INTEGRATING CULTURE IN IMPLEMENTATION OF TEACHING-LEARNING CONTEXT

RISKA SUTRIYATI

A student of English Education Department of Graduate School of

Sebelas Maret University of Surakarta 2011

A.      Background

Language is a social phenomenon. It is a means of communication and interaction among individuals. Wardhaugh (2006:1) said that a language is what the members of a particular society speak. All languages are equally complex and each language is part of the culture that produces it and adequate for the needs of people who use it. It can be inspected by internal or external factors.

In internal factor, we can analyze the structure of the language like phonology, morphology, or even syntax; and cannot analyze the outside structure of language. In external factor, we can analyze the outside factors of language, related to the activities of human in a community or society. In analysing it, we cannot only use the theory of linguistics but also use the other studies like sociology, psychology, anthropology, and neurology so the unity of various knowledge can be known such as, sociolinguistics which is a combination from sociology and linguistics; psycholinguistics is from psychology and linguistics; anthropolinguistics is unity of anthropology and linguistics; and also neurolinguistics is from neurology and linguistics. It means that linguistics cannot stand alone in implementing at society; it needs other studies which can be more flexible in use and be suitable in daily context. In a study of linguistics, all analysis of internal factor can be called as microlinguistics and which of external factor is macrolinguistics.

McKey and Hornberger have table of the study of macrolinguistic and microlinguistics to understand the relation between both (1996:x). In microlinguistics, it can be learned about Language and interaction; Ethnographic microanalysis; Interactional sociolinguistics; and Intercultural communication. In macro linguistics, there are Language and society; Language attitudes, motivation, and standard; Societal multilingualism; World English; Language planning and policy. On other hand, microlinguistics and macrolinguistics are also able to be combined in implementation and the combination between both results Language and variation; Regional and social variation; Pidgins and Creoles; Language and gender; Language and culture; Ethnography of communication; Speech acts; and also Literacy and literacies.

From the table of McKey and Hornberger, it is able to know that microlinguistics cannot be separated to macrolinguistics in implementation in society; and when we talk about culture from other countries, it is sure internal and external factors combining in study of linguistics. It is going to learn about how to act, interact, or socialize with others in different way with our culture. We are able to learn all of them in sociolinguistics. So in this topic of discussion, sociolinguistics is going to be focused in integrating culture in implementation of the teaching-learning context.

B.      Definition of Sociolinguistic

Like what has been discussed before, that sociolinguistics is a unit of studies between sociology and linguistics which have strong relation each other. To know what sociolinguistics is, we firstly have to understand what the meanings of sociology and which of linguistics are. Schiffrin in Mckey and Hornberger (1996:307), states that Interactional sociolinguistics is a theoretical and methodological perspective on language use that is based in linguistics, sociology, and anthropology. In the fact, in sociolinguistics it is not only learning language in linguistics and sociology, but anthropology can be combined here as a unit of study.

Max Weber in Heydebrand (1994) gives definition that sociology (in the sense in which this highly ambiguous word is used here) is a science which attempts the interpretive understanding of social action in order thereby to arrive at a causal explanation of its course and effects. Chaer and Agustina (2004:2) state that sociology is an objective and scientific study related to human in society; and to institutes and social process in society. It is clear that Sociology is a study related to everything human beings do in the society. Sociology always finds out how the society comes, goes on and keeps its existence. By learning the social institutes and all social problems in society, it is able to be found the ways of adaptation of human in the environment around, how they socialize one another.

Beside, Boly (1996:7) says that linguistics wants to find out how a language works and to describe this in the best way possible. Actually, language is a scientific study learning a human language. It consists of subfield-studies such as, phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and discourse analysis. Each subfield of studies above has each definition and function. In the fact, linguistics not only concerns in the internal factors. It proofs that there are many other sub-field of studies appearing together with linguistics such as, biolinguistics, neurolinguistics, pshycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, and so on.

Actually, linguistic structure can be independent in use, and so can social structure. On other hand, linguistic structure can influence social structure or in the opposite that social structure can influence linguistic structure. Linguistic structure can be learned in linguistics and social structure can be learned in sociology. There is also relation that language and society influence each other. So it appears sociolinguistics as a correlation study between sociology and linguistics.

Wardhaugh (2006:11) writes that Gumperz (1971:223) has observed that sociolinguistics is an attempt to find correlations between social structure and linguistic structure and to observe any changes that occur. Wardhaugh takes the statement of Chambers (2002:3) that Sociolinguistics is the study of the social uses of language, and the most productive studies in the four decades of sociolinguistic research have emanated from determining the social evaluation of linguistic variants. Beside, Chaer and Agustina (2004:3) quote the statement of J. A. Fishman (1972:4) that sociolinguistics is the study of characteristics of language varieties, the characteristics of their functions, and the characteristics of their speakers as three constantly interact, change and change one another within a speech community.

From some statements of linguists above, it can be concluded that sociolinguistics is a branch of linguistics that is combined with sociology, learning the variation of language related to social factors in a community. It is related to who speaks language, to whom it is delivered, when it is spoken, and how it is used. All cannot be separated to culture which the language comes.

So in learning sociolinguistics, learning the related culture is very important in order that people do not only imitate and speak the language easily without knowing the culture. This problem often happens in educational world especially spoken by students. By sociolinguistics, it is expected that teachers can transfer their knowledge in teaching some languages while recognizing their cultures to their students in order to avoid misinterpretation in speaking or using the languages

C.      Use of Sociolinguistic

Every field of study must have each use in this life like sociolinguistics which has many uses because it learns all about language in a speech community. It has certain roles in implementation. By sociolinguistics, people can learn language in some aspects. According to Fishman (1967:15) in Chaer and Agustina (2004:7), the discussing problem in sociolinguistic is “who speak, what language, to whom, and to what end”

Thus, the statement above has proved that there are the advantages in learning sociolinguistics in communication and interaction with others. Sociolinguistics is a view in communicating languages. It can show what language we should use to certain people. We have to pay attention whom listeners are or people whom we talk with. Languages spoken must also know the condition of speaking or society around, how we use languages in the office, library, family, market and so on, whether we have to use formal or informal or even intimate languages. 

In educational world, sociolinguistics has a big role. Foreign language learning is comprised of several components, including grammatical competence, communicative competence, language proficiency, as well as a change in attitudes towards one’s own or another culture. So sociolinguistics can help the teachers and even the students in learning languages and their culture easier because sociolinguistics gives all formula needed. Teachers or students cannot learn languages without knowing the culture and the society that own the languages, because the development of languages and culture can be influenced by society, and the development of society can be seen from languages used and from culture appearing. It is a proof that communication and culture have a strong boundary in society.

D.      How to Integrate Culture to Our Teaching Context

Culture and communication are inseparable because culture not only dictates who talks to whom, about what, and how the communication proceeds, it also helps to determine how people encode messages, the meanings they have for messages, and the conditions and circumstances under which various messages may or may not be sent, noticed, or interpreted. Culture is the foundation of communication.

Cultural competence is defined as a set of congruent behaviours, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals and enables that system, agency, or those professionals to work effectively in cross–cultural situations (Cross et al., 1989; Isaacs & Benjamin, 1991).  Operationally defined, cultural competence is the integration and transformation of knowledge about individuals and groups of people into specific standards, policies, practices, and attitudes used in appropriate cultural settings to increase the quality of services; thereby producing better outcomes.

The word culture is used because it implies the integrated patterns of human behaviour that includes thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values, and institutions of racial, ethnic, religious, or social groups.  The word competence is used because it implies having the capacity to function in a particular way: the capacity to function within the context of culturally integrated patterns of human behaviour defined by a group. Being competent in cross–cultural functioning means learning new patterns of behaviour and effectively applying them in the appropriate settings.  For example, a teacher with a class of African–American children may find that a certain look sufficiently quiets most of the class.  Often African–American adults use eye contact and facial expression to discipline their children.  However, this is not effective with all African–Americans.  Intra–group differences, such as geographic location or socioeconomic background, require practitioners to avoid over generalizing.  With other students, one might have to use loud demanding tones, quiet non–threatening language, or whatever is appropriate for those students.  The unknowing teacher might offend some students and upset others by using the wrong words, tone, or body language.  Being culturally competent means having the capacity to function effectively in other cultural contexts.

According to Mark A. King, Anthony Sims, & David Osher, there are five essential elements that contribute to a system's ability to become more culturally competent.  The system should (1) value diversity, (2) have the capacity for cultural self–assessment, (3) be conscious of the "dynamics" inherent when cultures interact, (4)  institutionalize cultural knowledge, and (5) develop adaptations to service delivery reflecting an understanding of diversity between and within cultures.  Further, these five elements must be manifested in every level of the service delivery system.  They should be reflected in attitudes, structures, policies, and services. Here is the tasks of the teachers to apply those five elements when they want to service their students by teaching language and culture in the classroom or even outside classroom.

E.       How to Introduce Culture to Students

Culture is like "glue" that binds a group of people together and in Indonesia, English is one of the foreign languages learned. When the Indonesian students are learning English, by an accident they are also learning the culture of other countries. The target countries are multi-lingual societies, composed of different religions, ethnicities, and regional and cultural backgrounds. How to introduce the culture to students is the teachers’ task in teaching-learning process.

Teacher can introduce culture to students in many ways by verbal or non-verbal communication based on the condition of each class. Teacher can recognize other countries’ culture to the students by teaching literature. After students are asked to read literature such as, poetry or novel, they can analyze the language structure at first then the understanding of the culture within them. Students can also learn the video of dialogue that their teacher play then they can learn the interactive activities that players do, or even by giving foreign music, students can also learn the foreign culture. By analyzing the contents then understanding what language used and finding out the culture that is provided by those foreign music are making the students easier to learn culture relax.

F.       Teaching Culture to Students of SMPN 1 Grogol and SDN Semen 1

We should realize that knowing the language, as well as the patterns of everyday life, is a prerequisite to appreciate the fine arts and literature, therefore we need a balanced perspective of culture when designing curricula. Actually, there is no exact curriculum for teaching culture in Indonesian education from Kindergarten to Senior High School. On other hand, foreign language learning is as foreign culture learning. By learning language, the students have to learn the culture of language itself in order to avoid misconception in using. It becomes a trick for the teachers how the students can achieve the target of curriculum in teaching-learning process and how they can also learn its culture.

In curriculum, there are standard competences, basic competences, and indicators that students achieve in teaching-learning process. Education in Indonesia divides to be two circles in teaching-learning process of English language. They are oral circle consisting of listening and speaking, and written circle consisting of reading and writing. In one teaching-learning material, teacher has to transfer it to students by fulfilling the both circles.

SMPN 1 Grogol is an institute where the writer gets occupation beside in SDN Semen 1. Both, which have different condition, are in the sub district area of Kediri, East Java. However, SMPN 1 Grogol has become RSBI and has some developments in all aspects. One of all is a condition of class which is facilitated by technology of computer and LCD, and also providing AC is expected to be able to increase the comfortable of students’ learning. But the most important thing is using bilingual in teaching-learning process. From periods 2010/2011 firstly this school to be RSBI, the writer is asked by the institute to guide the teachers and the students in bilingual classes especially for Mathematics and Science. The condition is a little different when she, as an English teacher of class 4 till 6 in SDN Semen 1,   teaches English language and when she, as a guide of Bilingual classes in SMPN 1 Grogol, teaches Mathematics and Science in English. It is a good challenge for her to make the students in both schools understand the culture of the language they are learning.

When the students of elementary school in class 4 are asked what the meaning of “rice” is in Indonesia, they must say that it is “nasi”. They are always taught about it, and “fried rice”, which has meaning “nasi goreng” in Indonesia, more emphasizes that the meaning of “rice” is only “nasi”. Then the writer explains that one word in English language can be more words in Indonesia. In Indonesia, “rice” can be “padi” or “tanaman padi”; “gabah” in Javanese language or “padi setelah dipanen yang masih ada kulit arinya”; “beras” or “padi yang siap dibeli, bersih dari kulit arinya”; “nasi” or “padi yang telah dimasak dan siap dikonsumsi”; and even “nasi aking” or “karak” in javanese language from Kediri or “nasi sisa yang dikeringkan”. It is a proof of the difference of culture which English, Indonesia, and Javanese language have. Maybe, some students of junior high school still do not know it when the writer try to explain science material and has easy talk about “rice” that relates the producer and consumer in food chain (rantai makanan) and food web (jaring-jaring makanan).

In teaching Science in English, she also learns some of strange words when reading the module of Science book in English version of Erlangga. Some words of Indonesia cannot be translated into English, one of examples is “walang sangit”. When the students ask why the English language of “walang sangit” keeps “walang sangit”, she just try to explain as logic as she can and as easy as they undertand, that we have different language to foreigners, “walang sangit” is the term of Indonesia to give a name to one of herbivores. In English language, there is only word “grasshopper”. Because we are the nation that is rich of culture, so one of grasshopper kinds in Indonesia is called “walang sangit” and the foreigners adopt our vocabulary.

There is also a word that interests me when teaching science to get more understanding. Word “plant of touch-me-not” is a name of plant which the writer thinks as a strangest name. When she relates the word with the context of discussion about “characteristics of living organisms”, she finally concludes that in Indonesia it is called “tumbuhan putri malu” which shut leaf if we touch. Then the students ask curiously why the name of plant is so strange. She actually does not know what the reason is, but she just relates it word by word by a little joke that “plant” is tanaman, “touch” is menyentuh, “me” is saya, “not” is tidak. So she explains to students that “plant of touch-me-not” is a kind of plant which does not want touching (tanaman yang tidak mau disentuh) because when you touch it, it will shut its leaf. Then the students laugh, and so does she. It also proves that learning culture is interesting.

The writer tries to teach students of elementary school by tricks of joyful learning because they cannot be forced to learn English faster by stressing them. She sometimes takes her laptop to class and invite the students enjoying English material. One of her teaching tricks is playing a short video of learning to the sixth grade students and asking the students to gather closer in front of the laptop because this elementary school still does not have LCD projector. The short video is a recording of a male foreigner whose name is Shawn Roe, that she takes from internet, which contains the explanation of common English greeting the foreigners usually have.

The writer tries to transcribe the learning video here. The most English people great others by “How are you” and the response is “I am fine, thank you, and you?. That is not only the way to great each others in English. It can also be by “How are you doing?” and the best response is “I am doing well, thank you, and you?”. The response of “thank you, and you” actually is not absolute to say. It is up to the speakers whether they want to use it or just say “I am fine” or “I am doing well” without saying “thank you, and you”. The next common English greeting is “how’s it going?” and the response is “it’s going well”.

We ever hear the Americans speaking English each other “How are you doing” and a lot of time give response “I am doing good”. The correct one is “I am doing well”. The other incorrect response is “it’s going good” when one asks “How’s it going?”. The correct one is “it’s going well”. Actually they are incorrect in grammatical structure, and Shawn says that it is a bad grammar.

All above are some samples of teaching culture to students of SMPN 1 Grogol and SDN Semen 1 in various conditions with also various tricks of teaching. Teacher has to make the students more enjoy teaching-learning process, understand easily about the topic of material, and has to create long remembrance in students’ brain that learning English is actually easy and we all can do it if we want.

G.     Conclusion

Sociolinguistics actually is important to learn by all people especially Indonesian because it gives more rule how to use language well. Beside, learning a language is very interesting because we can also learn the other culture which is different with ours. Learning something different is more challenging. It is expected that by learning language and its culture, Indonesian students can socialize well in their community. It is also as their base to interact one another harmoniously in the society moreover next when they are going to get occupation and socialize with more general society.

H.     Bibliography

Boly, Biat Klat. 1996. An Introduction to Linguistics for The Language Teacher. Cambridge University Press: New York.

Chaer, Abdul and Leonie Agustina. 2004. Sosiolinguitik: Perkenalan Awal, Edisi Revisi. PT. Rineka Cipta: Jakarta.

McKey, Sandra Lee and Nancy H. Hornberger. 1996. Sociolinguistics and Language Teaching, Cambridge University Press: New York.

Sumarwan, Sumartini, Kusmayadi, Sri Sulastri, Bambang A. Priambodo. 2010. Science for Junior High School Grade VII 2^nd semester. Erlangga: Jakarta.

Wardhaugh, Ronald. 2006. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics: Fifth Edition. Blackwell Publishing: Australia.

Weber, Max. Sociological Writings. Edited by Wolf Heydebrand 1994, Transcribed: by Andy Blunden in 1998, proofed and corrected 1999. www.jurnalilmiah.com