cities hold environmental fairs. Environmental events usually have different activities about protecting the earth. Planting trees, cleaning up a park, and starting a vegetable garden are all examples of Earth-friendly activities you can do