Collectivist-Oriented Culture’s Negative Impact Upon English Teaching

[摘要]Collectivist-Oriented culture focuses on collectivism in the teaching. It is obvious that it has negative impact upon English teaching.（東方文化側(cè)重集體教學(xué)。毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)，這種集體教學(xué)模式在英語(yǔ)教學(xué)中存在著明顯的不良影響。

[關(guān)鍵詞]Collectivist-Oriented culture negative impact English teaching（集體教學(xué)模式 英語(yǔ)教學(xué) 負(fù)面影響）

Some people in Korea and China put dogs in their ovens， but People in the United States put them on their couches and beds. It is cultural difference that makes people from various places behave different.

Collectivist-Oriented culture is one that focuses on collectivism. As a Japanese proverb says，“ A sing arrow is broken， but not in a bunch.” The Collectivist-Oriented culture sees group as the most important of all social entities. Group affiliations take precedence over individual goals. People count on their group to look after them， and in exchange for that they believe they owe absolute loyalty to the group. In the culture， identity is based on the social system; the individual is emotionally dependent on organizations; the culture emphasizes belonging to organizations; organizations invade private life and the clans to which individuals belong; and individuals trust group decision (Larry A. Samovar， 2000). Triandis stated: collectivism means greater emphasis on (a) the views， needs， and goals of the group rather than oneself; (b) social norms and duty defined by the group rather than behavior to get pleasure; (c) beliefs shared with the group rather than beliefs that distinguish self from group; and (d) great readiness to cooperate with group members.

Most Asian countries adopt collectivism in English teaching. In these cultures， Schools foster in-group orientation. Classes are usually very large. Teachers talk or lecture a great deal of the time while students recite and then write down what their teacher has said. Silence and minimal vocal participation characterize the classrooms. The students are not active in the classes because they are expected to obey class rules and there are often few activities in the classes.

Therefore， the collectivist-oriented culture has its negative impact upon English teaching.

First， students have poor oral English. In the teaching， reading and writing are highly emphasized but oral English is not. Students are encouraged to imitate classical works rather than make their own original creations. There are few oral activities in class. Educators in schools do not overtly concern themselves with “oral language development” in the curriculum. Reticence is valued in the presence of elders and superiors， even when it is one’s prerogative to speak， simple and brief remarks are valued over lengthy or pointed statements. This shortage of practice in oral skills often causes the students to have weak ability to communicate in English.

Second， English teaching is a passive learning to students. In the culture， the teacher usually holds all the information and disseminates it to the students who just sit ， passively listen， recite after the teacher， and write down in their notebooks. It is the teacher who dominate the class.Educators in schools expect the students to learn by listening， watching， and imitating so that active discussion and questioning are often lacked in the teaching. As a result， the students tend to be more interested in obtaining their teacher’s direction and feedback. The English learning mostly depend on their teachers.

Third， individual creation is neglected. In collective culture， a teacher is expected to be the autocratic head of the classroom and act as knowledge-spreader instead of enlightener. What he says is usually accepted unquestioningly， and the students busily take notes most of the time. It is usually he who give the “standard” answer， the only “correct” answer， which is often blindly accepted by the students. This teacher authority is seldom challenged. This authoritative role awes the students， shapes them into obedient listeners， and limits their creativeness. Furthermore， students avoid open disagreements with the teacher， deferring to his or her judgment. When they do not understand， they avoid insulting the teacher by nodding politely and attributing their lack of understanding to their own lack of diligence. They prefer to remain silent rather than offer a mistaken answer that would insult the teacher and embarrass the students. Thus， individual creation is frequently neglected in classes because there is no opportunity for the individual creation to spark.

Teachers may bear in mind that a teacher is supposed to be an enlightener， and a helper to the students as well as an organizer in classes. He is supposed to guide his students to the discovery of questions and possible answers instead of prompting questions and answering them himself.

We live in a multi-cultural age. The collectivist-oriented culture is only a drop in the bucket. Only by understanding can we shape a future that is fit for us and generations following.

參考文獻(xiàn)

[1] Larry A. Samovar， Richard E. Porter and Lisa A. Stefani. Communication Between Cultures. Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press. 2000.

[2] Widdowson， H.G. 1991. Aspects of Language Teaching. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press

陜西科技大學(xué)外國(guó)語(yǔ)與傳播學(xué)院