Cross-Cultural Awareness: EFL Learners’ Barriers to Learning English

Abstract

When one learns a certain language, he/she should also learn its culture. This is because languages and cultures are integrated. For example, to acquire meanings, language students need to understand the culture of the language they are learning. This study seeks to determine the challenges faced by English language learners in understanding Islamic beliefs and western cultures. This was a descriptive qualitative study that utilized semi-structured interviews to acquire data. Interviews were conducted with eight pupils from the Islamic boarding school Ar-Risalah in West Sumatra. The result of interviews showed that the majority of learners acknowledged that they experienced cross-cultural hurdles in English learning because of being culturally insensitive, misunderstanding of cultural contents in the language materials, and formal intervention regarding the textbook. Students are confused to differentiate cultures shared by Islamic values and Western cultures as those Islamic values are not vividly depicted in English textbooks. Therefore, students have difficulties understanding English. It is imperative that future research investigate this topic, since culture and language are inseparable, in which people learning a certain language are also required to learn its culture.

Linguistic and non-linguistic barriers to English speaking ability among Saudi EFL learners

“…Pratama and Zainil (2020) figured out different communication strategies by the teachers of EFL and documented the efficacy and usefulness of pause fillers, and hesitation devices to improve language learning and communication process. Kustati et al (2023) have suggested cultural intervention and awareness during the language acquisition process. Ghafar and Amin (2022) investigated EFL learning of Kurdish students and found social, interpersonal, environmental, linguistic, and psychological issues, impacting the way students learn language and stressed improving the classroom environment to provide a conducive atmosphere to promote knowledge, expedite vocabulary acquisition and address speaking inadequacy.…”

“…It included realizing students' personalities to address different challenges, maximizing the interests of students by creating interesting learning situations and stimulating environments, and emphasizing positive emotional reinforcements to combine all the components of learning. Kustati et al (2023) asserted that during the process of learning a particular language, cultural factors must not be overlooked. To increase students;' understanding of meaning, they must comprehend their cultural context to retain them for a long time.…”

“…To increase students;' understanding of meaning, they must comprehend their cultural context to retain them for a long time. Kustati et al (2023) in their study addressed the challenges students faced during English language learning and understanding Western cultures vis-à-vis Islamic beliefs. This descriptive qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews for collecting data.…”

Recapitulation on the effect of cross-cultural awareness and self-efficacy in education

“…Therefore, students at all educational levels and disciplines are encouraged to become more aware of other cultures through a variety of methods and tactics. Kustati et al (2023) found that English language learners face cross-cultural barriers in understanding Islamic beliefs and Western cultures. They face insensitivity, inaccurate understanding of cultural content, and textbook intervention, leading to confusion in distinguishing Islamic values from Western cultures.…”