Language Culture and Curriculum
Editor and Book Reviews Editor: Eoghan Mac Aogain (St Patrick's College)
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Volume: 13 Number: 3 Page: 291–305
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Culture's Role in TEFL: An Attitude Survey in Japan
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Paul Stapleton
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The role of culture in TEFL has received considerable attention in the past twenty years. While few researchers doubt its importance, how, and to what extent culture should be part of the TEFL curriculum
remains unresolved. The present study investigates native English speaking teachers' views on the role of culture in TEFL. Twenty-eight university-level teachers in Japan responded to a questionnaire providing
comments about the extent and nature of the culture they teach. Respondents felt that while culture should be part of TEFL, they included it in their classes more randomly than other aspects of their teaching.
Teachers also had given serious thought and taken action to make changes in their teaching style based on the observation of their students' cultural style of learning. Responses to questions on ELT textbooks
revealed that participants had some dissatisfaction with the way they treated culture.
© Multilingual Matters 2000
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