Chapter.8

Sociocultural,

Political,

and Institutional Contexts

L2 learners are influenced by their learning contexts.

At the same time, L2 learners are agents who interact with the con.

FIRST

Educational policy makers

Could modify the environment for the good of the learners.

SECOND

The fact is…

Sociocultural, Political, Institutional

Sociocultural Context

Political Context

Institutional Context

Cultural contexts

• Why is understanding of culture important

for L2 learning?

- A Language is a part of a culture, and a culture is

a part of a language.

- The acquisition of L2 is also the acquisition of a

second culture.

- Whether you are teaching ESL or EFL may

have a big influence on the learners.

Cultural issues

• For your instruction, would you focus on cultural diversity or more on demonstrating what western cultures would be like?

• 1. A student’s cultural identity is often a deeply seated bundle of emotions (expectations, ambiguity tolerance, openness, attitudes).

• 2. Recognize the cultural connotations and nuances of English and of L1.

• 3 & 4. Help the students to see that no one culture is “better” than another.

ESL advantage?? (P.135)

• The seemingly clear dichotomy between ESL

and EFL has been considerably muddied in

recent years.

• ESL Advantages

1. The learners are exposed to English even

beyond the class hours.

2. Encourage students to seek out opportunities

for practice.

3. Plan and carry out field trips.

Guidelines for EFL Contexts (P.135)

1. Don’t waste class time on work that can be done

as homework.

2. Play down the role of tests and emphasize

intrinsic factors more (How?).

3. Encourage the use of learning strategies outside

class.

4. Form a language club and schedule regular

activities.

EIL: English as International Language

ESL EFL

English as

an international

language

Grammaticalness or correctness?

English as International Language

• Definition (Smith, 1976, p.17)

- “a language used by people of different nations to communicate with one another”

• Four central features (Brutt-Griffler, 2002)

- Econocultural functions of the language

- The transcendence of the role of an elite lingua franca

- The stabilization of bilingualism

- Language change via the processes of world language convergence and world language divergence

• NESTs/ NNESTs issue

NESTs

=> Native English-speaking

Teachers

NNESTs

=> Nonnative English-speaking

Teachers…

NESTs and NNESTs

• Do you think NESTs are still more competitive than NNESTs in Korea?

• What advantages are there for NESTs?

- Oral Production

• What advantages are there for NNESTs?

- Experience as a L2 learner

- Pedagogical training

- R/L/W skills

- Familiarity (Affective filter)

Language Policy issues

• Language policies have an influence on the

students’ attitude toward learning L2.

• Koreans… very sensitive to language policy.

• The status of English in the United States

- English only vs. English plus

- College-level ESL (recent): BICS/CALP

• Can affect the status of L1

- Subtractive: When a native language is considered to

be detrimental to the learning of a second language.

- Additive: a native language is held in prestige by the

community or society.

Institutional Contexts

• There can be various institutional contexts

across the country.

• Schools and universities cannot exist in a social

vacuum (subject to official national language

policy issues).

• Language schools finely tuned to offer courses

with specific focus (conversation, academic

skills, ESP, and test-taking strategies).

Immersion (Content-based Instruction)

• Pupils attend specially designed content-area

classes (in English).

• EFL contexts

• What do you think of Content-based Instruction

as a necessary solution to our educational

problem? Don’t you think TETE (Teaching

English Through English) is enough for Korean

students?

Submersion

• Pupils are simply “submerged” in regular

content-area classes with no special foreign

language instruction.

• A way-out would be…if ever, a pull-out program.

– “I am desperate…!!”

Sheltered English

• ESL-trained teachers combine content and ESL

in every subject.

• The teacher is trained in both subject-matter

content and ESL methodology.

Mainstreaming

• Students first receive instruction in ESL before

being placed into content areas.

(ESL Contexts)

• This ESL instruction should be content-centered.

– “Finally! I have passed the test!!”

Bilingual Programs

L2L1

Maintenance bilingual programs(a proportion of their subject matter in L1)

Transitional bilingual programs

Enrichment bilingual programs(Selected subjects in a foreign L)

Post-secondary and Adult Education

• ESL programs for social and occupational

needs.

- Survival/Social curricula, VESL (Vocational

ESL), Workplace ESL

- cf> Literacy programs

• Possible Categories of Higher Education

- EAP (English for Academic Purposes)

- ESP (English for Specific Purposes)