An Annotated Bibliography on Encouraging Cultural Exploration Through Language Learning The following annotated bibliography contains four sources with information about the impact of language learning, and the importance of cultural education throughout that process. Many of the following sources include data regarding the effect of cultural knowledge on the ability to speak and write foreign languages.

An Annotated Bibliography on Encouraging Cultural Exploration Through Language Learning
The following annotated bibliography contains four sources with information about the impact of
language learning, and the importance of cultural education throughout that process. Many of the
following sources include data regarding the effect of cultural knowledge on the ability to speak and
write foreign languages. These sources will support the research for my analytical report on ways to
encourage cultural exploration through language.
Doganay, Y., & Yergaliyeva, A. M. (2013). The impact of cultural based activities in foreign language
teaching at intermediate (B1) level. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 89, 734-740. DOI:
10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.08.924
This article was written to teach the importance of integrating cultural learning with language
learning. The authors argue that though it is important, language students are not being taught
how to communicate in intercultural situations. They used surveys and experiments to find that
the majority of students are open to learning about different cultures. They also found that
students who took an interactive approach to learning, getting experience speaking the
language with others and learning about cultural interactions, progressed faster and did better
on exams. The authors came to three conclusions: cultural based activities build a learning
environment that fosters discussion and interaction; having foreign language interaction
encourages students to do their best; and participating in cultural learning activities through
language brings real world context into the classroom. The authors encourage this form of
language learning, showing that these tools can increase lingual skills.
Dr. Yakup Doganay is an expert in Language Education and Teaching Methods. Aida Yergaliyeva
worked with him in the Department of Philology at Suleyman Demirel University. The article
was written in 2013 to analyze how cultural interaction impacts students learning foreign
languages. The research was conducted at Suleyman Demirel University, but has applications in
all language programs. Being one of the first to talk about intercultural involvement and lingual
studies, this source is unique because the theories were tested in a real-life learning
environment. Though this source has real-life data, it has not been tested outside of an official
classroom setting. However, we can speculate that this method works both in and outside of
the classroom. Since my project is about encouraging interaction between native and foreign
students, this resource will support the importance of connections between language-learning
students and foreign students, and how both can benefit.
Ferro, N. (1998). Motivation and impact of foreign language learners. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.mnsu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquestcom.ezproxy.mnsu.edu/docview/304490370?accountid=12259
The purpose of this source is to educate readers on the motivations of students who learn
foreign languages, the importance of language learning, and its impact. Nina Ferro interviewed
language-learning students, their parents, and their teachers at Jefferson High School in Morris
County, New York. Her research also explained how foreign language can affect the learner’s
lives by helping with school, increasing mental development, and allowing for future work
opportunities. Ferro noted that a common theme among language-learning students was that
their families played a large role in encouraging their language studies. She also found that
whether or not students thought the language would be easy influenced which language they
chose, and that introducing language-learning at an early age influenced the chances of
language-learning later on in life.
This article was written by Nina Ferro as she studied Curriculum and Instruction at Caldwell
College for her Master’s degree. The study was performed to learn more about why students
pursue foreign language learning and how their experiences in it have impacted them. Ferro’s
research takes place at Jefferson High School in Morris County, New York, where she
interviewed students, teachers, and parents to learn more about the student’s successes and
investigate correlations in motivation. While some other sources interview only language
students, this source also interviewed the teachers and parents, which gives a unique outside
view. This source may be limited, due to the fact that it is not based on data, only participant
perspectives. However, it is still useful since it gives us a look into the motivations of language
learners and how those motivations affected their success. This source will be used in my
project to help identify the motivations of most language-learning students, and how interacting
with foreign students might fall in line with their motivations.
Fishman, R. (2015, May 28). College Decisions Survey: Deciding to Go to College. New America.
Retrieved from https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/collegedecisions/
McEown, M. S., Noels, K. A., & Saumure, K. D. (2014). Students’ self-determined and integrative
orientations and teachers’ motivational support in a japanese as a foreign language context. System: An
International Journal of Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics, 45, 227. DOI:
10.1016/j.system.2014.06.001
This source was written to understand the motivations of successful language-learning students
and the type of support given by teachers. The authors recognize the importance of intercultural
understanding when learning a language, but they saw it can be difficult for students to have
interaction if they live outside of the country that speaks the language they are trying to learn.
They identified several common motivations of language-learning students and separated them
into two categories. Self-determined motivation is based on internal desires, while integrative
orientation is based on exploring other cultures. Both are an important part of language
learning, and there is often overlap between them. To learn more about the motivations of
students, they surveyed groups of Canadian students learning Japanese. They asked why the
students were learning Japanese and how much interaction they had with Japanese speakers
outside of class. They also asked about support from teachers and what the teachers did to
motivate the students. The authors found that a student’s ability to explore foreign cultures is
important for understanding the motivation of students and that cultural engagement can be a
good predictor of a student’s language learning success.
The article was written by Maya McEown, Kristie Saumure, and Kimberly Noels. Maya McEown
is an education expert at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. Dr. Kristie Saumure has her PhD in
Library and Informational Studies, and Dr. Kimberly Noels is a Psychology Professor at Alberta
University. The article was written in 2014 while the authors studied students’ language
learning motivation, specifically that of Canadian students learning Japanese. They hoped to
find whether success in language learning was related to motivation or instruction method. This
source analyzes the motivations of students and their views of success, rather than exam scores,
and notes the importance of community and cultural interaction when learning a language. The
authors recognized their research’s limitations; the students were answering questions based on
self-reflection, meaning they may have misconceptions about their own motivations and
success. However, personal views may be considered a viable way to determine success. This
source pointed out many of the motivations students have for learning languages. Since I will be
coming up with a recommendation for encouraging foreign and native student interaction,
knowing the motivations of language-learning students and the impact of good teaching
methods will help me tailor my plan to their experiences.
Ngo, N. T. H. (2016). The impact of listening strategy instruction on listening comprehension: A study in
an english as a foreign language context. E-FLT: Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 13(2),
245.
The purpose of this article is to discuss the importance of listening comprehension strategies in
language learning students. The authors studied the progress of EFL (English as a Foreign
Language) students as they were instructed in listening comprehension strategies, compared to
students who did not have the same instruction. They performed both interviews and tests to
see how students responded to this new learning style. Throughout the school year, they found
dramatic increases in test scores for students who went through listening comprehension
training. They also found that listening training was more effective for more motivated
students. Classrooms often focus on written language, not speaking and listening; Ngo argues
that this needs to change. Speaking and listening interaction has been proven to increase
student’s language abilities.
The article was written in 2016 by Nga Thi Hang Ngo, a professor at Tay Bac University, Vietnam.
The author studied how different teaching methods can improve language-learning student
listening comprehension. A study was conducted of EFL (English as a Foreign Language)
students at Tay Bac University to see how their language success changed after being instruction
in listening strategies. This source speaks to the importance of language interaction and
listening to native speakers. They used both tests and interviews to determine what students
thought of the listening strategies and how they improved their abilities. This source will be
useful for my project because it proves the importance of listening experience in language
learning. The best way to get that experience is through talking with native speakers. Though
the source does not give much information on how language students can learn listening
strategies, it emphasizes the importance of gaining that experience.
Smith, B. (2008, July 23). Mixing tough for overseas students. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved
from http://www.smh.com.au/national/mixing-tough-for-overseas-students-20080722-3jcl.html