Language Teaching at University: A Clash of Cultures  

Oleh:

Quist, Gerdi

Jenis: Article from Journal - ilmiah internasional
Dalam koleksi: Language and Education (Full Text) vol. 14 no. 2 (2000), page 123-139.
Fulltext: Vol. 14, No. 2, p 123-139.pdf (230.85KB)

Isi artikel

Language teaching at university may seem to be flourishing – many students take up the option of an extramodule in a foreign language, to add to their skill-base.The thriving of language courses is largely due to the increasedimplementation of instrumental values in higher education,which regards language learning as a skill rather than as a creative medium to informstudents’ understanding of society. In this paper I trace the roots of these two dominant educational philosophies and I examine the place that language teaching occupieswithin them, relating this to the methodologies employed within these contexts. I argue that the opposing views both have a limited view on language teaching – one as a tool for providing access to esteemed canonical products and the other to provide a pragmatic application.Whilst the liberalhumanist paradigm still influences language teaching at some institutions, the language debate in other institutions has been dominated by instrumental values. I argue that neither of these approaches to language teaching alone allow for a critical and deep understanding of how language functions within society now. I also argue for recognising language as a means of expressing individuality. Finally, I touch on the possibilities of an integrated approach within these two opposing paradigms.

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