EXPERIENCES AND PERSPECTIVES OF IN-SERVICE TEACHERS OF ENGLISH AT LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOLS TOWARDS THE PRACTICE OF CULTURE TEACHING IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS

Abstract

This paper looks into the experiences and perspectives of teachers of English at lower secondary schools towards the practice of teaching culture in their classrooms. Data were collected quantitatively and qualitatively through semi-open questionnaires and group interviews with 45 teachers of lower secondary schools in a city in the north of Vietnam. It was primarily discovered that, although most of the informants had many years of teaching experience, and the conditions for teaching cultural contents in their classes were believed to be rather favorable, these teachers found it hard for them to actually implement culture teaching due to the lack of skills at exploring cultural contents in textbooks and conducting suitable in-class activities. Recommendations are made regarding professional development programs for in-service teachers of English at secondary schools in Vietnam in the future.