Culture Learning from a Constructivist Perspective. An Investigation of Spanish Foreign Language Teachers' Views

• Published in: Language and education 2005, Vol.19 (6), p.483-495
• Main Authors: Sercu, Lies, del Carmen Méndez García, María, Prieto, Paloma Castro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: constructivism; Constructivism (Learning); Cultural Awareness; culture learning; culture teaching; Educational Innovation; foreign language teachersá perceptions; Language Teachers; Learning Processes; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Spanish; Teacher Attitudes; teacher education; Teacher Effectiveness; Teaching Methods
• ISSN: 0950-0782; 1747-7581
• DOI: 10.1080/09500780508668699

Today, teaching and learning tend to be viewed from a constructivist perspective. Learning is regarded as a self-directed process of constructing meaning, which takes place in interaction. The teacher supports the learning process by selecting input and approaches that can scaffold the learning process and guide learners towards independent learning. Teachers are being urged to embrace this paradigm, which focuses on learning by constructing meaning (e.g. Baines & Stanley, 2000). Research into educational innovation suggests that the success of innovations depends on the extent to which teachers can realise a 'personal paradigm shift' in their views on what constitutes effective teaching for good learning. A change in teachers' beliefs is prerequisite for changes in teaching practice. This paper focuses on Spanish foreign language teachers' perceptions of culture teaching. It investigates to what extent present-day teaching practice reflects constructivist approaches. Specifically, it shows the extent to which teachers depart from what they perceive to be their learners' current understanding of foreign cultures when selecting cultural contents, and to what extent their culture teaching approaches can contribute to the learners' acquisition of independent culture-learning skills. The results show that current teaching practice only in part reflects constructivist convictions on the teachers' side.