VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES - - NGUYỄN NGỌC ANH M.A MINOR THESIS A study on the effects of some cultural dimensions on the learning of English at Thanh Hoa Medical College (Nghiên cứu ảnh hưởng số phạm trù văn hoá đến việc học tiếng Anh trường Cao đẳng y tế Thanh Hoá) Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10 Hanoi, 2011 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES - - NGUYỄN NGỌC ANH M.A MINOR THESIS A study on the effects of some cultural dimensions on the learning of English at Thanh Hoa Medical College (Nghiên cứu ảnh hưởng số phạm trù văn hoá đến việc học tiếng Anh trường Cao đẳng y tế Thanh Hoá) Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10 Supervisor: Do Mai Thanh, M.A Hanoi, 2011 iv ABBREVIATIONS Anglicist American and English ELT English language teaching VNU Vietnam National University v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv TABLE OF CONTENTS v PART A – INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims of the research Research questions Significance of the research Scope of the research Methods of the research Design of the research PART B – DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Theoretical background 1.1.1 An overview of Culture – Language – Communication 1.1.1.1 What is culture? 1.1.1.2 Language and culture 1.1.1.3 Language and communication 1.1.1.4 Cross cultural communication 1.1.2 Cross-cultural studies on the Anglicist–Vietnamese communication styles 1.1.2.1 Subjectivity – Objectivity 1.1.2.2 Directness – Indirectness 13 1.1.2.3 Accuracy – Inaccuracy 15 1.1.2.3.1 The use of tenses 15 1.1.2.3.2 The use of genitive indicators 17 1.2 17 Review of previous studies vi CHAPTER II: DISCUSSION OF THE SURVEY AND DATA ANALYSIS 20 2.1 Students’ survey 20 2.1.1 Discussion of the survey questionnaire and the informants 20 2.1.2 Findings 21 2.1.3 Comments on the results of the survey questionnaire 27 2.2 The teachers’ survey questionnaire 27 2.2.1 Discussion of the survey questionnaire and the informants 27 2.2.2 Data analysis of teacher survey 27 2.2.3 Comments on the results of the teachers’ survey questionnaire 31 CHAPTER III: SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR VIETNAMESE ELT TEACHERS 32 3.1 Teaching the target culture to students 32 3.2 Teachers’ role in teaching the target language culture to students 33 3.3 How to incorporate cultural knowledge in classroom 34 3.3.1 Penpals 34 3.3.2 Comparison 34 3.3.3 Role play 35 PART C: CONCLUSION 36 Summary 36 Suggestions for further research 36 REFERENCES 37 APPENDIX I PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale To any nation all over the world, culture and language are inseparable parts Language is a product of culture and reflects culture Therefore, during the process of acquiring another language, learners not only need to master the language but also understand its culture especially its values, norms and perception shared by native speakers That English is so important brings the necessity of learning and teaching foreign language in Vietnam There has been a great demand of studying it as the most universal trend Most of the learners have a desire to reach a goal of communicative competence after each English course It is assumed that the comprehension and knowledge on the phonological, grammatical and lexical aspects are not only the bridge to the English language teaching and learning In fact, it is the differences in linguistics and communicative behaviors that cause the obstacles on its teaching and learning task People should bear in mind that things such as the place of silence, appropriate topics of conversation, forms of address, and expression of speech acts are different across cultures and the ability to use language appropriately plays a very important role in the communicative process Therefore, English language teachers should be aware of these distinctive features to help learners overcome the psychological and cultural barriers in the teaching and learning process It can be said that Vietnamese culture still has certain influences on English acquisition The interference of the native culture, to some extents, may limit students’ ability to acquire the second language comprehensively Moreover, the researcher’s observation also points out that students get many difficulties in recognizing errors caused by the interference of their own Vietnamese cultural thought patterns The most common mistakes made by Vietnamese are in greeting routines, politeness, and indirectness – directness For example, many English speakers complain that Vietnamese are very nosy and inquisitive when they ask questions such as “Where are you going? Have you had lunch? What are you doing?” To many Vietnamese, however, these are common questions and people regard them as part of the greeting formula In addition, English speakers often remarks that Vietnamese not greet and address them properly They often get annoyed or even feel frustrated with such questions The foreigners are not aware that it is cultural differences that cause them unpleasant feelings At the same time, Vietnamese people not know that they have violated the others’ privacy and caused “culture shock” to the foreigners As a result, the two sides may fail to communicate effectively due to the cultural differences out of their expectation Much of the reason lies in the fact that they not pay attention to cultural differences in communication Additionally, it is a tradition that in Vietnam English teaching process focuses on only linguistic competence and cultural knowledge is not centrered on This has inspired me to research on cross-cultural communication with the focus on the three cultural dimensions based on Dr Nguyen Quang’s framework, namely: Subjectivity – Objectivity, Directness – Indirectness, Accuracy – Inaccuracy These cultural dimensions exist in every language but differ from culture to culture Hence this study was carried out in the expectation of studying some cultural practices in Vietnamese communication styles which affect the English learning process at Thanh Hoa Medical College Aims of the research It can be affirmed that the study was carried out with main aims Firstly, this investigation aims to find out some cultural practices in Vietnamese communication styles which affect the English learning process Secondly, it is hoped that some pedagogical implications for the English teachers will be drawn out Research questions In fulfilling two main aims, the study needs to set up clear objectives Two following research questions are expected to make the objectives clear Research question 1: How some cultural dimensions, namely Subjectivity – Objectivity, Directness – Indirectness, Accuracy – Inaccuracy affect the Vietnamese learners of English? Research question 2: What are the solutions for the Vietnamese teachers of English at Thanh Hoa Medical College? Significance of the research: The investigation provides an insightful awareness of the influences of some Vietnamese communicative practices on their learners of English As for students, identifying what influential dimensions is a good way to better their English usage It should be noted that not all cultural dimensions can be considered to cause the interference on the use of English However, by the suggested implications, the research is expected to reveal some practical ways for students to practice their English and improve it As for teachers, this is a good chance for them to reconsider the role of cultural dimensions in learning English Through the research, they can make use of some implications in order to improve students’ competence in English The study is also expected to generate a serious issue on cross-cultural studies Subsequent researches can develop the idea raised in the research Scope of the research: The study focuses on investigating the influences of some cultural dimensions on the language learning There will be three potential cultural dimensions on investigation namely subjectivity – objectivity, directness – indirectness, accuracy – inaccuracy presented in the theoretical background, and this predication will be looked into in the process of data analysis Methods of the research The study was designed to use a combination of various methods to achieve its aims and objectives (qualitative and quantitative) To begin with, an extensive review of literature was conducted, critically examining some cultural dimensions affecting the English learning Secondly, a useful and plausible tool is conducting a survey questionnaire on second-year students and teachers of English at Thanh Hoa Medical College to investigate how cultural dimensions affect the English learning at Thanh Hoa Medical College and the solutions Design of the research: The research consists of three parts, part A – Introduction as the first part, part B – Development including three chapters, chapter I is the Literature Review in which the review of works on the similar topics and the theoretical background will be revealed To be more specific, terms and relationship between culture, language and communication as well as the overview of some Vietnamese cultural dimensions are going to be presented Chapter II is known as Discussion of the survey and Data analysis Chapter III named Some implications for Vietnamese ELT teachers Part C – Conclusion, which is the last one, concludes the major findings of the investigation, the limitations and suggestions for further research PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Theoretical background: This part presents the background knowledge of related issues with a critical review The understanding of Culture – Language - Communication in general as well as the relationship between culture and language, language and communication, communication and culture, the influence of native culture on English learning will be taken into consideration as key concepts After that, potential influences of cultural dimensions will be investigated 1.1.1 An overview of Culture – Language – Communication 1.1.1.1 What is culture? The term “culture” has been defined by many scholars It comes from the Latin word “colere” that means to build on, to cultivate, and to foster Culture appeared at the same time mankind appeared and began to work However, culture is a general and abstract concept In each domain, culture is dealt with from different points of view Rosaldo (1984) clarified that culture is far more than a mere catalogue of rituals and beliefs R.A.Hudson considered culture as “the kind of knowledge which we learn from other people either by direct instruction or by watching their behaviour.” This knowledge involves: - cultural knowledge – which learned from other people - shared non-cultural knowledge – which is shared by people within the same community or the world over, but is not learned from each other - non-shared non-cultural knowledge which is unique to the individual According to Richard Camphell, culture in his book “Media and culture” was defined as “a broad category that identifies the ways in which people live and represent themselves at a particular historical times” Ronald Wardhaugh shared the similar idea with him when saying that “culture is the “know-how” that a person must possess to get through the task of daily living, only for a few does it require a knowledge of some, or much, music, literature and the arts” (1985: 217) In short, the term culture has been defined in different ways by many scholars Culture is sometimes identified with notions of personal space, appropriate gestures, time and so forth Culture is something to learn, it affects the way we act and respond, including the visible aspects and dos and taboos of working in other countries 1.1.1.2 Language and culture: “Just as birds have wings, man has language The wings give the bird its peculiar aptitude for aerial locomotion Language enables man’s intelligence and passions to acquire their peculiar characters of intellect and sentiment.” (G.H.Lewes – The study of psychology) Language is “a system of sounds, words, patterns, etc used by humans to communicate thoughts and feelings” (Oxford advanced learner’s encyclopedic dictionary: 506) Halliday (1970: 143) pointed out three basic functions of language as following: - Ideational function: expressing the speaker’s experience of the real world including the inner world of his own consciousness - Interpersonal function: establishing and maintaining social relations - Textual function: making links with language itself and with features of the situation in which it is used From the above functions, we can see that language and culture have a close and inseparable relationship We cannot comprehend the one without understanding the other Without the language of a culture, we surely have no means to communicate in that culture, and vice verse, with the absence of cultural knowledge in a language; we are unable to use the language appropriately In general, language, certainly, is determined by culture Early anthropologists have the belief that language and its structure were totally dependent on the cultural context in which they existed However, thanks to language, culture is preserved and enriched All the beliefs, values, attitudes, and perceptions can be transmitted via language They are interwoven in such a way that culture influences the expressing language and language is full of cultural dimensions Many applied linguists also concluded the interrelationship between language and culture Edward Sapir (1921: 1961) stated that “language does not exist apart from culture, which is from the socially inherited assemblage of practices and beliefs that determines the texture of our lives.” and “language actually shapes the way in which we perceive, think and therefore act.” Language is really a mirror to reflect the ways of looking at the world Therefore, in teaching and learning a language, language knowledge cannot be separated 30 grammar, vocabulary and four skills of communication: reading, listening, writing, and speaking Question 3: Which techniques you use to insert cultural factors in language lessons? English Comparison Visual newspapers 69 % 55 % English aids films 55 % 12 % Role play Cultural Others assimilator 45 % 15 % 0% The table shows the dominance of English newspapers technique in comparison to the other ones (69 %), perhaps because English newspapers are available nowadays and very convenient to hand out Additionally, English newspapers are full of advertisements which contain cultural factors The percentages of using comparison and visual aids are in balance, which is 55 % Role play technique is also used with the high rate (45%) It should be noticed that only 12% teachers employing English films or tapes to provide cultural insights The reason is that facilities for showing films are not available Especially, the proportion of teachers using cultural assimilator technique is quite small (15 %) It seems that this technique is quite new for many teachers Question 4: Do you find it difficult to insert cultural knowledge into English language lessons? Yes No 98 % 2% Only 2% said “No” because they think students are interested in that 98 % teachers interviewed find it difficult to provide students with cultural knowledge in English lessons When asked why, they give their reasons as follows: - Textbooks are poor in cultural factors - Materials which provide cross – cultural differences are not available - Time in each lesson is limited - Explanation is not easy in some cases - They find it difficult to organize English lessons reasonably - Their own knowledge about culture is limited - Preparing for inserting cultural knowledge takes time and needs careful organization 31 Because of the above difficulties, though all teachers know that cultural knowledge is essential for students to use English effectively, they are not likely to teach cultural factors in their lessons It cannot be denied that nowadays textbooks which contain cultural factors and cross-cultural differences are not always available Textbooks which contain cultural factors and cross-cultural differences are not available Textbooks not provide enough cultural differences for teachers to exploit Additionally, teachers are not required to fulfill the cultural blank, therefore, they ignore cultural factors while teaching Besides, the problem lies in the teachers themselves: their limited cultural knowledge and experience Some teachers not practice English directly with English native speakers, as a result they themselves not know much about the fact that the lack of cultural understanding will cause mistakes and restrict effective communication They have little or no chance of going abroad to English – speaking countries Thus, their cross cultural experience and understanding are restricted 2.2.3 Comments on the results of the teachers’ survey questionnaire All the teachers are aware of the importance of cultural background to the English use of Vietnamese students However, many of them say that they not prepare carefully their lessons which include cultural knowledge Culture, in fact, is not taken into consideration in their real teaching Some teachers add that they only pay attention to explain cultural factors when they are really essential to understand the content of contexts Others attribute their lack of cultural knowledge in English lessons to the cultural poverty of textbooks, unavailable reference, difficulty in organizing such lessons, their own limited experience However, none of these teachers thinks that it wastes time to talk about cultural while they teach linguistic knowledge 32 CHAPTER III: SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR VIETNAMESE ELT TEACHERS 3.1 Teaching the target culture to students “We cannot say about the success in English language learning without full knowledge of cross-cultural differences and without a certain extent in acculturation.” (Nguyen Quang, 1997:5) As it has been stressed by a number of writers, learning target language cultures is of great importance However, in English classes in Vietnam, linguistic learning seems to be separated from culture learning Until recently the emphasis of teaching and learning English has been the grammatical, lexical and phonological components of the foreign language Many Vietnamese teachers of English consider the grammatical correctness of utterances to be the most important purpose of language teaching In their lessons, grammatical competence is the top priority Thus they concentrate on “linguistic competence in the achievement of successful communication rather than the knowledge of social norms and values, roles and relations between individuals.” (Ha Cam Tam, 1998:2) As a result, learners may achieve grammatical and vocabulary proficiency but not pragmatic competence They not acknowledge that besides grammatical correctness, what they say must be contextually appropriate in order to reach communicative purposes In Nguyen Van Do’s point of view (1996: 67, 67), the relationship between learners and teachers provides an insight into cultural attitudes and assumption about knowledge and learning In Vietnam, teachers are expected to transmit knowledge to students for digesting passively In English lessons, teacher talk is dominated, students listen to their teachers, trying to remember what they are being told Such lessons restrict communicative skills, therefore, they not help develop students’ communicative competence Not until students directly have contact with English native speakers cultural problem arise There have been various language methods and approaches to language teaching such as Grammar – Translation, Direct, Audio lingual, Functional – Notional Still, these methods were unsatisfactory because “there was a tendency to separate the learning of a language as grammatical system from the provision of information about one or more countries where it is spoken Learning the grammar of American language remained the important focus and the rest was “background”” (Byram M and Flemming M, 1998: 2) Due to a greater emphasis on language learning for communication, more importantly, for social 33 interaction, the concern with the cultural dimension has emerged and a fresh perspective is really necessary 3.2 Teachers’ role in teaching the target language culture to students When learning English in Vietnam, students not have a native language environment to learn English language and culture At the same time students not have enough access to authentic language as well as “real culture” In this situation, the role of language teachers is very remarkable because they are themselves the first source through which the students learn the second culture Thus, the teachers should pay attention to both correctness and appropriateness, help students understand the relationship between thought, culture and language More importantly, they should encourage students develop the appropriate cultural and thought patterns of the target language as Roberto Politzer pointed out the teachers’ role in a Georgetown University report of the Fifth Annual Round Table meeting on Linguistics and language teaching as follows: “As language teachers, we must be interested in the study of culture (in the social scientists’ sense of the word) not because we necessarily want to teach the culture of the other country but because we have to teach it If we teach language without teaching at the same time the culture in which it operates, we are teaching meaningless symbols or symbols to which the student attaches the wrong meaning; for unless he is warned, he receives cultural instruction, he will associate American concepts or objects with the foreign symbols.” (1959:100-1) Teaching goals of cultural knowledge can be divided into categories: - Developing a greater awareness and a broader knowledge about the target culture - Understanding differences between the target culture and the student culture - Understand the values of the target culture (Valette, 1986: 181) To achieve these goals, teachers themselves are required to have both linguistic competence and cultural knowledge They must, therefore, take seriously the responsibility to educate themselves in this important aspect “Future teachers of foreign language should be provided not only with careful training but with guidelines on how to continue their studies in order to keep abreast of the rapid changes in cultural patterns which are taking place in many areas in this century They should study, travel, discuss The more 34 informed and discerning the teacher, the more likelihood there is that his students may achieve some measure of international understanding.” (Rivers, 1968: 271,272) 3.3 How to incorporate cultural knowledge in classroom The problem is: How best can teachers insert cultural dimensions into English lessons? The first step in the teaching of a culture is increasing the students’ awareness of the nature of that culture They should inform students the basic differences between the two cultures to reduce students’ negative reaction More importantly, it is students who should develop in their study of a second culture the concept that people in various cultures respond to life needs in variety of different ways “The study of culture of a language should bring it home to the students the realization that there are many ways of doing and expressing things, and that differences not necessarily represent moral issues of right or wrong” (Rivers, 1968: 269) To raise students’ interest in cultural understanding, it is necessary for teachers to motivate students in the classroom in many ways Teachers should conduct some activities in classroom to provide students opportunities to have a look at the second culture Here are some suggested techniques for teachers of English: 3.3.1 Penpals Foreign penpals can increase students’ interest in language learning Individual students may have their own penpals or the entire class may decide to exchange letters with a class in the target country 3.3.2 Comparison Knowledge of another culture should be absorbed in the relation with students’ own culture While teaching cultural factors, teachers should link the understanding of other and native cultures through the notion of comparison: Michael Byram and Michael Flemming assert: ”It is the comparison of own and other cultures which begins to help learners to perceive and cope with differences It provides them with the basics for successful interaction with members of another cultural group, not just the means of exchanging information” (1993:4) In this way, students arrive at a deeper understanding of both another culture and their own and they are better prepared to communicate with native speakers and handle the everyday situations they are likely to encounter in their country 35 3.3.3 Role play The teacher can create situations in the classroom which provide students opportunities to play roles This technique is cultivated most easily in the early stages in the dialogue type of lesson “The dialogue should be constructed around an experience compatible with the age and interests of the students, which will clearly demonstrate behaviour culturally appropriate for speakers of the languages As students memorize the dialogue and act it out, they learn through role playing, as they did in their own culture in childhood games and experienced relationships.” (Rivers, 1968: 274) 36 PART C: CONCLUSION Conclusion This research has dealt with the problem of the cultural and language interference of their mother tongue on the use of the target language by the Vietnamese students and some implications for Vietnamese ELT teachers Chapter I reviews the relationship between culture, language and communication as well as the overview of some Vietnamese cultural dimensions which have influences on the English learning of Vietnamese students: Subjectivity – Objectivity, Directness – Indirectness, Accuracy - Inaccuracy To investigate the real situation at Thanh Hoa Medical College, the author designed the two survey questionnaires for teachers and students In chapter II, by analyzing the results of the survey questionnaires carried out among 300 students of nursing department, most of them are at beginning or preintermediate level of English proficiency, I identify that three cultural dimensions really affect Vietnamese students at low level in the way they use English because of the interference of their mother tongue Therefore students should be provided with cultural knowledge about these dimensions in their English lessons The results of teacher survey also reveals that although teachers know the importance of cultural knowledge in English proficiency, few of them insert cultural dimensions in their lessons Chapter III suggests some implications for Vietnamese ELT teachers Suggestions for further research: This study has focused on three cultural dimensions and the influences of these on the Vietnamese learners of English Further study of some other cross-cultural dimensions may be carried out such as Redundancy – Economicality, Self-abasement – Self-assertion, Equality – Hierarchy Although I have tried my best on this thesis, there may be unavoidable mistakes and limitations I would be very grateful to receive any comments and criticism 37 REFERENCES I References in English Brooks, N, (1994), Culture in the classroom, In J.M.Valdes (Ed.), Culture Bound, Bridging the cultural gap in language teaching, (pp.123-129), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Brown, H.D, (1986), Learning a second culture, In J.M.Valdes (Ed.), Culture Bound, Bridging the cultural gap in language teaching, (pp.33-48), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Brown, H.D, (2000), Principles of language learning and teaching, (4th ed.), New York: Addison Wesley Longman Do Thi Mai Thanh, (1999), Some English and Vietnamese cross – cultural differences in requesting, M.A thesis, University of Languages and International Studies, VNU Fay, B (1996), Contemporary Philosophy of Social Science: A Multicultural Approach, (pp.55 – 60), Oxford: Blackwell Graduation paper: Ho Gia Anh Le, (2003), A study on a cross-cultural categorical dimension Accuracy and Inaccuracy in English and Vietnamese Graduation paper: Le Nu Thu Hang, (2001), A study on influences of cultural factors in English Language Teaching and Learning in Vietnam Graduation paper: Tran Thanh Dung, (2004), Influences of cultural category Subjectivity-Objectivity on English learning in Hanoi high schools Ha Cam Tam (1998), Requests by Australian native speakers of English and Vietnamese learners of English, La Trobe University 10 Halliday, A., & Hyde, M., & Kullman, J (Eds.), (2004), Intercultural communication – An Advanced Resources Book, London & New York: Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group) 38 11 Hinkel, E (Ed.), (1999), Culture in Second Language Teaching and Writing, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 12 Hinkel, E, Building Awareness and Practical Skills to Facilitate Cross – Cultural Communication, In C.M Murcia (Ed.) (2001), Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language, (3rd ed.), (pp.443 – 458), Boston: Heinle & Heinle 13 Kaplan, T, (1972), Cultural thought patterns in Intercultural Education, Language Learning, (Vol.16, pp1- 20) 14 Kaplan, B.R, (1987), Culture and the written language, In J.M.Valdes (Ed.), Culture Bound, Bridging the cultural gap in language teaching, (pp.8-19), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 15 Lado, R, (1997), How to compare two cultures, In P R Heusinkveld (Ed.), Pathways to culture: Readings on teaching culture in the foreign language class, Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press 16 Levine, D.R., & Adelman, M.B, (1992), Beyond language – Intercultural Communication for English as a second language, Prentice Hall Regents 17 Moran, K.P (2001, Teaching Culture (Perspectives in practice), Boston: Heinle & Heinle 18 Murcia, C.M (Ed.), (2000), Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language, (3rd ed.), Boston: Heinle & Heinle 19 Ngo Huu Hoang (1998), A cross – cultural study on thanking and responding to thanks in English and Vietnamese, M.A thesis, University of Languages and International Studies, VNU 20 Nguyen Quang, (1998a), Intercultural Communication, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University 39 21 Nguyen Van Do, (1996), Politeness Phenomina in Vietnamese and English cultures and some implications in teaching language 22 Nieto, S (2002), Language, Culture, and Teaching: Critical Perspectives for a New Centur, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates 23 Politzer, R, (1959), Report of the Fifth Annual Round Table Meeting on Linguistics and Language Teaching, In N Brooks, Language and Language Learning, Theory and Practice, (2nd ed.), New York: Harcourt Brace and World 24 Quirk, R., & Greenbaum, S, (2004), A University Grammar of English, Hai Phong Publisher 25 Raimes, A (1983), Techniques in Teaching Writing, Oxford: Oxford University Press 26 Richard, M (1996), I Wonder Why the Telephone Rings, New York: Kingfisher 27 Robinson, G.L.N, (1985), Cross – cultural understanding, In B Tomalin, & S, Stempleski, (1993), Cultural Awareness, Oxford: Oxford University Press 28 Robinson – Stuart, G., & Nocon, H, (1996), Second culture acquisition: ethnography in the foreign language classroom, Modern Language Journal, (Vol.80, pp.431-439) 29 Spradley, J.P, (1980), Participant observation, Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers 30 Stewart, J., & D’Angelo, G, (1980), Together: communicating interpersonally, (2nd ed.), Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley 31 Swales, J (1990), Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings, In M Celce - Murcia (Ed.) (2000), Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language, (3rd ed.), Boston: Heinle & Heinle 32 The National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project, (1996), Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century, New York: The National 40 Standards in Foreign Language Education Project, Retrieved January 10th, 2009 from http://www.discoverlanguages.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3652 33 Tomalin,B., & Stempleski, S (1993), Cultural Awareness, Oxford: Oxford University Press 34 Valdes, J.M (Ed.), Culture Bound, Bridging the cultural gap in language teachin, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 35 Vu., et al (2006), Practise your writing skills, Hanoi: Vietnam National University Press II References in Vietnamese Đỗ Mai Thanh, & Văn Thanh Bình, (1999), Sự ảnh hưởng yếu tố văn hóa Việt Nam vào việc học tiếng Anh sinh viên năm thứ góc độ giao thoa văn hóa, Trích Kỷ yếu Hội nghị khoa học 1998-1999, ĐHNN – ĐHQGHN Nguyễn Quang, (1997), Trực tiếp gián tiếp dụng học giao thoa văn hóa Việt – Mỹ, Tập san Ngoại ngữ Số 4/1998, NXB Đại học Ngoại ngữ - ĐHQGHN Nguyễn Quang, (1998b), Một số phạm trù giao thoa văn hóa Việt – Mỹ, Tập san Ngoại ngữ, Số 1/ 1998, NXB Đại học Ngoại ngữ - ĐHQGHN Nguyễn Quang, (2002), Giao tiếp nội văn hóa giao tiếp giao văn hóa, NXB Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội Trần Ngọc Thêm, Tìm sắc văn hóa Việt Nam, NXB Tp Hồ Chí Minh, 1996 I APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (For students) This survey questionnaire is designed for my graduation paper entitled “A study on some cultural dimensions affecting the English learning at Thanh Hoa Medical College” The survey is conducted among medical students at Thanh Hoa Medical College Your assistance in completing this survey will be highly appreciated You can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Thank you very much! I GENERAL INFORMATION - Age: - Gender: - How long have you been learning English? - What is your estimated level of English language proficiency? Beginning  Pre-intermediate  Intermediate  - Advanced  Area where you spend most of your time: Rural  Urban  - Occupation: - Acquisition of other foreign language(s): II HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND IN THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION You meet your English friend(s) in the street How would you greet him/her? You want to borrow your friend 200.000 VND How would you ask him/her? (Use expressions you think that would please him/her) Your friend says to you: “What a beautiful dress you have!” How would you respond? II You want to refuse your friend’s invitation to her party for some reason How would you say? III HOW WOULD YOU EXPRESS THESE SENTENCES IN ENGLISH: Vào Nam Bắc Mặc dù thời tiết xấu họ tới Bởi trời mưa nhà Hôm qua bị thi trượt Thank you very much for your cooperation! III SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE (for teachers of English) This survey questionnaire is designed for my graduation paper entitled “A study on some cultural dimensions affecting the English learning at Thanh Hoa Medical College” The survey is conducted among medical students at Thanh Hoa Medical College Your assistance in completing this survey will be highly appreciated You can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Thank you very much! Survey conductor: Nguyen Ngoc Anh K18-Thanh Hoa, Faculty of Post-graduate studies University of Languages and International Studies Vietnam National University Please tick (√) where appropriate You can choose more than one answer  Age: Above 20  Above 30  Above 40  Above 50   Gender: Male  Female   How long have you been teaching English? :  Area where you spend most of your time: Rural  Urban  Questions Do you think it is necessary to make students aware of cultural differences while teaching English? a If yes, why : b If no, why : Which you focus on when you teach English? a Linguistic knowledge IV b Communicative skills c Others (please specify) : Which techniques you use to insert cultural factor in language lessons? a Using English newspapers (articles, advertisement ) to provide general cultural knowledge b Comparison to find out similarities and differences between Anglicist cultures and Vietnamese culture c Visual aids (pictures, video tapes ) to illustrate differences in cross-cultural communication d English films or tapes to provide cultural insights e Role-play in situations which are involved in Vietnamese culture and Anglicism culture f Cultural assimilator: students are provided with a situation in which there are potentials of cultural conflict and they select the best answers g Other (please specify) Do you find it difficult to insert cultural knowledge into English language lessons? a Yes (please give your reasons): b No (please give your reasons): Thank you very much for your cooperation! ... investigate how cultural dimensions affect the English learning at Thanh Hoa Medical College and the solutions Design of the research: The research consists of three parts, part A – Introduction as the. .. to the cultural differences out of their expectation Much of the reason lies in the fact that they not pay attention to cultural differences in communication Additionally, it is a tradition that... teachers of English at Thanh Hoa Medical College? Significance of the research: The investigation provides an insightful awareness of the influences of some Vietnamese communicative practices on