ABSTRACT

The research results of teachers and students in English education major through a culture test and an investigation show that the current situation of cultivation of English Education majors’ cross-cultural awareness, is far from satisfactory. Therefore, based on the training objective for English education majors, this paper probes into some principles to follow in and some approaches to cross-culture teaching appropriate for them. 

As English education majors have dual status: English learners and future English teachers of primary or secondary schools. We should carry on cross-culture teaching. On the one hand, it can cultivate their cross-cultural awareness to stimulate their own English study ; on the other hand it can let them know how to cultivate their own students’ cultural awareness in the future. Cross-culture teaching should follow some principles: the practice principle, the gradation principle, the comparison principle, the combination principle and the toleration principle. Some approaches to cross-culture teaching can be: based on textbooks; carrying out activities in and outside classroom; comparing the differences between the two cultures; using authentic materials of all sorts, teaching the students how to carry on cross-cultural teaching in primary or secondary schools.

Key words: Cross-cultural Awareness; Teaching; English Education Major

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

摘要

Chapter One  INTRODUCTION-1

Chapter Two  LITERATURE REVIEW-2

2.1 Cross-cultural Awareness-2

2.1.1 The concept of cross-cultural awareness-2

2.1.2 The principles of cross-culture teaching-3

  2.1.2.1The practice principle-3

  2.1.2.2 The graduation principle-3

  2.1.2.3The comparision principle-4

  2.1.2.4 The combination principle-4

2.1.2.5The toleration principle-5

2.2 Existing Studies on Cross-cultural Awareness Abroad and at Home-5

2.3 Limitations in Existing Studies-6

Chapter Three  RESEARCH DESIGN-8

3.1 Research Questions-8

3.2 Research Subjects-8

3.3 Data Collection and Processing-8

3.4 Research Methods-10

Chapter Four  RESULTS AND DISCUSSION-11

4.1 Results-11

4.1.1 On the culture test for students-11

4.1.2 On the interview to the students-12

4.1.3 On the interview to teachers-13

4.1.4 Summary-14

4.2 Discussion on the Strategies of Cross-culture Teaching-15

     4.2.1. Based on textbooks-15

     4.2.2 Activities in and outside classroom-16

     4.2.3 Comparing the differences between the two cultures-17

     4.2.4 Using authentic materials of all sorts-17

     4.2.5 Teaching the students how to carry on cross-culture teaching -18

Chapter Five  CONCLUSION-20

5.1 A Brief Summary of the Study-20

5.2 Limitations of the Study-20

5.3 Suggested Future Research Dimensions-21

REFERENCES-22

APPENDIX I-23