Customer Reviews

Culture in Second Language Teaching and Learning (Cambridge Applied Linguistics)

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As another reader indicated, this is a useful resource for the L2 educator. However, bear in mind that the chapter by Cortazzi and Jin is quite dated. Many of the generalizations they make about the mainland Chinese culture of learning are no longer accurate, a fact which they must have realized to some extent when revising their assessment of that socio-cultural context in their research article from 2006. In the decade since the publication of this chapter, much has changed, some for the better (in terms of the improvement in EFL textbooks and curricula in general) and much has worsened (in terms of student attitudes toward foreign teachers, diligence in study, and general motivation to learn English).

If you're looking for a resource on the effects of culture on learning second languages, this is an excellent book to read. The three main areas covered in this book are how culture influences classroom interaction, how culture influences second-language writing, and how materials can be used to cross cultural barriers. This is useful book to have if you're studying in the field of ESL/EFL.