Raising Cultural Awareness: Comparative Study of Cultural and Traditional Elements of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Raising Cultural Awareness: Comparative Study of Cultural and Traditional Elements of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mirela, Vasic

In language teaching, culture becomes the very core of language teaching. The teaching of culture has been mostly based on topics clearly identified in curricula and, further on, in the textbooks. Cultural awareness as such arises out of the language material being studied, but it is also identified and treated as a regular characteristic of the language lesson. Today, both foreign and national English language textbooks are used by English teachers in elementary schools. But, according to the Curriculum for English of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, each textbook for English language teaching at the elementary school level must consist of 30% of authentic cultural and traditional elements of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Those elements are methodologically incorporated in the textbooks in forms of reading comprehension texts, literary texts, poetry, quizzes and other language activities and exercises. The forms are constructed to develop linguistic and cultural awareness in the community in which they are produced. They can give the learners valuable insight into their own, Bosnian culture as well as to the language and form used to express that culture in English language. However, the purpose is not to, consequently, limit the knowledge and awareness of the English speaking countries’ cultures. On the contrary, they are constructed to noticeably reflect and emphasise the cultural diversities of those countries. This paper provides a comparative study of specifically constructed texts and language activities in different English language textbooks at elementary school level that reflects the culture and tradition of Bosnia and Herzegovina treated alongside with the same ones of English speaking countries. Its aim is to compare methodologies that different authors and co-authors have applied in order to fulfil the requirements of the above mentioned Curriculum.

Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed

2012-05

923