Female Teachers’ Perceptions of Teaching Culture in EFL Classrooms at a Saudi University

Abstract

In the literature of second language teaching and learning, culture and language have always been assumed to be interdependent. Their interdependence comes from the fact that language is not a code free from culture, but an embodiment of it. However, there is still a need, from the part of teachers, to realize the importance of integrating culture with language study. Using a three- Points Likert scale questionnaire, the current study aims at investigating teachers’ perceptions of culture teaching in English as a foreign language classrooms at the University of Jeddah. Moreover, it aims at discovering the type of cultural competence teachers seek to promote; whether it is intercultural or multicultural. The results show that female teachers support the study of the target culture. Furthermore, the results indicate that teachers’ perceptions lean more towards promoting multicultural competence instead of intercultural one.