The Importance of Integrating the Target Culture in English Language Teaching from the Teacher's Perspectives

Abstract

This study aims to examine the importance of integrating target culture in ELT
classes in secondary schools in Jenin district from the teachers' perspectives. To
achieve this aim, the researcher distributed a 25-item questionnaire amongst English
Language teachers from Jenin district to determine how important the target culture in
English textbooks is.
The sample which was randomly selected consisted of 40 male and female teachers
who teach English in secondary schools in Jenin district during the scholastic year
2012-2013.
The results of the study showed good degrees of evaluation for the four domains of
the questionnaire with a percentage of 70.05%. However, the textbook domain and the
activities domain get the lowest degree of evaluation with a percentage of 69.00%, and
62.07% respectively. While the importance of teaching culture domain and goals of
teaching culture domain get the highest degrees of evaluation with percentages of
76.06%, 74.44% respectively.
In the light of the study findings, the researcher recommends that integrating culture
in ELT is a vital component of language learning and teaching, since it has a great deal
to offer to the development of communicative competence. To achieve this
successfully, the teacher doesn't have to cover everything in the target culture, but he
has to teach the target culture purposefully depending on student's needs and levels,
and of course, through enjoyable activities