台灣英語教學之多元文化學習 台灣英語教學之多元文化學習 台灣英語教學之多元文化學習 台灣英語教學之多元文化學習
黃玟君
國立台灣科技大學/應用外語系
摘要
此研究探討台灣英語教學中的多元文化學習。研究者為台灣北部某大學 一門外語選修課之教師，一學期的課程主要目的為教授多元文化教育中的概念及 議題。本研究乃根據此堂課所蒐集的資料而來，目的在探討台灣學生的多元文化 學習是否如國外文獻所提，影響其知識建構的過程以及世界觀。本研究資料蒐集 期間為 96 學年度第二學期至 97 學年度第二學期（即 97 年 1 月至 98 年 6 月），
參與者為選修此課程的學生，蒐集資料包含學生的問卷調查及深入訪談，以及教 師的反思日誌。研究結果顯示，多元文化學習確可以幫助台灣學生在學習新的事 物時改變其知識建構的方式，以及形塑其世界觀。
關鍵詞：英語外語教學、多元文化教育、多元文化
The Learning of Multiculturalism in Taiwan’s EFL Classrooms
Wen-Jiun Huang
Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Foreign Languages, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology
Abstract
This study investigated the learning of multicultural concepts and issues in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms in Taiwan. The researcher was an instructor of a one-semester EFL course at university level in northern Taiwan. The study was based on the data collected from the course and examined whether
multicultural learning affected Taiwanese EFL learners in the following aspects—their knowledge construction process and concepts of the world—as have been
documented by the overseas literature in Multicultural Education. The data were collected from students taking the course from January, 2008 to June, 2009 and consisted of students’ questionnaires, interviews and the instructor’s reflective journals. The result showed that multicultural learning did help Taiwanese students develop their process of knowledge construction and shape their concepts of the world.
Keywords: EFL, Multicultural Education, multiculturalism
I. I.
I. I. RATIONALE
The importance of integrating concepts and issues of Multicultural Education (ME) into school curricula should not be overlooked. Overseas, researches have shown that multicultural learning is beneficial for learners, especially in helping develop their knowledge construction process and shape their concept of the world (Banks, 2007, 2008; Nieto, 2009; Sleeter, 1993, 1996; Sleeter & Grant, 1999).
Among all subject matter, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is the ideal vehicle for integrating multiculturalism and language teaching, since extensive knowledge of the English language is culturally embedded, and mastering the language will also require mastering the way knowledge is constructed in English-speaking countries. However, such integration has not taken place in
Taiwan’s EFL classrooms. Some may argue that compared with other countries such as the U.S., Taiwan is less diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, culture and language, theref``ore there may not be the need for the inclusion of multiculturalism. Others may also argue that ME is an educational approach developed and practiced in the U.S., therefore it is irrelevant to Taiwan’s educational settings. However, certain core issues addressed and discussed in ME, such as the emphasis on the process of
knowledge construction and the change of worldviews, could be learning materials of great value to Taiwan’s EFL students.
II. II.
II. II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Although ME developed out of the U.S.’s Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, it is not just an ethnic-specific movement or educational reform as it covers themes beyond race and ethnicity (Banks, 1998; Nieto, 1996; Sleeter & Grant, 1999). It emphasizes the interaction of the social realities of racism, sexism, and class inequality, and the complex influences of socio-historical forces among different ethnic groups in a society. Scholars have highlighted the critical role ME plays in educational processes. For example, Suzuki (1980) maintains that ME is an
educational program which “provides multiple learning environments that properly match the academic and social needs of students” (p. 21), and through such a program, students learn to appreciate and respect cultural diversity and understand the
complexity of social, historical, and cultural reality. In addition, multicultural educators consider knowledge as “shared, recycled, and socially constructed”
(Ladson-Billings, 1994, p.81), as it relates to the students’ unique values and cultural experiences. As a result, ME stresses the importance of the construction of knowledge
by encouraging students to examine the process by which their own knowledge is constructed as well as to understand how that knowledge is created. Multicultural curriculum’s emphasis on building up students’ critical thinking skills has also made ME fundamental subject matter for school curricula in the U.S. (Sleeter, 1993, 1996;
Sleeter & Grant, 1999).
The concept of knowledge construction in ME is very much similar to Freirean critical theory. Freire (1970) criticizes traditional education as an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor of the
information. Shor (1993) points out that in contrast to this “banking” concept of education, a Freirean class expects students to think critically about subject matter, the learning process itself, and the society they live in. In Freire’s idea of a liberated classroom, teachers constantly pose problems which derive from the students’ lives, social issues, and academic subjects, in a “mutually created dialogue” (p.25). It is through this process of problem-posing that students learn to question answers rather than merely to answer questions and thus a search for knowledge is truly fulfilled.
Another important aspect of ME is the promotion of harmony among individuals, communities, and nations. Traditionally ME has highlighted the cultural pluralism and social diversity which exists within a nation (Banks, 2007; Nieto, 2009); however, in addition to recognizing the differences of cultural characteristics among racial/ethnic groups, multicultural scholars also emphasize the importance of commonality among people and making connections between learners’ own community and the outside world. ME encourages teachers to recognize the “common culture” shared by all human beings and promote inter-group understanding (Hoffman, 1996; Giroux, 1992) due to the fact that human beings share common human behaviors and characteristics across cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and individual differences (Wardle, 1992; Frederick, 1995). When learners are encouraged to develop such a “unity-in-difference” (Giroux, 1992, p. 10) approach, they are able to see the world with greater understanding which cultivates feelings of empathy and sensitivity toward other people.
In the field of EFL, the “Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century” proposed in 1999 by the National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project in the U.S. specified five different goal areas—the “Five Cs”—for foreign language learning. The “Five Cs” are communication (i.e., the use of language for communication in real life situations), cultures (i.e., the importance of cultural understanding in language learning), connections (i.e., the connection between the foreign language and other subject areas), comparisons (i.e., the comparison and
contrast of languages and cultures), and communities (i.e., the extension of students’
learning experiences from the foreign language classroom into the community, nation, and global society in which they live). Each of the five goals is highly emphasized in ME, and the last one (i.e., communities) in particularl highlights the importance of shaping learners’ concept of the world and developing their “world citizenship.”
Based on the aforementioned points, it is safe to say that teaching language without connecting to multiculturalism is divorced from social realities. As Phillipson (1992) argues, “the belief that ELT [English Language Teaching] is non-political serves to disconnect culture from structure” (p. 67). Zoreda (2001) also suggests that incorporating multicultural content into EFL classrooms has led to the development of learners’ cultural competence. Therefore, it will be beneficial to integrate
multiculturalism into Taiwan’s EFL classrooms.
Overseas, various pedagogical means and forms have been employed in
EFL/ESL classrooms in recent years to enhance “culture teaching/learning,” including Internet (Al-Jarf, 2004; Beyer & Van Ells, 2002; Kim, 2002), multimedia (Stephens, 2001; Tatsuki, 2000; Witten, 2000), arts (Berho & Defferding, 2005; Graham, 2006;
Gregoire & Lupinetti, 2005), comic strips (Dahbany-Miraglia, 2005), story-telling (Ghosn, 2004), literature (Hoecherl-Alden, 2006; Zoreda, 2002), news/media
(Silberstein, 2003), etc. Based on these studies, the results are promising. However, as Rogoff (1995) and Thomson (1975) point out, the “culture study” in second language education should not be just learning about elements such as foods and holidays, rather, it should be more about the study of other countries’ political forms, social systems, ethnic relations, customs and habits, economic activities, histories and religions, and so on. In Taiwan, although the teaching of culture in EFL classrooms has become more and more common (Liaw, 2006; Tsou, 2005), the teaching of multiculturalism has rarely been implemented (Huang, 2008), and ME is seldom an element of curriculum design in schools. This study is therefore constructed to make up the gap between English teaching and multicultural instruction in Taiwan.
III.
III.
III.
III. METHODOLOGY
A. Research Design
This study attempted to explore the learning of multicultural concepts and issues in EFL classrooms. By doing so, the researcher hoped to investigate whether ME is as beneficial to learners as is suggested in the overseas studies, particularly in the areas
of (1) knowledge construction process and (2) world concept.
In order to explore this issue, I (the researcher) conducted a research project based on a one-semester, elective EFL course that I offered at a university. The course was conducted by presenting one or more multicultural themes using various
materials, including English songs, film clips, news reports, book articles, etc. During the 18-week semester, the students met once a week for one hundred minutes (two periods, fifty-minutes each, with a ten-minute break in-between). All written
information presented in this class was in English. Freire’s (1970) work, particularly the concept of “mutually created dialogue” in which the instructor and the students engaging in a problem-posing process, as mentioned earlier, guided the instructional design of this study. For example, throughout the class, the students were encouraged to reflect on their existing knowledge in relation to the new information they
encounter, go beyond the surface of the information and look at it from different perspectives, and constantly discuss and ask questions among peers and with the instructor.
The following shows the titles of the songs used in this course. The multicultural theme(s) related to each song are indicated in parentheses. When teaching the songs, the background of the singers and song writers were introduced first, followed by a detailed introduction of the background of the song, its multicultural significance, and the lyrics. In addition, since teaching and explaining the English lyrics was an
important part of the course, listening comprehension skills and vocabulary capacity building skills were also taught in the course.
1. Imagine (anti-war; humanity)
2. Luka (domestic violence; child abuse; societal problems) 3. Ebony and Ivory (racial harmony)
4. Return to Innocence (aboriginal culture; meeting of cultures) 5. Streets of Philadelphia (sexual preference, homophobia, humanity) 6. American Life (pop culture; societal problems; individuality)
7. Where is the Love (war, terrorism, gangster, materialism, chaos in the media, youngsters’ loss of hope and outlook on life, etc.)
Other multicultural materials used in the course are as follows:
1. Two news reports with two distinct titles reporting the same event—the U.S.-led war against Iraq. One of the titles is “the U.S. invaded Iraq,” while the other
is “the U.S. liberated Iraqi people.”
2. A series of cartoons drawn by Western cartoonists on “Jyllands-Posten”—a Denmark newspaper. Those cartoons were drawn to ridicule Muslims, Islamic suicide bombers, and the Prophet Mohammed. The cartoons have triggered much anger among the Islamic community worldwide.
3. Clips of a film titled “Guess Who (2005),” which is about a Caucasian young male meeting his African-American girlfriend’s family, and tension caused by differences in race.
4. Clips of a movie titled “Philadelphia (1993),” which is about an AIDS-infected lawyer fighting for his human rights against his former law firm supervisors. Issues such as homophobia, discrimination against homosexuality, and humanity are presented in the movie.
5. Several reports and articles from a book edited by Bigelow and Peterson (1998), titled “Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years.” Most of the reports and articles selected in the book are from the Native Americans’ points of view. The book mainly discusses the controversial issue of whether Christopher Columbus
“discovered” or “occupied” the Americas.
B. Participants
The students taking the course were the participants of this study. They were students either enrolled in a two-year or a four-year university program of majors other than English. In order to obtain sufficient information for this study, the data were collected for three consecutive semesters, from January, 2008 to June, 2009.
C. Data Collection and Analysis
In this study, three types of data were collected: (1) open-ended questionnaires:
the participants were asked to fill out an anonymous questionnaire at the end of the course (see Appendix for questionnaire questions). The purpose of administering the questionnaire was to know how the students think about the course and get a general understanding of the research questions posed in this study. In total 133 questionnaires were collected. (2) interviews: in order to get detailed information regarding the students’ development in and reflections of their multicultural learning and beliefs, a forty-minute interview was conducted with twelve students taking the course (the
students were randomly selected by the researcher), with four students from each semester. In total five male students and seven female students participated in the interview; ages ranged from nineteen to twenty-five. They came from various academic disciplines and had different interests, hobbies, and career aspirations. To ensure anonymity, the interviewees’ real names were replaced by numerical
representations. The interviews were scheduled from a few weeks to a few months after the course was over. The interview questions were constructed mainly based on the data collected from open-ended questionnaires, and students were encouraged to state freely their thoughts on the materials covered in classes. All interviews with the participants were audiotaped and transcribed. (3) reflective journals: After each class, based on the recording, I wrote notes in my reflective journal to review the curriculum design, my own teaching, etc. During the course of data collection, I also kept
reflective journals to record my pedagogical as well as methodological concerns and decisions.
In this study, two data analysis methods were utilized—inductive data analysis (Lincoln & Guba, 1985) and constant comparative data analysis (Patton, 1990; Glaser
& Strauss, 1967) to develop codes and categories which grew out of the data. These methods were chosen because they allowed the researcher to work back and forth across the data to expand the meaning of the categories.
IV. IV.
IV. IV. FINDINGS
A. Data from Questionnaires
1The first three questions pertained to the students’ views and attitude toward the course and the multicultural materials presented in it. When asked what they liked the most about the course, the three sets of words listed the most by the students were
“interesting/entertaining,” “informative,” and “novel/surprising.” Based on the data analyzed, the students thought the materials presented in class and the instructional method were appealing to them; the class also contained a great deal of knowledge that they have not learned or encountered before, and sometimes such information was surprising to them.
On the other hand, when asked what they dislike most about the course, the
1 The data collected in the entire study were all in the students’ and my native
language—Chinese/Mandarin. For the purpose of the study, I have translated the collected materials into English.
students listed “difficult English content,” “always in a rush in learning the content,”
and “subject irrelevant to life” as their top three complaints. They considered the English materials included in the course beyond their linguistic ability. For example, some students commented on the difficult vocabulary, while others thought the news and book articles were too long in length. In addition, the students complained that there was too much information and too many activities crammed in such a short period of instructional time. Some students also thought viewed some of the multicultural themes and issues covered in the course, such as prejudice in religion and terrorism, as irrelevant to their college life or life in general and didn’t see the point of learning them.
As to the question “What is your biggest gain in taking this course,” 39 of the 133 respondents reported that the course was thought-provoking and has encouraged them to see beyond the surface of an issue, while 31 students thought the course has opened their eyes to new things. These two answers happened to echo the two important aspects in multiculturalism that the researcher wishes to address. Still 31 students consider their biggest gain in taking this course was the improvement of their English ability, particularly in terms of vocabulary capacity building, listening, and pronunciation.
The last two questions were directly related to the research questions of this study—the process of the students’ knowledge construction and their concept of the world. Regarding the former issue, the largest changes that the students considered themselves going through after taking the course were the reduction of prejudice against others, followed by the change in attitude and point-of-view toward certain groups of people. For example, some students pointed out that the film “Philadelphia”
helped reduce their prejudice against homosexuals, while others thought that the discussion on the Islamic cartoons helped develop their empathy and sensitivity toward the Islamic religion and subsequently reduce their prejudice against Muslims.
Some other written responses to this questionnaire question also included:
“I feel I can look at things from a more reflective perspective now.” (SQ56)
“[I’ve changed] in terms of not jumping to conclusions too quickly when I’m faced with things that are new to me.” (SQ22)
“I’ve become a bit wiser, and I’ve learned to self-examine before judging others.” (SQ101)
Regarding the issue of “changing of worldviews,” the students considered their understanding of the world changed after taking the course. For example, some students reported that the song “Return to Innocence” helped them realize the world they lived in is very much interconnected; the stories, articles, songs about aborigines, racial/ethnic discrimination, slavery, and wars made them realize that human beings shared common concerns and problems; and songs such as “American Life” and
“Where is the Love” helped them see clearly that even the greatest country in the world has its own societal issues, which in turn made them appreciate their life in Taiwan much better. Some other written responses to this questionnaire question also included:
“This course has expanded my worldviews. It made me want to learn more about the world.” (SQ33)
“[The course] helped me realize that people are basically good in nature;
unfortunately differences in places, cultures, languages and religions have made us blind.” (SQ3)
“[The course] made me realize that my life is not only about schoolwork, friends and family anymore.” (SQ84)
In summary, the questionnaire data analyzed above confirmed the two positive aspects of multicultural education suggested in the previous studies. However, when comparing the quantity and quality of the students’ answers to the last two
questionnaire questions, it is obvious that the students responded more and related better to the former (i.e., the process of knowledge construction) than the later (i.e., the concept of the world) one . A more detailed account of the students’ perspectives on the research questions is shown in the next section.
B. Data from Interviews and Reflective Journals
The data from students’ interviews and the researcher’s reflective journals further confirmed the research questions in greater depth. In addition, it gave evidence to the fact that although ME traditionally is taught to sensitize students to the ethnic,
economic, political, cultural, and historical realities that have shaped the American society, its emphasis on the process of knowledge construction and the change and expansion of worldviews is also beneficial to Taiwanese EFL learners.
1. Aspect I: Critical thinking--Process of Knowledge Construction
When analyzing the interview answers, it was obvious that many students have, to various degrees, shaped the process of their knowledge construction when
encountering multicultural concepts and themes. Some students were not aware of the change themselves, although it could be detected from their speaking. Some students, on the other hand, were aware of such change and the subsequent construction of new knowledge. As mentioned earlier, multicultural scholars consider individuals create knowledge from the interaction between their existing knowledge and the new situations they encounter. In other words, the experiences and perspectives that
individuals have acquired earlier are brought into new interactions that the individuals engage in, and what was learned in the past inevitably influences the construction of new knowledge. For example, for many years in Taiwan, Christopher Columbus was considered a great, adventurous discoverer of the American continent, therefore it went against students’ intuition when they found out that he had enslaved and mistreated the Native Americans. In order to make sense of this part of American history, the students would have to re-construct their knowledge and even expel their negative impression on the Native Americans, as shown in the following interview excerpts:
I thought to myself: oh my god, Columbus didn’t discover the Americas, instead, he occupied the land that was originally inhabited by the Indians, and if I had been an Indian, I would have hated the Europeans… (omission) The images [of Indians]
portrayed in the movies are no longer true to me. (SI3, 07/04/2008)
Even after what Columbus had done to the Indians, they still helped the pilgrims.
I have to say that, clearly, Indians are truly kind-hearted and good at forgetting past grudges. (SI4, 07/11/2008)
For some students, learning about multicultural themes also meant learning how to distinguish meanings of certain English words. For example, since English is not the students’ first language, figuring out the real meaning of different verbs could sometimes be difficult for them. However, through carefully designed activities, students could not only construct their knowledge in new forms but also get the gist of English verbs in a meaningful way. The next excerpt represents one student’s thoughts
after being presented with two news reports with completely different titles describing the same event—the U.S.-led war against Iraq:
“The U.S. invaded Iraq” and “the U.S. liberated the Iraqi people” are in fact the same thing. I’d never thought that the phrases we always utter such as “the U.S.
‘attacked’ Iraq” could be so “political.” I guess I have to be very careful next time I choose an English verb. (SI12, 06/29/2009)
As stated earlier, learners usually create knowledge from the interaction between their existing knowledge and the new learning situation, and in the case where
learners have already formed certain opinion or prejudice on an issue, it would take quite a lot of effort for learners to change it. Based on the interview data collected from the twelve interviewees, ten reported a change of their previously-formed viewpoints after taking the course, especially a reduction of prejudice felt against others. Among them, seven even expressed their willingness to try reconstructing their viewpoints, as shown in the following excerpt:
The movie and the discussion of “Philadelphia” impressed me the most. Prior to watching the movie, I was not fond of homosexuals at all. [In Taiwan] people blame them for obscene house parties and multiple sexual partners, but heterosexuals are not any better. In the movie, homosexuals are not people of excessive sexual indulgence;
like everyone else, they also long for loyal, loving relationships. (omission) This has changed the way I look at homosexuals. (SI9, 06/22/2009)
Multicultural scholars have suggested that to become multicultural beings, it may take a great amount of time for learners to change their existing perspectives (Banks, 2008; Sleeter & Grant, 1999). In the following excerpt, one student provided his observation on both the American and Taiwanese societies and demonstrated a change of his perspectives:
[Black Eyed Pea’s] “Where is the Love” helped me see clearly some of the problems in American society. In the past I had thought very little about our own society, because all the politicians here are jerks, people only see money, and there are
killings, robberies and murders all the time. It surprised me that the most advanced country in the world is no better than ours. For a long long time I have made a mistake overrating the Americans while looking down on my own people. (SI4, 07/11/2008)
Finally, the data from my reflective journals showed quite a few incidents where students change their ideas and thoughts through interacting and discussing with their peers in class. Further, the interview data also documented students’ frequent use of such sentence patterns as “I used to think…, but after (learning about…)” or
“Learning about… has made me rethink my previous (viewpoints)…” These indicated that multicultural concepts and themes presented in class were able to help shape their knowledge construction process.
2. Aspect II: Making Connections--Concepts of the World
Another important aspect of ME is its promotion of connection
making—between the learner and the world. As indicated in the ME literature, when introducing multiculturalism to the students, teachers should stress the fact that racism, sexism, prejudice/discrimination, terrorism, etc. are common human struggles, and as a citizen of the world in the 21st century, students need to familiarize themselves with these issues and shape their concepts of the world accordingly. This study has found that through teaching of multiculturalism, the students were able to make connections with the outside world and eventually shape their concepts of the world.
According to the interview data and the researcher’s reflective journals, it was clear that most of the students did not know what multiculturalism was nor were they taught about such concepts prior to this course. When the multicultural topics were first introduced to the students, they were mostly brand-new to them. For example, in Taiwan, people have not had to experience the cruelty of wars for a long period of time, therefore when the theme “anti-war/anti-terrorism” was introduced to the students, they were unable to relate to such a topic. However, after learning the song
“Imagine” and John Lennon as an anti-war and social change activist, and his devotion for world peace, some students were able to relate with people suffering from wars and even make connection with the newest wave of anti-war songs
resulting from the 911 terrorist attack and the war against terrorism, as evidenced by a student’s interview excerpt:
[Imagine] is such a meaningful song. Every time I sing the song, it makes me cry.
And the other day I ran across a CD album with entire songs dedicated to the victims of the [911] attack. The songs written nowadays may be different from the time John Lennon wrote his Imagine, but people’s foolishness and violent nature are still the same. History repeats itself… (omission) I really hope Taiwanese people learn from this and not take our peaceful lifestyle for granted. (SI9, 06/22/2009)
Similar situations occurred when the song “Return to Innocence” was introduced to the class. It represents the meeting of the two completely different cultures and musical genres: one is the New Age, cutting-edge western-style of music and the other is the traditional, Taiwanese aboriginal tribal chants. From my observation, most students were happily surprised to find that elements of Taiwanese aboriginal chants were included in the song. When discussing the struggle the aborigines in Taiwan faced, students were excited and eager to share their knowledge about aborigines in other countries such as New Zealand and the U.S. Some students even tied the issue to
“foreign brides” in Taiwan. The following is an excerpt from my reflective journal dated April 14th, 2009:
…[Student A] talked about the Maori people in “Whale Rider” and [student B]
mentioned the Native Americans in “Dances with Wolves,” and how they were similar and different from Taiwanese aborigines in various aspects. (omission) [Student C] commented that prejudice with minority groups was everywhere no matter where people were. As a daughter of a Indonesian mother, she pointed out that in Taiwan, people not only have stereotypes and prejudice against the aborigines but also the “foreign brides”: “I usually don’t like to tell people that I have an Indonesian mother, because they look at me differently after they find out; they usually say to me with contempt, ‘Oh, so your mom is a foreign bride.’” [Student B] then responded:
“Maybe you should tell people more about your origin—that way people will know even though you have a different origin, you are still like one of us.”
In addition to making connection between the students themselves and people from other countries, multicultural education also encourages students to compare and contrast various aspects of the society they live in with those of other countries.
Through such comparison, the students learned that although countries could be far
apart, there are more similarities in cultures, believes, value systems, and moralities than there are differences, as suggested in the literature (Wardle, 1992; Frederick, 1995). For example, when the song “American Life” was discussed in class, the students were surprised to find more similarities than differences in societal/cultural trends (e.g., obsession to weight loss and fame; eating healthful food and working out just to be trendy) and values systems (blindly pursuing the lifestyle of the rich and famous) between Taiwan and the U.S. Another unexpected benefit of such learning for the students also included learning new English vocabulary that they normally
wouldn’t find in the dictionary, as shown in the following excerpts:
[Madonna’s] “American Life” showed me even though we are a half way around the globe from the U.S., Western cultures and Eastern societies are not that different anymore, compared with the old days. I think technology and the Internet have a lot to do with it. That’s why [Thomas] Friedman claims “the world is flat.” (SI11,
06/29/2009)
[I like “American Life”] also because from the lyrics I now know what “Soy Latte,” “Yogalates,” and “super-duper” mean. I think these are the English words that are worth learning. (SI5, 02/23/2009)
Finally, through learning of multiculturalism and topics such as culture, politics, history, religion, etc. in a more global sense, the students were capable of developing sympathy and sensitivity toward people that are different from them. In addition, the realization of their the lack of world knowledge has encouraged some students to study more, hoping that inter-group understanding could eventually be achieved, as shown in the next excerpt:
I feel sorry for the Muslims in Taiwan. In my opinion, in Taiwan people have some sorts of prejudice against Islam, although most people don’t even know what Islam is. This is also true in other non-Islamic countries, I believe. When I saw the cartoons that smeared the Muslims, I felt the need to learn more about the religion.
[Researcher: Why?] So I could explain it to other people next time, maybe. [I’ve learned] from this class that prejudice without knowledge is dangerous, and it may lead to many bad things… Another thing that I’ve learned is, I really have to try my
best to learn about the world. [Researcher: Why?] Because it frustrated me that although I understood every single word in those cartoons, I couldn’t comprehend the meaning of it—lack of historical knowledge, I think. (SI7, 03/02/2009)
In summary, the above indicated that multicultural learning did help the students make connections between themselves and the others, and through such a process, they shaped their concepts of the world. However, it is important to point out that similar to the questionnaire data, the finding of Aspect II is not as evident and common across the interviewees as Aspect I.
V. V.
V. V. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
This study intended to find out whether multicultural teaching and learning that are prevalent overseas could be useful curriculum in Taiwan’s EFL classrooms. The finding suggested that multicultural instruction indeed helped Taiwanese students in terms of developing their ways of knowledge construction and shaping their concepts of the world, although the latter was not as apparent as the former. One possible explanation could be that when the students encounter new learning information outside of the classroom, it is easier for them to change their ways of thinking than to reshape their understanding of the world, because the latter generally requires a longer period of time for information and knowledge to process.
It is important to point out that among the multicultural concepts and themes that were presented in class, some (e.g., sexual preference and societal issues) were much easier than others (e.g., humanity and cultural diversity/pluralism) for the students to comprehend and respond. It seemed that when the topics were more close to students’
life experiences or prevalent in the media, they were more capable of relating to them.
On the other hand, if the topics were new or unfamiliar to the students, it was harder for the process of knowledge construction and the shaping of the worldviews to take place. In order to help learners understand the importance and relevancy of
multicultural concepts and themes, instructors may have to stress the importance of the multicultural concepts and establish the connection between the students’
perception and the instructional materials beforehand. It would also be helpful for teachers to choose their instructional topics carefully and take their students’ current
“multicultural proficiency” into consideration when designing the program.
In terms of instructional design, when the materials were presented, it was
obvious that most students preferred multimedia means (e.g., songs in mp3 and movie video formats, film clips, etc.) much better than printed ones (e.g., news reports, book articles, etc.). One explanation could be that the former was more entertaining than the latter, and the students were more used to visual/audio stimulation while growing up. Another explanation could be that in order to understand the printed materials the students would have to acquire a higher English reading ability. In this study, since the students were non-English majors with low to intermediate level of English, their limited linguistic proficiency may hinder their understanding of the materials, thus reduced their interests in learning. In order for meaningful learning to occur, therefore, it would be helpful for multicultural EFL teachers to be mindful of their students’
learning styles as well as linguistic proficiency.
Finally, this study has shown two important beneficial aspects of integrating multiculturalism into Taiwan’s EFL classrooms. Since the course under study was designed to be an EFL one, the students were expected to improve their linguistic skills while learning to become multicultural beings. The result showed that the students’ linguistic skills were still practiced and developed during the multicultural instruction rather than being ignored. As mentioned earlier, some students even considered the improvement of their English ability as their biggest gain in taking the course. Therefore the benefit of learning English and learning multiculturalism at the same time deserves further attention in Taiwan’s EFL field.
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Appendix
Questionnaire Questions
1. What do you like the most about this course?
2. What do you dislike the most about this course?
3. What is your biggest gain in taking this course? Why?
4. After taking this course, what aspects of yourself do you think have changed?
Why?
5. After taking this course, do you think your understanding of the world has changed? If yes, in what way?
