573020

research-article2015
ALXXXX10.1177/1045159515573020Adult learningAdult learning

ADULT LEARNING May2015

Refereed Articles

Culture and English Language Teaching in the Arab

World
Montasser Mohamed AbdelWahab Mahmoud, PhD1

Abstract: This article discusses the relationship
between culture and English language teaching
(ELT) in the Arab World. A critical question arises
in terms of ELT, that is, whether to teach culture
along with English. To answer such a bewildering
question, this article presents related literature and
studies and discusses a theoretical frame based on
experts insights and opinions.
and teaching, the relationship between culture and
language emerges as a topic of debate and discussion.
Learning about the place of culture in English language
teaching (ELT) and learning is as much a part of the
language acquisition process as learning the language
itself, because of the correlation between language and
culture, and an understanding that one is necessary for
an understanding of the other. A

The article displays various
viewpoints concerning this
topic, offers different empirical
studies in this field, and reaches
some valuable conclusions.
Keywords: English language
learning, English language
teaching, culture, Islamic Arabic
culture
extremely important. cultures role in the classroom
learners culture plays a vital role
Paying more in determining acceptance or
attention to the rejection of learning a FL
(Mahmoud, 2013a). Therefore, the
place and the role importance of cultural context in
culture would play in language teaching cannot be
writing and designing denied. As the emphasis shifts
from teaching toward learning,
EFL textbooks is there is a growing awareness of
(Sowden, 2007).
The spread of English in the

C
ulture is a broad concept with many Arab world is clear at all levels of education, pre-K,
implications. It may refer to our way of life as it primary, preparatory, secondary, higher institutes, and
includes beliefs, concepts, principles, behavior universities. Given that English has become the lingua
patterns, habits, and everything we learn to do. Culture franca of the world, and the universal language of
embraces all aspects of human life such as knowledge, communication, all people everywhere have to learn
art, traditions, history, religion, customs, norms, and this language. The pace of life has been accelerated
values. In the field of foreign language (FL) learning due to advances in technology, and the world has

DOI:10.1177/1045159515573020. From 1Al Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Address correspondence to:
Montasser Mohamed AbdelWahab Mahmoud, Al Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), College of Languages and Translation,
Riyadh 11432, Saudi Arabia; email: dr_montasser73@yahoo.com.
For reprints and permissions queries, please visit SAGEs Web site at http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav.
Copyright 2015 The Author(s)

66 Downloaded from alx.sagepub.com by guest on March 24, 2015

Vol. 26 No. 2
become one small village. Therefore, a lot has
happened in the way people communicate and get in
touch with each other. Thus springs the need for
learning English which is a worldwide language. Due
to the various bilateral relations between the Arab
world and the West, there is an urgent need to learn
English for a variety of reasons: It is the international
vehicle of conveying knowledge; it is the language of
advanced sciences, technologies, political and strategic
researches, sports, gigantic international companies,
and advertisement. The whole world pays attention to
English as a lingua franca as it has become the
language of a great deal of modern human sciences,
production, and creativity. It is also the language of
globalization and cultural expansion through fashion,
movies, and Disneylands. More recently, it is the
language of many people scattered around the world.
Some people need English for career considerations,
and those seeking employment look at English
language (EL) as their only way to travel around the
world and get involved in the Western societies so they
can have better future lives. In a nutshell, English is the
very language of our time, so learning it helps Arab
countries keep a place with their time.
Over the past decades, English has become
increasingly important in Arab countries, in all aspects
of life, including science, knowledge, education,
economics, politics, tourism, and employment.
Consequently, enrollments have exponentially grown in
EL programs, colleges, and institutes in public and
private sectors. In addition, English is the language of
instruction in most Arab Universities, virtually
mandatory for learners pursuing higher academic
achievements in science, engineering, health care,
nursing, medicine, and pharmacy, and the only means
to internationally publish. Furthermore, a large number
of graduate students must travel to English-speaking
countries, such as the United States, United Kingdom,
and Australia, to complete studies in different branches
of science, requiring English mastery to successfully
communicate and study.
In a new world regime, the need for communication
and dialogue has become more urgent than ever
before. No longer can the Arab world live in isolation
from the rest of the world. You directly or indirectly
affect, and are affected by, what is going on around
you. At the same time, the need for preserving Islamic
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ADULT LEARNING
and Arab identity is an issue of great importance. One
main challenge regarding Islamic Arabic culture and
ELT is related to the part assigned to discussing Islamic
Arabic culture in EL textbooks at all levels of study.
Most EL textbooks prescribed for adult learners are
loaded with Western culture at the expense of their
Islamic Arabic culture. For example, little or no
reference is made to the criteria, features, or elements
of Islamic Arabic culture. This may develop a serious
fear of losing identity. No doubt, there is some kind of
difference between EL culture and Islamic Arabic
culture, especially in first English class environment.
Many students, when they first set foot in the
classroom, feel some kind of cultural shock. Surely,
there must be some influence of Western culture on the
students. Such a challenge requires linguists and
educationalists in the Arab world to realize the effective
role played by local culture in improving the process of
ELT and learning. Experts in the field must have a
strong belief in their local culture, as they need to
change their belief with regard to this point and realize
that their culture could be used as content in any
English as a FL (EFL) textbooks prescribed for Arab
adult students. Another important challenge is
represented in the lack of EL material based on Islamic
Arabic culture. There is an urgent need to translate
such material into English and have a corpus that
covers all major aspects included in the Islamic Arabic
culture.
Statement of the Problem
English teaching may occur in a wide variety of
contexts in non-English speaking countries and be
perceived as a threat to students cultural identity in
different parts of the Arab world; therefore, this article
investigates three questions:
What culture should be addressed when teaching EL
in the Arab countries?
Does learning English in the Arab countries
necessitate learning the culture of this language?
How could the insertion of students local culture in
the process of ELT be helpful to students in the Arab
world?
Regarding the need to find an answer to these
questions, this article proposes an original attempt by
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ADULT LEARNING
comparing different viewpoints regarding the
relationship between culture and ELT in the Arab
World.
Review of the Literature
Culture and language learning strongly link to each
other (Dai, 2011; Zhao, 2011); however, why and to
what extent we should teach culture while teaching a
FL has been an issue of debate. For nearly two
decades, scholars from the fields of applied linguistics
and sociolinguistics have discussed the question of
teaching culture along with English, resulting in three
main views: (a) teaching target language culture with
English, (b) teaching English without target culture, and
(c) interpretive approach to teaching culture. The
following section discusses these views and presents a
review of pertinent studies.
Teaching Target Language
Culture With English
In the first view, according to Byram and Flemming
(1998), target language culture should be taught along
with English. In their viewpoint, learning a language
without culture is a recipe for becoming what Bennett
(1993) calls a fluent fool (p. 9), someone who speaks
a FL well, but does not understand the languages
social and philosophical content.
For example, in some cases, EFL learners could use
correct pronunciation and grammar in writing or
speaking, but could not use English to express
themselves because they selected inappropriate language
for a specific situation. Confirming this issue, Silberstein
(2001) believed grammatical knowledge is not enough to
guarantee good and appropriate communication.
Therefore, learning a language also entails learning about
its culture, as culture reflects and transfers deeply
embedded knowledge from one generation to the next
through language. Language is the symbolic
representation of people because it entails cultural and
historical background as well as an approach to ways of
living and thinking. Language and culture are so
interwoven that separating one from the other would
lose the significance of the other (Brown, 1994). Without
culture, language would be dead, and without language,
culture would have no shape (Jiang, 2000).
The content of what we teach will always be, in
some way, linked to culture. As Valdes (1990)
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May2015
highlighted, every lesson is about something, and that
something is cultural. Nevertheless, the central question
remains regarding which culture to teach. Considering
the inseparable interface of culture and language, it is
difficult to imagine teaching a FL without dealing with
its culture.
Pulverness (2003) underlined the need to study
culture by claiming, for FL learners, language seems
senseless if they know nothing about the people who
speak the target language. McDevitt (2004) further
proposed it is impossible to imagine learning another
language independent of its culture, as learning a FL is
a challenge to figure out the nature of other people. As
language reflects human nature, studying language
inherently exposes learners to the target culture. In the
same direction, Bada (2000) emphasized the
importance of teaching culture in FL classrooms. He
stated language learners seemed to have problems in
communicating meaning with the speakers of a society
when unexposed to that societys target cultural
elements. Therefore, he proposed, when studying a FL
in context, highlighting how the target cultures native
speakers use language under certain circumstances. In
addition to language teachings four skillsreading,
writing, listening, and speakingKramsch (1993)
considered culture the fifth skill to master.
Teaching English Without Its Target Culture
In contrast to the first view, scholars who adopted
this trend tend to avoid teaching target culture inside
EL classrooms in the countries where English is an
institutionalized variety (Canagarajah, 1999). Two views
rejected the idea of teaching the target language culture
along with English. Although the first view supported
the teaching of local culture in ELT (Kramsch &
Sullivan, 1996; McKay, 2003), the second view
purported English has become a lingua franca and
should be taught in a culture-free context (Alptekin,
2005; Jenkins, 2005).
When cultural phenomena differ from what students
expect, they may negatively react and look at the target
culture as strange. Lado (1997) referred to the necessity
of understanding our own culture before comparing it
with others. Post and Rathet (1996) supported using
students native culture as cultural content in the EL
classroom. Atherton (1984) stressed the materials used
in literature courses should include English and Arabic
Vol. 26 No. 2
short stories, novels, and plays for analysis and
comparison. Hinkel (1999) stated learners should be
encouraged to talk about their culture using such
materials to be aware of their own cultural identity.
Research demonstrates using unfamiliar information
can hinder getting the linguistic information conveyed
by content (Carrell, 1987). However, using familiar
cultural content while teaching English could reduce,
what Winfield and Barnes-Felfeli (1982) called the
processing load (p. 377). Overburdening EFL students
with new linguistic content and new cultural
information can be a serious obstacle, especially for
lower-level students. Wei (2005) proposed students
should be aware of their own culture instead of
spreading and teaching merely American or British
culture in EFL classrooms.
Interpretive Approach in Teaching Culture
As the third view, instead of just being concerned
with the facts of one culture, the emphasis moves
toward interpreting culture based on cross-cultural
understanding, involving comparisons and contrasts
with the learners native culture and the culture of the
language they are studying (Valdes, 1986). Dunnett,
Dubin, and Lezberg (1986) stated learners and teachers
should be familiar with the intonation pattern, gestures,
body movements, grammatical structures, and taboo
topics to analyze their culture and the target culture
according to such criteria. This comparative approach
can lead learners to reflect on both cultures, what
Byram (1991) called a modification of mono-cultural
awareness (pp. 17-32).
Students should be encouraged to realize cultural
codes and meanings implied in different cultures to
assess their experience and develop a critical response.
Moran (2001) stressed culture learning relied on
comparison between the learners culture and the
culture under study. According to Wei (2005), students
could discuss and compare the underlying values and
beliefs in their native culture and the target culture, to
not only know the differences but also better appreciate
both cultures. This led Kramsch (1993) to suggest FL
learning takes place in a third place that learners must
make for themselves, between their first culture and the
FL culture. Hence, this conception of culture
emphasizes the importance of individual interpretations,
rather than rigid stereotypical notions, of culture.
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ADULT LEARNING
If this process of acquiring culture and language is
successful, learners should be able to use English to
effectively communicate in a way that reflects their
own local culture and personal beliefs (Kramsch &
Sullivan, 1996). If teaching culture involves exposing
learners to a new set of values, meanings, and symbols,
then it follows these new phenomena can only be
understood in light of learners existing cultural
experience. Comparing and contrasting will lead not
only to engagement with the stimulus culture but also
to a greater understanding of the learners own culture.
In learning a FL, we gain access to a different way of
seeing the world and inevitably reconsider our
worldview; in this sense, all cultural learning is
intercultural (Pulverness, 1995).
Review of Pertinent Studies
To explore the role of culture in FL teaching, several
empirical studies were reviewed. Some studies
supported the first view that calls for integrating culture
and language. For example, Sercu (2005) concluded
the great majority of teachers regarded themselves as
being sufficiently familiar with the culture(s) of the FL
they taught, despite the fact that teachers in Poland,
Bulgaria, and Mexico had fewer possibilities for travel
and tourist contacts. Al-Migdadi (2008) found
incorporating cultural aspects of the English-speaking
countries was essential for improving the students
understanding of the language and its culture. His
study also revealed teaching English and its culture was
not a potential threat to Arabic or Islamic cultural
values.
In contrast, other empirical studies supported the
second view that calls for teaching English away from
its culture. In a report about the EL textbook project for
Somalia, Smith (1983) reported the course should be
rooted in the countrys environment, reflecting the
peoples experience and interests. Post and Rathet
(1996) advocated students use of native culture in the
EL classroom and emphasized using familiar content
could influence second language comprehension.
Another example is English for Saudi Arabia
(Al-Quarishi, Watson, Hafseth, & Hickman, 1999), in
which virtually every setting situates in the source
culture. Similarly, in Turkey, the cultural content of
Spotlight on English (Dede & Emre, 1988) includes
Turkish food, history, and weather, all discussed in
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ADULT LEARNING
English. Furthermore, the textbook characters travel
exclusively within Turkey meeting English-speaking
visitors to the country. In a study of Asian students
studying in New Zealand, Li (2004) stated that the
integration of learners local context and culture could
facilitate smoother and more effective learning
experiences. The same issue applied to Mahmouds
(2007) study that stressed the importance of involving
the criteria of Islamic Arabic culture in EL textbooks
prescribed for students in Egypt.
The previous preview of these studies supports
different views; therefore, there is a need to identify the
significance of inserting students local culture into ELT.
Inserting Local Culture Into ELT
There is always a degree of conflict between what is
local and what is global, sometimes generating a
mixture of the two (i.e., glocal from global and local).
Such a mixture could be helpful to maintain the EFL
learners local identity as Arab Muslims. This could be
embedded in a comparative form so students can
consider the differences or similarities between both
cultures.
Feeling comfortable in the classroom and freely
expressing ideas and notions play a vital role in
helping students easily learn a FL. However, students
feel shocked when faced with unfamiliar content
implied in the target culture of the FL. They become
overburdened by a cognitive load in addition to the
linguistic load, leading to a state of uncertainty and
feelings of strangeness and alienation. To overcome
such a problem, it would be better to include students
local culture in the ELT process.
Local culture intervention might help ELT, as the use
of local culture in the classroom environment decreases
the possibility of assimilation and alienation. As far as
language is concerned, the local culture could play a
great role in facilitating and improving language
learning among students. The previous
conceptualization, as an example, supports students in
grasping the concepts of English.
The learners culture undoubtedly has great
significance when they are taught in any language. In
ELT, many things cannot be understood without
considering cultural background. For instance,
something good in one culture may be bad in a
different culture. Therefore, an English teacher should
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May2015
keep in mind the cultural aspects of the recipients to
avoid civilization clashes and misunderstandings. Thus,
sometimes a bilingual teacher is better off than a
monolingual one.
Paying more attention to the place and the role culture
would play in writing and designing EFL textbooks is
extremely important. Structure and organization of EFL
curriculum should fairly draw attention to the culture of
both languages. Therefore, introducing culture within
structures, activities, and exercises should be in
reasonable bits and very well balanced.
The inclusion of Islamic Arabic culture in EFL
teaching and learning should be more prominent in the
initial phases. Learning ones culture helps the learner
understand new concepts related to new cultures
(comparative approach). You should include and use
accepted local Islamic culture in the curriculum and the
teachinglearning process. Such insertion can teach our
students how to defend real Islamic cultural values. For
example, examples of the real Islamic local culture can
help students in the Arab world to learn English more
easily. Furthermore, they can use the EL to achieve
general aims and specific objectives related to
providing non-Muslims with clear ideas and
information about the tolerant teachings of Islam. The
previously supported notion led to recommendations.
Recommendations
In light of the foregoing beliefs, views, and findings,
it can be said the content of EFL texts at Islamic and
Arabic schools, institutes, and universities should have
cultural relevance to the learners culture. Curricula
designers can be selective, choose topics that do not
clash with Islamic Arabic culture, and, at the same time,
develop topics that directly tackle various points related
to Islamic Arabic culture. For this to occur, there is a
need to realize and accept that students local cultural
backgrounds are of great significance and should be
referred to as an essential instrument in EFL learning.
More care should be given to the process of selecting
texts, as some contain stereotyped images of a
particular culture. Many EFL texts in Islamic and Arabic
schools, institutes, and universities contain only positive
images of the Western civilization and do not allow
students to critically analyze presented ideas. These
texts might mislead students by suggesting all English-
speaking people think and act in the same manner as
Vol. 26 No. 2
the Westerners in the EFL textbooks. Therefore,
stereotyped images should be avoided in favor of texts
with which students can negotiate and critically evaluate
the content. Some texts are also written from a single
viewpoint and might differ from the beliefs of a
students culture (Mahmoud, 2007, 2013a). Some
students might feel uncomfortable with these texts if
they think their own beliefs or culture are denied in the
new cultural context. As a result, introducing such texts
might discourage learners from studying a new
language (Mahmoud, 2013b). To avoid discouragement,
students ideas should be accepted, their attitudes
considered, and their cultural beliefs recognized.
In light of these findings, the present article
recommends a committee, selected by educational
experts from the learners country, supervise EFL
textbook design to develop positive attitudes toward
learning EFL. These textbooks should introduce a more
balanced blend of cultures of all English-speaking
countries as well as the learners culture. In presenting
cultural elements in textbooks, care should be taken to
avoid implying that either of the two cultures is
superior to the other. Cultural tolerance, not cultural
bias, should be promoted. In addition, foreign authors
of EFL textbooks should include local learners culture
and identity.
In conclusion, the purpose of learning or teaching
any FL is to develop communication. In Arab countries,
EFL learners want to communicate about Islamic Arabic
culture; therefore, it cannot be ignored. One of the
main purposes of using English in the Arab world is to
call for Islam and unveil its true message to English-
speaking countries and people.
Some believe EL cannot be taught without including
its culture. However, there is urgent need to select what
is appropriate for teaching and avoid what may be
considered inappropriate or a source of threat to
Islamic Arabic cultural values. Inappropriate and
forbidden values and norms can be referred to in a
way that allows learners to compare them with Islamic
Arabic values. Such comparison could help them avoid
bad, strange, and threatening values.
This article states that our Islamic nation is exposed
to a great danger when adopting foreign content
without adequately checking and evaluating, as this
might lead to lost cultural identity. Second, this article
calls for planning and designing curricula compatible
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ADULT LEARNING
with students Islamic Arabic culture. Third, this article
calls for adopting curricula that do not clash with the
learners culture, especially from religious and socio-
cultural viewpoints. Therefore, I suggest ELT and EL
usage may be somewhat tailored to communicate
issues sensitive to Islamic Arabic values.
Conflict of Interest
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest
with respect to the authorship and/or publication of
this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the
research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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Author Biography
Montasser Mohamed AbdelWahab Mahmoud is an
Egyptian national who was born in Minia. He is a PhD
holder in TEFL (2010) from Cairo University. He is a
lecturer of linguistics at Al Maref Higher Institute for
Languages and Translation. Currently, he is an
assistant professor at Al Imam Mohammad ibn Saud
Islamic University (IMSIU), College of Languages and
Translation, and a member of the translation team
responsible for translating Friday sermons delivered at
Al-Madinah Holy Mosque.