The Use of Critical Discourse Analysis to Inquire into Cross-Cultural Perceptions and Attitudes of LMD Students of English as a Foreign Language at Batna 2 University, Algeria. Doctorat thesis,(2019) Université de Batna 2
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2019-05-14
Authors
DJELLOUL Nedjai
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The issue of cross-cultural perceptions and attitudes towards the foreign language and its culture has been momentous all along the last few decades. The main focus of this study is to account for the perceptions and attitudes of the students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at Batna 2 University through the application of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA).This latter has been deployed within an interdisciplinary paradigm whereby the relationship between language, ideology, power, and social practices has been accounted for. The main purpose of this study is, firstly, to shed light on cross-cultural perceptions and attitudes. Secondly, it is aimed to bring the learner develop awareness of the self in order to understand and tolerate, in the other, those differences relevant to language, and also related to culture aspects like social values, norms, religion, and social practices. Thence, the current study endeavors to investigate the following research query: “What is the relationship between our EFL students’ perceptions of, and attitudes towards, the culture of the English language?” In reverence with this, it has been hypothesized that our LMD EFL students, like other learners of foreign languages elsewhere, may form their attitudes to the British culture on the basis of misunderstanding and misinterpretation of their perceptions rather than on well-founded evidence, facts, and knowledge. To address the focal research issue, a descriptive mixed method research design has been deployed, wherein both quantitative and qualitative data have been collected through a questionnaire administered to a sample of 600 students at the department of English at Batna 2 University randomly chosen from a total population of 3000 students from different undergraduate and post-graduate LMD levels. Data have been analyzed quantitatively using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), and qualitatively using Fairclough’s (1989) CDA model as an analytical framework accounted by NVIVO. Results obtained confirm that EFL students have no real experience and no authentic exposure to the British culture. This would hinder their language learning and culture development. More importantly, this has resulted in some misconceptions and misunderstandings towards the target culture. It has been, as well, confirmed that the many relationships between language, ideology, and power are intertwined all throughout the learners’ discursive patters whereby the application of Fairclough’s CDA framework proved valuable to account for EFL learners’ perceptions and attitudes towards the target culture. Indeed, the current study is deemed beneficial in that it demonstrated learners’ cultural awareness, readiness, and open-mindedness that permit them to tolerate and accept the other and otherness. It has been contended, though, that respondents, in their great majority, accept positive change and show an outraged disclaimer against all aspects of injustice, mediocrity, racism, and discrimination. These powerful perceptions and attitudes were depicted both implicitly and explicitly when inquiring into leaners’ discursive patterns. Henceforth, this study is considered to be a praiseworthy contribution to call on intercultural perceptions in foreign-language education. Policy-makers, teachers, researchers, and practitioners will find, in this study, implications and recommendations for enhancing awareness and culture development within institutional and educational settings. More importantly, these recommendations are likely to foster the awareness of the self, of the other, and of the betterment of foreign-language and intercultural education in general