The Target Language Culture in the Algerian Secondary Education

Abstract

It is believed that foreign language learning is foreign culture learning. The incorporation of the teaching of culture into foreign language classrooms then is a necessity for the success of the learning/teaching process. Accordingly, the present study aims at investigating the situation of teaching the target language culture in the Algerian secondary schools. It mainly attempts to evaluate the methods and educational resources used to teach culture in the second year textbook “Getting through”. In addition, the research explores teachers’ views about the importance of teaching culture as well as their perspectives on the cultural content of the second year textbook. The investigation is based on a qualitative analysis of the textbook, and a questionnaire addressed to secondary school teachers. It is hypothesised in this study that the target culture is not given enough portance in the second year coursebook “Getting Through”. It is hypothesised also that the secondary school teachers would be convinced of the crucial role of culture in teaching the English language. The evaluation of “Getting Through” demonstrates that the target language culture is not covered adequately in the textbook. In other ords, the target cultural content is presented in a superficial way predominantly to serve linguistic competence. In accordance with these results, the teachers’ questionnaire revealed that teachers are aware of the portance of integrating the target culture in language teaching. The results also show the absence of materials in the textbook which are used to present the target language culture in the classroom. However, teachers make personal efforts to introduce the target culture to learners. On the basis of these results, some commendations are provided to syllabus designers and teachers to implement the target culture adequately in the foreign anguage lassroom