An Interacultural Perspective On Teaching and Learning EFL at The University Level

Abstract

This paper examined EFL teachers‘ and students‘ perceptions and practices of culture teaching and learning in a Saudi university from an intercultural perspective. Employing descriptive research, this study sought to glean data through a questionnaire that tapped into the perceptions of and attitudes towards the target culture in the EFL classroom and the teaching of English literature, as entertained by language instructors (N = 25) and EFL college students (N = 33). Findings showed that teaching and learning EFL is greatly influenced by the perceptions of intercultural language learning. The results revealed that EFL instructors and students recognized the central role that literature can play in culture learning in EFL classes. The participant students in the study also believed that EFL instructors and language course developers need to integrate cultural content in the language curriculum, especially within the literature curriculum, and to emphasize the dynamic relationship between acculturation and ELT in EFL classrooms.