An Investigation of Student Teachers’ Conceptions on Cultural Aspects for English Language Learning: The Thai EFL Context

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed-methods research was to investigate student teachers’conceptions of cultural aspects for English foreign language learning (EFL) in Thailand context. The instruments were a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview protocol. The participants included 30 student teachers of English at Loei Rajabhat University, Thailand. The quantitative data were analyzed statistically and the qualitative data were analyzed through an interpretative approach and thematic analysis. The findings revealed that: 1) for the participants’ overall conception, culture had two dimensions: visible and invisible with two types of knowledge: subjective and objective; but the distinct characteristic was as a subjective knowledge which was difficult to change and acquiring the knowledge was higher possible through explicit teaching than through implicit learning or self-learning. 2) With regard to the roles of culture in EFL learning, the overall Mean score ( = 3.17, S.D. = 0.56) indicated that the participants moderately agreed that learning culture was not the main focus, not a core, and not the primary domain in learning language but an additional feature learned as an option and culture was only a piece of information delivered through language. However, they did not deny its influence on socio-cultural practices; cultural knowledge was an outcome reflected from language proficiency; and tended to enable them to attain the higher language proficiency. Thus, the participants’ conceptions on the cultural aspects for English foreign language learning in the Thai context were mainly involved the community perspectives such as perceptions, values, attitudes, beliefs, and worldviews rather than the cultural products and social practices, and learning culture was optional for EFL learning in the studied Thai EFL context.