Cultural elements to be considered in teaching English for the SLTA, students' book I by Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan - Widya Mandala Catholic University Surabaya Repository

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1.

BACKGROUED OF THZ PROBLEX

C u l t u r e and language cannot be s e p a r a t e d . When we

-

a r e reading c e r t a i n books, f o r example, we w i l l be f a m i l

i a r w i t h t h e c u l t u r e o f t h e people speaking t h e language
i n t h o s e books. By r e a d i n g E n g l i s h books, we know how t h e
E n g l i s h people r e a c t about t h e v a l u e system around

them.

-

Here i s t h e s i m p l e s t example. When an Englishman i s i n t r o

duced t o someone f o r t h e f i r s t time; h e w i l l say: "Eou do
you do?" And t h e answer w i l l be ltHow do you do?It
Nowadays t h e most i n p o r t a n t o b j e c t i v e of l e a r n i n g
English a s a f o r e i g n l a n g u e e f o r s t u d e n t s o f High
Schools i s t o be a b l e t o r e a d English Textbooks; however,
t h e f a c t s a r e below e x p e c t a t i o n . Most of t h e s t u d e n t s
cannot e a s i l y comprehend English books. One of t h e reasons
i s due t o t h e English t e a c h e r s 1 f a i l u r e i n e x p l a i n i n g

c u l t u r e i n t h e r e l a t i o n t o t e a c h i n g English. They r a r e l y
c o n s i d e r c u l t u r a l elements i n t e a c h i n g English. Although
language and c u l t u r e a r e d i s c u s s e d s e p a r a t e l y , they have
t o be c o n s i d e r e d a s a u n i t because l a q u a g e i s a c t u a l l y
one of t h e elements of c u l t u r e .
A c t i v i t i e s t o i n t r o d u c e E n g l i s h c u l t u r e do n o t
n e c e s s a r i l y have t o be done i n c l a s s time. They can be

/

completed o u t s i d e c l a s s , i n many i n s t a n c e s a s homework,
o r assignments. For example, t h e s t u d e n t s a r e assigned t o
f i n d t h e d i f f e r e n c e s between t h e school system i n Indone
s i a and America and t o make a comparison between them.
Under t h i s c o n s i d e r a t i o n , t h e w r i t e r i s i n t e r e s t e d
i n w r i t i n g t h i s paper e n t i t l e d

"

be

C u l t u r a l Elements t o

Considered i n Teaching E n g l i s h f o r t h e SLTA S t u d e n t s 1 Book

I by Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan "which may

be

useful f o r t h e English teachers.
1.2.

STATBKENT OF THZ PROBLSX
A s what have been s t a t e d i n t h e p r e v i o u s s e c t i o n ,

one of t h e reasons why most of t h e

Senior

High School

s t u d e n t s cannot comprehend E n g l i s h books e a s i l y i s due t o
t h e English t e a c h e r s 1 f a i l u r e i n e x p l a i n i n g c u l t u r e i n t h e
r e l a t i o n t o t e a c h i n g English. Therefore, t h e problems
which arouse and w i l l be d i s c u s s e d i n t h i s p a p e r are:

I1

How t o c c n s i d e r c u l t u r a l a s p e c t s i n t e a c h i n g English f o r

t h e SLTA s t u d e n t s 1 Book I and What c u l t u r a l a s p e c t s t o be
considered i n t e a c h i n g English f o r t h e SLTA S t u d e n t s 1 Book
I?"

1.3.

TEE AIM OF THE STUDY

To understand t h e r e a d i n g passages i s n o t easy, t h e

-

E n g l i s h t e a c h e r s should have proper knowledge of t h e r e a d
i n g passages, t h e p a t t e r n s found i n t h e r e a d i n g passages,
t h e vocabulary, and t h e c u l t u r a l a s p e c t s a s w e l l .

Understanding c u l t u r a l a s p e c t s can i n c r e a s e

the

E n g l i s h t e a c h e r s 1 knowledge i n t e a c h i n g E n g l i s h f o r t h e
SLTA S t u d e n t s t Book I. Also, t h e s t u d e n t s a r e

able

to

u n d e r s t m d the reading passages b e t t e r i f they understand
t h e c u l t u r a l a s p e c t s i n c l u d e d i n t h e passage. I n o t h e r
words t h i s s t u d y i s aimed a t g i v i n g a k i n d o f r e f e r e n c e
o r guide f o r the English t e a c h e r s i n teaching Znglish f o r
The SLTA s t u d e n t s 1 Book I.

1.4.

THE SIG>!IFICANCE OF T3F STUDY

The t e a c h i n g o f c u l t u r a l elements i s t o h e l p t h e
s t u d e n t s understand t h e r e a d i n g p a s s a g e s b e t t e r and
e v e n t u a l l y l i k e r e a d i n g E n g l i s h books.

The u n i t s o f t h e r e a d i n g p a s s a g e s t a k e n from t h e
SLTA S t u d e n t s ' Eook I which c o n t a i n c u l t u r a l elements

can be i n t r o d u c e d i n t e a c h i n g E n g l i s h f o r t h e s t u d e n t s of
P i g h School e s p e c i a l l y i n t e a c h i n g r e a d i n g comprehension.

Understanding c u l t u r a l elements can make t h e
s t u d e n t s comprehend t h e r e a d i n g p a s s a g e s b e t t e r .

1.6.

LIMITATION OF TtIE STUDY

There a r e many ways t o t e a c h E n g l i s h t o S e n i o r
High School s t u d e n t s , b u t i n t h i s s t u d y t h e w r i t e r disc u s s e s o n l y c u l t u r a l elements f o r t e a c h i n g r e a d i n g
comprehension a t SLTA i . e t h o s e found i n S t u d e n t s 1 Book I .

The c u l t u r a l e l e a e n t s o r items t o be d i s c u s s e d i n
S t u 3 e n t s 1 Book I a r e u n i t 1

-

5, 11

-

12 and 20

-

21.

There a r e sone p a r t s of t h e r e a d i n g u n i t s which
a r e informative s t o r i e s such as: The Javanese Wayang Ku-

l i t , A t Borobudur, Madura Bull Races, and B a l i

-

the

I s l z n d of T o u r i s t s . Informative s t o r i e s a r e n o t always
c u l t u r a l l y b i a s , t h a t t s why n o t much i n f o m a t i o n can be
presented.
The w r i t e r i n t e n t i o n a l l y does n o t d i s c u s s t h e
conversation t h a t can be found i n S t u d e n t s 1 Book I, because a l l of them l o o k s t r a n g e , t h e s p e a k e r s a r e Indones i z n s . I t would be b e t t e r i f t h e c o n v e r s a t i o n s t a k e p l a c e
between an Indonesian and a f o r e i g n e r .

I n o r d e r t o understxnd t h e f o l l o w i n g c h a p t e r s , it
i s important t o d e f i n e t h e key terms found i n

of t h i s paper. The

key

t e r n s are: c u l t u r e ,

the

title

cultural

elements, and t e a c h i n g .
There a r e many a b s t r a c t d e f i n i t i o n s of c u l t u r e ,
most of which have been suggested by a n t h r o p o l o g i s t s ,
Kroever, and Kluckhohn (1352) concluded t h a t t h e "folloq!
i n g c e n t r a l i d e a i s now formulated by most s c i e n t i s t s . . . "

..

.Culture c o n s i s t s o f p a t t e r n s , e x p l i c i t and
i m p l i c i t , of and f o r behaviour a c q u i r e d and t r a n z
m i t t e d by symbols, c o n s t i t u t i n g t h e d i s t i n c t i v e
achievements of human groups, i n c l u d i n g t h e i r
embodiments i n a r t i f a c t s ; t h e e s s e n t i a l c o r e o f
c u l t u r e c o n s i s t s of t r a d i t i o n a l ( i . e . , h i s t o r i c a l
l y d e r i v e d and s e l e c t e d i d e a s and e s p e c i a l l y t h e i r
tittached value; c u l t u r e system may, on t h e one

hand, be considered a s p r o d u c t of a c t i o n , on t h e
o t h e r a s l c o n d i t i o n i n g elements of f u r t h e r a c t i o n
(p.180)
The term

"

c u l t u r a l elements

includes

ingrou~

-

outgroup, stereot-ype, p r e j u d i c e , t o l e r a n c e , t r a i t s , ethno
centrism, c u l t u r e shock, c u l t u r a l adjustment, c u l t u r a l
c o n f l i c t , a t t i t u d e s , and v a l u e s .

I n t h i s s t u d y t h e w r i t e r u s e s o n l y some terms which
concern with t h e

c u l t u r a l elements

which a r e r e l a t e d

t o t h e English f o r t h e SLTA S t u d e n t s ' Book I by Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, a s follows:
Attitude

: P e o p l e ' s r e a c t i o n s toward

Prejudice
3iscriminntion

Culture Shock

a
concept o r , i n everyday language, t h e i r f e e l i n g s , b e l i e f s ,
and r e a d i n e s s t o a c t .
: A p e r s o n ' s emotional r e a c t i c n s .
: A p e r s o n ' s behavior which p u t s
out-grou? members a t a d i s
advantage, 3

-

: A shorthand d e s c r i p t o r which

srurxnarizes so j o r n e r t s r e a c t i o n s
a f t e r they l o s e t h e s e c u r i t y of
familiarity. 4
Culture Adjustrnents:A f e e l i n g t h a t one i s Itat homev
i n t h e s o c i e t y and i s n o t a
t c t r.- 3U-": ier.5
u-.-L

1 Richard b/. B r i s l i r . , Cross C u l t u r a l Encounters:
Face-to-Face I n t e r a c t i o n . Pergamon P r e s s , Bew York, 19e3

p.5.
2 Wuri Soedjatmiko Understanding American and
I n d o n e s i s n Ctlltures , Widya i.fandala C a t h o l i c U n i v e r s i t y
P r e s s , Surabaya, 1987, p. 4.

3 B r i s l i n , op. c i t . , p.41.

5 I b i d . , P.

283.

Tolerance

: Q u a l i t y of t o l e r a t i n g opinions,

b e l i e f s , customs, b e h a v i o r e t c
d i f f e r e n t from o n e ' s own. 6
: Quality

of being
desirable. 7

Values
James C .
book:

It

useful o r

Tyson and Mary Ann C a r r o l l s a y i n

Teaching i s a p r o c e s s o f I n t e r a c t i o n ,

their

somewhat

l i k e t h a t b e t ~ e e np l a y e r s i n t e n n i s match o r dogs i n
f i g h t . The t e a c h e r does something i n r e t u r n .

11

8

6 A S Kornby w i t h k P Cowie and A C Gimson,
dvanced L e a r n e r ' s D i c t i o n a r y o f C u r r e n t E n g l i s h
4974, p. 910.
7 Ibid., p .

a

,

Cxford
Oxford

950.

8 James C . Tyson and Mary Ann C a r r ~ l l , \,once t u a l
Tools f o r Teaching i n Zecondary S c h o o l s , : L o u g h e n
Company, Boston, 1970, p.6.