Mãmoire 1

People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research

Amar Thelidji University – Laghouat
Faculty of Letters and Foreign Languages
Department of English
Exploring Learning Difficulties in Civilisation Classes

Case Study: First Year Students
Department of English, Amar Thelidji-Laghouat
Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for a Master Degree in

literature and Civilisation
Submitted by: Supervisor:

Mr. BRAHIMI Mohamed Mr. BEN REDDA Djamel
2017-2018
Abstract
Nowadays, the acquisition of foreign languages plays an important role in developing

learners’ intercultural communication. Therefore, the teaching modules such as
civilisation within the English studies at the Algerian universities are a paramount to
strengthen this role. It offers students information on the main aspects of target
language natives’ life. It also provides them with cultural background in order to
prepare them for potential cross-cultural communication in which they may encounter
linguistic and cultural barriers. Yet, in this specific context, we found that in the
department of English at Amar Thelidji University (Laghouat) this goal is somehow
difficult to reach. Therefore, this research aims at contributing to the existence of the
solid link between language and culture by presenting comprehensive accounts to the
didactic situations of teaching and learning civilisation in the department of English at
Amar Thelidji University (Laghouat). It also identifies the difficulties and challenges
that hamper the goal of this syllabus from being fully realised. The theoretical bases
selected for the purpose were put according to descriptive method. Relying on the
collected data from the tools used for the purpose, namely the teachers’ and students’
questionnaires. The research will provide some solutions for the major difficulties that
face the learners by presenting some effective teaching techniques.
I
Acknowledgments
First of all, I would like to express my deep hearty gratitude to my supervisor
Mr. BEN REDDA DJAMEL who offered his expertise
to accomplish this work, without whom this work could not be achieved.
Furthermore, I am indebted to all
teachers and students who participated in this work.
Finally, my best appreciations go to
the jury members who accepted to read and examine my work.
II
Dedication
At first, a special dedication
to my dear parents.
To all my friends and colleagues
who helped me with the questionnaire distribution.
I am especially grateful to the two members on The Trinity
kabache Ameur and Sliea Mohamed Elamin
who were my resort whenever I had a research ache.
They were greatly supportive in moments of difficulty and frustration.
To all those I know and have not mentioned their names.
BRAHIMI Mohamed
III
List of Abbreviations
EFL: English as a Foreign Language……………………………………………..01
ESL: English as a Second Language……………………………………………...26
LLD: Language Learning Disabilities………………………………………….....23
LMD: License/Masters/Doctorate………………………………………………….01
LD: Learning Disabilities………………………………………………………..23
L 1: Mother Tongue / First Language…………………………………………...24
L2: Second Language…………………………………………………………...22
IV
List of Tables
Table 01: students’ prior knowledge………………………………………………...50
Table 02: students’ vocabulary…………………………………………………...…51
Table 03: students’ attitude towards civilisation exams…………………………….51
Table 04: students’ attitude towards the module of civilisation…………..…..….…52
Table 05: students’ attitude towards the programme of civilisation…………...……53
Table 06: students’ attitude towards the amount of information……………………53
Table 07: students’ suggestions on the amount of information………………..……54
Table 08: teaching techniques used by civilisation teachers……………..................55
Table 09: students’ attitude towards summarising what they understood…………..56
Table 10: students’ reasons behind their refusal………………………………….…56
Table 11: difficulties that face students in learning civilisation………………….…57
Table 12: British civilisation effects on students’ culture……………………...…...57
Table 13: teachers’ attitude towards find the programme of civilisation……...….…60
Table 14: teachers’ opinion on the time allotted to programme of civilisation…..…60
Table 15: students’ attitude towards the learning of civilisation……………………61
Table 16: teachers’ attitude towards the topics they teach……………..……………62
Table 17: the cultural topics taught…………………………………………….……63
Table 18: objectives behind teaching those topics………………………………..…64
Table 19: the teaching techniques used by the teachers…………………………..…65
V
List of Figures
Figure 01: Students’ lack of Vocabulary in the Module……………..………………
Figure 02: Students’ attitude towards the programme of civilisation………………..
Figure 03: Teaching techniques used by civilisation teachers………………………
Figure 04: British civilisation influence on students’ culture………………………
Figure 05: Teachers’ attitude towards the topics they teach…………………………
Figure 06: The Cultural Topics taught ……………………………………………….
Figure 07: The teaching techniques used………………………………………………
VI
Table of Contents
Abstract……………………………………………………………….…………………I
Acknowledgements…………………………………………….…………………….II
Dedication…………………………………………………………………..…………III
List of Abbreviations…………………………………………………………….…IV
List of Tables…………………………………………………………………….……V
List of Figures………………………………………………………………………..VI
Table Contents………………………..………………………………………………VII
General Introduction ................................................................................................01
Chapter One: Language, Culture and Civilisation………….……..……….05
1.1. Introduction ....................................................................................................06
1.2. Civilisation and Culture: Definitions………………………………………..06
1.3. Culture for Foreign Language Learners: Definition………………………...11
1.4. Difference between "Culture "and "culture"………………………………...12
1.5. Characteristics of Culture and Civilisation………………………….....……14
1.5.1. Culture……………………………………………………………..14
1.5.2. Civilisation………………………………………………………...15
1.6. Culture vs. Civilisation………………...……………………………………16
1.7. Language and culture………………………………………………………..16
1.8. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………..19
VII
Chapter Two: English situation in Algerian Context …..………………….20
2.1. Introduction………………………………………………………………….21
2.2. English Language Situation in Algeria……………………………………...21
2.3 Major Difficulties in Learning English as a Second or Foreign Language….23
2.3.1. Anxiety…………………………………………………………….24
2.3.2. The Influence of the First Language………………………………24
2.4. Major Difficulties in Learning British Civilisation in Algeria……………...28
2.4.1. The Lack of Cultural Background Knowledge……………………29
2.4.2. The Methodology…………………………………………….........29
2.5. Effective Ways of Teaching British Civilization in EFL Classrooms………31
2.5.1. The Foreign- Cultural Approach…………………………………..32
2.5.2. Task-Oriented Approach…………………………………………..33
2.5.3. The Intercultural Approach………………………………………..33
2.5.4. The Thematic Approach…………………………………………..34
2.5.5. Problem Solving Technique……………………………………….34
2.5.6. The Use of Visual Aids……………………………………………34
2.5.7. Research Conducting Technique………………………………….34
2.6. Conclusion……………………………………………………………..……35
Chapter Three: Methodology Design and Procedures of the Study...…..36
3.1. Introduction………………………………………………………………….37
3.2. Method of research…………………………………………………………..37
VIII
3.2.1. Qualitative Research………………………………………………38
3.2.2. Quantitative research……………………………………………...39
3.3. Case study……………………………………………………………………39
3.3.1. Purpose of the Case study……………………………………….....41
3.4. Data collection………………………………………………………….........41
3.4.1. The questionnaire………………………………………………….41
3.4.2. The questionnaire advantage and disadvantage…………….......…42
3.4.3. Description of the questionnaire……………………………….......43
3.4.4. Pilot administration………………………………………………..44
3.5. Population and sampling…………………………………………………….44
3.6. Data analysis………………………………………………………………...45
3.6.1. The Students’ Questionnaire………………………………............45
3.6.2. The Teachers’ Questionnaire……………………………………...45
3.7. Limitation of the study……………………………………………………….46
3.8. Conclusion………………………………………………………………......46
Chapter Four: Data Analysis, Discussion and Suggestions...…………..…48
4.1. Introduction………………………………………………………………….49
4.2. Students’ Questionnaire……………………………………………………..49
4.2.1. Description of the Questionnaire.…………………………………50
4.2.2. The Questionnaire Results………………………………………...50
4.2.3. Interpretation of the Questionnaire………………………………..58
4.3. Teachers’ Questionnaire…………………………………………………….59
IX
4.3.1. Description of the Questionnaire……………………………….....59
4.3.2. The Questionnaire Results………………………………………...60
4.3.3. Interpretation of the Questionnaire………………………………..66
4.4. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………..68
General Conclusion ...................................................................................................70
Bibliography ...............................................................................................................72
Appendices
Appendix I: The Students’ Questionnaire
Appendix II: The Teachers’ Questionnaire
X
General Introduction
Over the last decades, learning English as a foreign language became

widespread goal almost in every country around the world. Researchers in the field of
education have argued that when people speak two or more languages, there is a great
deal of cross-linguistic influence between languages. Conceptually, this fact
necessitates mediation between languages, cultures and the identities they represent.
Thus, the British Civilization course is very important in English as a foreign language
(EFL) curriculum since it adequately responds to EFL learning. In the Algerian
universities, for instance, the teaching programme of civilisation at the English
departments is considered as one of the main sources of learning language. The course
offers students information on the main life aspects of the target community (culture,
society, institutions…) with historical background. Moreover, it intends to make
students aware of the cultural context of the target language in order to make them able
to have a successful intercultural communication. This is necessary for them as long as
they cannot learn English language without acquiring some cultural knowledge about
the nation that gave birth to language.
1. Statement of the Problem
Therefore, considering the programme of civilisation as one of the main sources

for raising EFL students’ cultural awareness, one needs to be aware of the teaching
approaches that can promote intercultural communication. Hence, the teaching content
is reduced to some factual information mainly the historical ones, this led to emergence
of several problems. One problem is that such presentations do not enrich students’
cultural knowledge nor do they cater for their ignorance about others. Through this
teaching method, EFL learners may become accustomed to perceive Britain merely as
a country of monarchy, castles, kingdoms and aristocracy. Other problem, when first
1
year students start attending lectures in British civilization module during the first
semester, they confront a difficulty dealing with the module due to the lack of historical
background knowledge, the thing that makes the learning process somewhat difficult.
This lack hinders the learning process by forcing the learners to spend more time and
effort in acquiring and understanding the new information. Additional problem,
because of the influence of the western culture, some foreign language learners may
attempt to imitate the context of native speakers with its full conventional meanings,
and when they are exposed only to a list of topics that celebrate the target community’s
achievements, this influence will likely be enforced. Furthermore, the teaching
techniques used in EFL classes affect the students’ attitude towards the target module.
Therefore, the students become uninterested in the module especially the British
civilisation module due to its long program.
2. Aim of the Study
This study aims at investigating the difficulties that face EFL students in
learning British civilization and shed the light on different approaches of teaching
civilisation. Besides, as it concerns the first LMD students who study English as a
foreign language in the department of English at Amar Thelidji University of Laghouat,
it provides clear explanations for the relationship between civilisation and the learning
of English and how can they affect each other. In addition, it suggests some effective
teaching techniques that can help both teachers and learners in dealing with the module
of civilisation.
2
3. Research questions
This study involves three main questions:

01. What are the main difficulties that face EFL students in learning British
civilisation? Did they have an influence on learning English?
02. Can the teaching techniques work as barriers in the way of learning British
civilisation?
03. What are the appropriate teaching techniques that can help students to overcome
those difficulties and make the learning of British civilisation an easy process to do?
4. Hypotheses
Mastering the English language does not only depend on acquiring linguistic,
phonetic, and communicative competences but it depends also on the awareness of the
cultural context and realising the relation between civilisation and language.
Considering learning civilisation as one of the main sources for raising EFL students’
cultural awareness and strengthening the leaning process of the language itself, we
think probably due to the learners’ weakness in civilisation the learning process will be
some how difficult. So, first, we hypothesis that first year students find it hard dealing
with British civilisation module due to several problems such as the nature of the topics
they learn, the teaching techniques their teacher used in the classroom and the time
devoted to learn British civilisation. Second, we hypothesize that providing the
appropriate teaching techniques may help the students overcome those difficulties.
3
5. Means of Research
The research is mainly prompted by the desire to investigate the difficulties in

learning British civilisation in EFL classroom. A sample of 30 students and 06 teachers
took part in the present study, they were drawn from the Department of English at the
University of Laghouat. The investigation approach was presented by two
questionnaires, one for the students and other one for the teachers. Concerning the use
of the questionnaire as a technique of research, it is an appropriate mean of collecting
data about students’ opinion on the module, reaction to the teaching methods and
attitude on the program. Besides, it totally represents the experimental method. The
information we wish to get is likely to be precise and clear in that it is controlled by the
questions and both teachers and students can answer the different questions relative to
the module of civilisation.
6. Significance of the Study
This research contributes to the study of language and culture in EFL

classrooms. In addition, it sheds the lights on the main reasons behind the students’
weaknesses in British civilization module in the department of English at Amar Thelidji
University (Laghouat). It also tends to offer practical solutions for the didactical
problems, that face learners and teachers, by presenting several teaching techniques
that can help both first year students and British civilisation teachers in dealing with
the module. Finally, the results of this study will pave the way for further future
researches that will help in exploring the problems faced by EFL teachers and learners
in teaching and learning English as a foreign language in general and the British
civilization in specific.
4
7. Structure of the Thesis
The thesis is divided into four main chapters. The first chapter is devoted to the
theoretical aspects and literature survey in which there are several definitions of
civilisation and culture with an explanation of their relationship to language. While the
second chapter, it is a presentation of the English situation in Algeria and the difficulties
that the learners face when dealing with the module of British civilization. In addition,
it presents a number of effective techniques in teaching civilization. The third chapter
is dedicated to the presentation of the research methodology design which includes the
method followed (the descriptive method), the data collection and analyses techniques
used (the questionnaires), the study limitation and the population of the study. Finally,
the fourth chapter is the practical part of the present study. It consists of questionnaires
devised to both the British civilization teachers and the first year LMD students in the
Department of English at Amar Thelidji University of Laghouat. It mainly concerns the
analysis of the data gathered from the questionnaires that serve to verify the research
hypotheses.
5
Chapter One
Language, Culture and Civilisation
1. Introduction
2. Civilisation and Culture
- Definitions
3. Culture for Foreign Language Learners
- Definition
4. Difference between "Culture" and "culture"
5. Characteristics of Culture and Civilisation
- Culture
- Civilisation
6. Culture vs. civilization
7. Language and culture
8. Conclusion
Chapter One: Language, Culture and Civilisation
1.1. Introduction
Learning a new foreign language is a long complex process. It is an intercultural

subject matter. All languages are used within particular cultural contexts and reflect
those contexts. Learning a new language, therefore, involves more than the acquisition
of linguistic and communicative competence in that language. It also involves an
increase in learners’ familiarity with that language’s cultural background, an expansion
of the learner’s cultural awareness and intercultural competence. English as a foreign
language (EFL) is not an exception. Thus, mastering it forces the learner to be aware
of its civilisation and culture. This chapter provides an understanding to both culture
and civilisation from different theories and views that are still modern, focusing on
those that are relevant to language teaching and learning. These theories are central to
the study of culture as they are the fundamental issues underlying the role of culture in
language classes. Additionally, as this thesis deals with the learning of civilisation and
culture, this chapter is predominantly devoted to explain the historical use of the term
civilisation and its relation to the term culture from a historical perspective. In addition,
it presents the characteristics of civilisation and culture as well in order to help both
learners and teachers to notice its functions and recognise its importance in foreign
language classes.
1.2. Civilisation and Culture: definitions
The distinction between civilisation and culture has always been a confusing
matter. For instance, if an English language learner is asked about both meanings, he
may refer to common subjects such as history, customs, traditions, and geography. This
confusion has a historical root that determines the use of the two terms. To clarify the
origin of this confusion, there will be several definitions provided to give useful
explanations to both terms from different perspectives.
7
Literally, according to Kroeber and Kluckhohn, the term civilisation is derived

from the Latin word "civilis" which means "citizen" and "civitas" that means "city" or
"state" in which citizens lived in an organized state against the tribesman. Here, the
word civilisation is largely associated with the city. Later in the 18th Century, this term
was used largely in the French language to take a social sense. Kroeber and Kluckhohn
explained that the word civilisation is French derived from the verb "civiliser" meaning
to achieve or impart refined manners, urbanization, and improvement. This means that
one of the first conditions of civilisation is the urbanism system (145).
On the other hand, the literal meaning of the term culture, as Kroeber and
Kluckhohn stated, is derived from the Latin word "cultus" which means "tending the
soil" and "colere" that means "cultivate". Both meaning embrace the same idea that is
associated with cultivation to designate a cultivated plot referring to a state of farming
and agriculture (150).
Socially, the term culture was used around 1787 in Germany during the social
struggle of the German citizens against the French aristocracy. The term culture
"Kultur" was used in the German context against the French term civilisation to refer
to high moral cultivations of humans. Elias explained that during that period of the
middle of the 18th century, the French language was the language of the upper class in
all German states while the German language was the language of civil society. The
result of the social conflict between the two classes was the production of the
dichotomy of culture and civilisation (98). Kant criticised the class of aristocracy and
preferred to use the term of culture "Kultur" instead of the French term civilisation as
following:
While the idea of morality is indeed present in culture, an
application of this idea which only extends to the semblances of
morality, as in love of honour and outward propriety, amounts
merely to civilization. (307)
8
Kant and other German thinkers believed that people establish their everyday
life by producing and developing through science and technology. However, not all of
this is enough to say that they have a culture, because, for Kant the condition of culture
is the idea of morality. Since then, Kant and other German thinkers used culture
"Kultur" to speak about human cultivation, or refinement of mind, taste, and manners.
Whereas, others writing in English and Roman languages kept using the term
civilisation. This means that the different use of the two terms was due to regional
variations.
Nevertheless, after the middle of the 18th century, culture and civilisation
started to be used synonymously when the British anthropologist Tylor used them
interchangeably (1). He provided a comprehensive concept of culture and civilisation
as follows:
Culture or civilization, takes in its broad ethnographic sense, is

that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art,
morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits
acquired by man as a member of society. (120)
By "man" Tylor means humankind. By "complex whole" he means humankind

customs and capabilities. As can be observed, Tylor treated both culture and civilisation
similarly. However, some anthropologists concluded that civilisation is the highest
stage of human achievements. Whereas the term primitive refers to the beginning of
any culture which is one stage in the evolution of the human being. This belief is similar
to Braudel and Bagby who regarded culture as only one stage in the evolution of the
human being which is lower than civilisation (120; 65). On the other hand, other
anthropologists, associate this distinction with urbanism. This means the important
characteristics of civilisation are the urbanism system.
9
Furthermore, understanding the meaning of civilisation can be traced back in

the Muslim cultural traditions in the 14th century in the writings of Ibn Khaldoun who
is considered as the first one who provided an analytical view on history and social
sciences, exploring the origin and evolution of societies. In his attempt to analyse the
factors that lead to the cycle of civilisation, Ibn Khaldoun used "alumran" as a key that
distinguish between Bedouins people who live in (badou) and urbanism (alhadre),
associating civilisation (hadara) with people of urbanism.
Here, Ibn Khaldoun used "Umran", referring to people of the urban societies,
as an important condition for civilisation where people achieve both quantitative and
qualitative progress in production, enjoying higher state of wealth, luxury, clothes,
production, artefact, and achievements in art and architecture. Whereas, the life of
Bedouins is associated with agriculture, and animals raising. This means that
civilisation is meant the state of urbanism and materials achievements in art,
production, artefact, and commerce.
All of Kroeber, Kluckhohn, Elias, and Ibn khaldoun views towards civilisation
are associated with the only geographic and economic status. If culture is only a stage
of civilisation, how can we explain then the belief that culture embraces all human life?
Why is not the opposite? That is to say, civilisation is part of culture. For example, the
cycles of civilisations emerge and fall, but cultures continue. They also ignore the
individual as a key in shaping civilisation.
According to Muslims and non-Muslims scholars, more accurate scientific and

functional analytical view about civilisation and culture was presented by the Algerian
scholar Bennabi who influenced by Ibn Khaldoun. In his books Shurut Elnahda, he
analysed the problem of civilisation (hadarah) in the Muslim worlds by providing a
broad historical concept to the social phenomenon of human life, attributing ‘the
10
problem of any people is that of their civilisation’ (p.21). Bennabi provides scientific
and functional meanings to civilisation as follows:
Scientifically, Bennabib claims that the formula of Man (insan) plus Soil (turab)
plus Time (waqt) are three fundamental ingredients of civilisation. Soil (Turab) does
not mean only, the city, and the place where people live, but also the raw materials that
created by God for human to exploit and develop. Bennabi regards that civilisation can
be generated from an idea in which man (insan), who is characterised by biological
values that constitute every human being and the social values that are acquired within
the social environment, is the key source of any civilising process. Unlike money that
loses its value. For Bennabi, the element of time is the absolute currency that never
loses its value. People should exploit time in productive way. The individual and social
values of man like skills, ideas, moral, ethics, behaviours, social traditions, customs,
and the raw materials produced by the land go with the historical stage-time- of any
society. So the individual who is the key element in any civilising process should be
saturated with certain social values and behaviours (81-148).
As for the functional meaning of civilisation, according to Bennabi, it is all the

social functions that contribute to civilisation. He explained that in any daily
product/device we use, we have to look at the ideas that created it and people who made
it which are social functions of any specific civilisation. In both meanings, Bennabi
considers culture as an important component that reflects any specific civilisation
where the civilised person live (89). Therefore, he emphasises that it is erroneous to
associate the western civilisation only with its materials production of arts, industry,
and science. For him these achievements would not exist without special social life that
contributed to all these achievements (95).
11
Accordingly, Bennabi regards culture as the environment that surrounds the

person (insan), the frame they move inside, and the milieu that produces civilised
people (92). In brief, Bennabi, resembles culture as the bridge that people cross to
civilisation. According to him, there is no history without culture and people who lose
their culture, they lose their history.
In the line of these thoughts, civilisation cannot always be restricted to people’s

achievements in art, history, economy, literature, and the like, but it includes other
sub-elements such as people’s ideas, thought, values, customs, traditions that contribute
to their achievements. Therefore, respectively, when talking about civilisation, we talk,
as Ibn Khaldoun indicated that is the whole way of human life style.
1.3. Culture for Foreign Language Learners: definition
In spite of all theories that tried to define civilisation and culture for foreign
language learners, there is no one consensus that provides a clear cut definition to the
term culture. Kroeber & Kluckhohn, for instance, reveal over one hundred and fifty
definitions relevant to culture. In essence, culture has long been and continues to be a
contentious issue and renewal among many language researchers and scholars, to state
some but few as follow: Culture is so broadly to define (Lafayette 69); it is complex
(Kramsch, 143; Liddicoat and Scarino122). Even talking about our own culture can be
problematic and how our culture influences our way of behaviour. How is then about
the target culture we teach and learn? Language teachers themselves perceive the
meaning of culture differently.
For Bennabi, the problem underlying the meanings of culture is that they take
either the philosophy of the individual alone or the philosophy of the society alone,
which from Bennabi’s point of view they do not link between civilisation and culture.
In addition, Bennabi considered culture as:
12
The total sum of ethical characteristics and social values

attained by the individual since his birth. It is his primary
resource within the social environment in which he acquires his
habits and personality. (89)
For Bennabi, this definition recognises both the society and the individuals.
That is to say, it takes the efforts of both society and individuals in building civilisation.
Bennabi’s thought is that neither the society nor the individual alone are able to produce
a distinguished culture that can play its real role in any civilisation.
1.4. Difference between "Culture" and "culture"
Furthermore, Kramsch divides culture into two major categories: one with a big
"C" (Culture) and other one with a small "c" (culture). The first category comes from
the humanities, and the second one comes from the social sciences. The former refers
to materials productions of a certain community such as their architecture, art,
literature, music, food, social institutions, folklore or works of their everyday life.
These categories of culture are the visible products of culture. The latter, on the other
hand, refers to the system of behaviour or rules of a community such as their verbal
behaviours, attitudes, habits, social etiquette, and other daily activities (2). In language
teaching and learning, these two categories were introduced through two different
teaching and learning approaches of culture:
The first approach, which stresses the teaching and learning of the materials
productions of a society and its members, is often placed under the umbrella term
"civilisation", is typically referred to capital "C" culture (Chastain 55); formal culture
(Brooks 61), or big "C" Culture (Tomalin and Stempleski 81; Lázár 47; Kramsch, 30).
13
When translated this approach into practice, the cultural knowledge learners
have to learn, for instance, is basically how to understand major geographical settings,
historical events, national products, and social institutions (administrative, educational,
political, economic, religious), and the like. One of the main reasons for teaching such
topics is that learners will gain useful lexical items relating to describing places, history
and figures. This definition seems more static. However, for language researchers, one
major problem with this approach is that it regards cultural knowledge as a mere
acquisition of factual knowledge or just knowing pieces of information.
Through the second approach, culture is viewed as a social behaviour. The

belief of this idea was very strong in the 1980s as a result of the works of the American
anthropologists (Hymes 10; Gumperz 82). In language education, this approach refers
to culture as small ‘c’ (culture) or behaviour culture (Chastain 88) or little culture
(Lázár 27; Kramsch 63).This type of culture is described as the less noticeable and
tangible.
Under this approach, learners have to engage with the daily social activities and
social behaviour of the target community focusing on minor themes such as beliefs,
attitude, foods, clothing styles, hobbies, customs, and traditions. Nevertheless, other
researchers state that it is erroneous to assume that culture in language teaching and
learning can be reduced to small "c" and big "C" culture. The culture to be taught and
learnt hitherto is treated as if it is a set of rules that can be mastered by learners. Lot of
Researchers emphasise the symbolic study of language (Geertz 110; Thompson 90;
Kramsch 56).
1.5. Characteristics of Culture and Civilisation
In order to give a clear understanding of culture and civilisation, we have

examined their main characteristics. A careful examination of their characteristics helps
to notice their functions and recognise their importance in foreign language classes.
14
1.5.1. Culture
Haviland declared that it is only through a comparative examination of human

being cultures, one can understand the basic characteristics of culture (58). He stated
that every culture is socially learned, shared, based on symbols, integrated, and
dynamic: First, culture is learnt, not inherited. It is usually called learned ways of
behaviour. People are not born with cultural knowledge but they learn them through
socialization. For example a new born baby learns some cultural norms through
observing behaviours of people of his/her surroundings. Every child goes through a
process of enculturation when they grow up in a culture. Second, since culture is
learned from society environment, it is automatically shared by members of a society
who produce behaviours that are understood by the whole community. Culture cannot
be associated with individuals solely but to individuals as members of groups.
Third, culture is based on symbols. Each time there are new symbols that
appear or are invented to convey changed cultural meanings; these Symbols can either
be verbal (linguistic) or nonverbal (object, written symbol). Fourth, culture is
integrated. It is not a random phenomenon. All cultural aspects are interconnected. One
cannot truly understand a culture, without learning about all of its aspects. Fifth, culture
is dynamic (Liddicoat and Scarino 212; Byram 50). No culture remains constant.
According to Byram all cultures change over time as a result of political, economic and
historical events and developments, and as a result of interactions with other cultures;
they exchange new ideas and symbols (111). Damen also summarized the most
important characteristics of culture briefly in his definition of culture:
Culture: learned and shared human patterns or models for

living; day- to-day living patterns. These patterns and models
pervade all aspects of human social interaction. Culture is
mankind's primary adaptive mechanism. (367)
15
One important worth mentioning characteristic in his definition is that culture

is a human practice, mankind's primary, and adaptive mechanism. Suffice it to say,
culture is human practice, and it is associated only with human, unlike animals which
do not possess cultures.
1.5.2. Civilisation
Venugopalan stated several characteristics as the following: first, Civilization

can be distinguished by traits. In other words, civilizations have been distinguished by
their means of subsistence, types of livelihood, settlement patterns, forms of
government, social stratification, economic systems, literacy and other cultural traits.
Second, all human civilizations have depended on agriculture for subsistence. Growing
food in farms results in a surplus of food, particularly when people use intensive
agricultural technique such as irrigation and crop rotation. A surplus of food permits
the people to do things besides produce food for a living and also results in a division
of labour and a more diverse range of human activity. Third, civilisations are
characterised by complex political structure. Comparing a civilisation with other
society’s civilizations, it has moved to a complex political structure namely the State.
There is a greater difference among the social classes. The ruling class normally
concentrated in the cities, has control over much of the surplus and exercises through
the actions of a government or bureaucracy. Fourth, displaying more complex patterns
of ownership is one of the most important characteristics of civilisation. Living in one
place allows people to accumulate more personal possessions than nomadic people.
Some people also acquire landed property or private ownership of the land. Fifth,
development of writing is considered a hallmark of civilization. Trader’s bureaucrats
relied on writing to keep accurate records. Like money, writing was necessitated by the
size of the population of a city and complexity of its commerce among people who not
personally acquired with early other (9, 10).
16
1.6. Culture vs. civilization
As Venugopalan detailed, culture and civilisation have several differences as

following: first, civilization is a bigger unit than culture because it is a complex of the
society that dwells within a certain areas along with its form of government norms and
even culture. Second, culture is perennial and has impact on humanity as a whole.
Civilization is synchronous and keeps pace with the present. Third, a culture ordinarily
exists within a civilization in this regard each civilization can contain not only one but
several cultures. Fourth, culture can exist in itself whereas civilization cannot be called
a civilization if it does not possess a certain culture. Hence a civilization will become
empty if it does not have its culture, no matter how little it is. Fifth, culture can be
something that is tangible and it can be something that isn’t. But civilization is
something that can be seen as a whole and it is more or less tangible though its basic
component, like culture can be immaterial (11).
1.7. Language and Culture
As culture is socially learned, shared, based on symbols, integrated and dynamic;

English language situation is the same. Therefore, there is, first of all, in the sense in
which culture is more or less synonymous with civilization and, in an older and extreme
formulation of the contrast, opposed to "barbarism". This is in the sense that is
operative, in English, in the adjective "cultured" or "civilised". Eventually, it rests upon
the classical conception of what constitutes excellence in art, literature, manners and
social institutions. Revived by the Renaissance humanists, the classical conception was
emphasized by thinkers of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment and associated by
them with their view of human history as progress and self-development.
Understanding the nature of the relationship between language and culture is

central to the process of learning another language as English language. In actual
17
language use, it is not the case that it is only the forms of language that convey meaning.
It is language in its cultural context that creates meaning. In other words, creating and
interpreting meaning is done within a cultural framework. In language learning
classrooms, learners need to engage with the ways in which context affects what is
communicated and how (Mahadi 232). Both the learner’s culture and the target
language culture have an influence on the ways in which possible meanings are
understood. This context is not a single culture as both the target language culture and
the learner’s own language and culture are simultaneously present and can be
simultaneously engaged. Learning to communicate in an additional language involves
developing an awareness of the ways in which culture interrelates with language
whenever it is used (Papademetre 182; Scarino and Kohl 77).
The word culture is to be interpreted, not in its classical sense, but in what might
be described loosely as its anthropological sense. In fact, this is the sense in which
Herder proposed that the term should be used; but it was not until about eighty years
later that anthropologists writing in English adopted this usage. In this second sense,
culture is employed without any implication of unilinear human progress from
barbarism to civilization and without a prior value being made as to the aesthetic or
intellectual quality of a particular society's art, literature, institutions and so on. In this
sense of the term, which has spread from anthropology to the other social sciences,
every society has its own culture; and different subgroups within a society may have
their own distinctive subculture. The promotion of the word culture in this sense was
bound up with this thesis of the interdependence of language and thought, on the one
hand, and, on the other, with his view that a nation's language and culture were
manifestations of its distinctive national spirit or mind. Indeed, many other writers in
the Romantic Movement had similar ideas. This is one strand in the complex historical
development of the so-called Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which dominated all discussion
of language and culture, as it did of language and thought, a generation ago.
18
In spite of the wide use of the term culture in the social sciences, and especially
by anthropologists, in the sense that has just been identified, it can be defined,
technically, in several different ways. Culture may be described as socially acquired
knowledge, to be precise, as the knowledge that someone has by virtue his being a
member of a particular society. Two points must be made here about the use of the
word knowledge. First, it is to be understood as covering both practical and
prepositional knowledge: both knowing how to do something and knowing that
something is or is not so. Second, as far as prepositional knowledge is concerned, it is
the fact that something is held to be true that counts, not its actual truth or falsity.
Furthermore, in relation to most, if not all, cultures we must allow for different kinds
or levels of truth, such that for example the truth of are legions or mythological
statement is evaluated differently from that of a straightforward factual report. Looking
from this point of view, science itself is a part of culture. And in the discussion of the
relationship between language and culture no priority should be given to scientific
knowledge over common-sense knowledge or even superstition (Mahadi 233).
From the mentioned points and discussion, it can be concluded that there is a
very close relationship between language and culture in general, and a specific
language and its culture in particular. That is, culture has a direct effect on language.
In fact, the two issues are closely correlated and interrelated. Language is the symbolic
presentation of a nation or a specific community. In other words, language is the
symbolic presentation of a culture
1.8. Conclusion
All in all, language and culture have been treated separately, but more recently foreign
language teachers have started to realize that linguistic, phonetic, and communicative
competences alone are not completely enough for a learner to master a language.
Most of scholars argued that learners need to understand the culture in which the target
language is taught. In this chapter, it was argued that it becomes truism to talk about
19
the place of culture in the language classes. Culture is necessary to shape the study of
language as it gives the language class its spirit. Yet the ways of civilisation integration
in the foreign language classes remains passionately debatable. Therefore, this chapter
looked at some basic concepts related to culture and civilisation learning. They were
the most basic issues in the study of culture. These include how culture and civilisation
are defined from different perspectives, focusing chiefly on those related to the learning
of language and relevant to the current study. Additionally, this chapter provided an
overview regarding the relationships between language and culture, emphasising on
those theories that paved the way to its place the educational setting. Since the different
ways of defining culture affected its ways of teaching, different debatable arguments
over the topics, sources, and approaches to culture teaching and learning were
stressfully explained in this chapter. In the following chapter, we shall expand the
topics to explore some other related areas. This will be the notion of intercultural
teaching and learning.
20
Chapter Two
English situation in Algerian Context
1. Introduction
2. English language Situation in Algeria
3. Major difficulties in learning English as a foreign language
- Anxiety
- The influence of the First Language
- The influence of the target Language on the first language
4. Major difficulties in learning British Civilisation
- The lack of cultural background knowledge
- The methodology
5. Effective ways of teaching British civilization in EFL classrooms
- The foreign- cultural approach

- Task-oriented approach
- The intercultural approach
- The thematic approach
- Problem solving technique
- The use of visual aids
- Research conducting technique
6. Conclusion
Chapter Two English situation in Algerian Context
2.1. Introduction
Learning English as a foreign language is a challenging task in developing

countries in general and in Algeria in particular. English has been included in the
curriculum of Algerian universities due to several reasons. One of the main reasons is
making the students able to use of the latest technological and scientific resources
mainly written in English and facilitating cultural exchange among nations including
the proposal of the dialog among civilizations. So mastering the English language does
not only depend on acquiring linguistic, phonetic, and communicative competences but
it depends also on learning its relation to civilisation and acquiring it. Unfortunately,
learning English in Algerian universities has not been completely able to satisfy the
specified goals. This due to several difficulties faced by EFL students in learning the
English language in general and in learning the British civilisation in specific. This
chapter is devoted to shed the light on the major difficulties that confront EFL students
during their process of learning English and British civilisation. In addition, study will
present some effective ways of teaching British civilization in EFL classrooms at
university.
2.2. English language Situation in Algeria
The English language in Algeria is considered as a foreign language unlike

French and Arabic. Most of the Algerian universities are teaching English. In addition,
all of middle schools, high schools, and even some military and economic sectors are
providing sessions for teaching English as a foreign language.
Socially, the use of English in the Algerians’ daily life is very low comparing
to other Arabic countries. Therefore, it is not the learners’ appropriate communicative
environment. Regardless the limited number of hours that the learners spend in
classroom. On the other hand, the majority of the Algerian population speak Arabic.
22
While French is considered as the second understood language. It also dominates most
of administrations, commerce companies and tourism section due to the colonial past.
Lately, there have been some attempts to promote the status of English. For example,
starting from 1993 English has been introduced for the first time in primary schools
along with French in the fourth grade (8 to 9 years old). The parents had to choose for
their children between them as their second language (L2). The number of those who
chose English was insignificant – only between 0, 33 % to 1% ( Benrabah 89).
The solid situation of the French language in Algeria is deeply attached to the
Algerians lives which makes it hard to replace it. Fishman describes such a situation of
language survival as "language maintenance". In fact, French is part of many Algerians’
daily life as it is present everywhere, in their speech, TV, newspapers and even in the
official speeches and legal documents (23). However, as the process of Arabisation did
succeed in increasing the Arabic users, language has started to lose much of its ground
in the socio-cultural and educational environments (Benmoussat 56), English though
still not the primary means of education. It gains significant popularity among the
Algerian learners at different levels of education.
Nowadays, the new generation becomes fully aware of the importance of

learning English. This can be noticed from the amount of the private language schools
and the number of the enrolled people, especially students, in English classes. Zughoul
argues:
In Arab North Africa, and despite the fact that French has had
a strong foothold in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, it has been
retreating and losing a lot of ground to English. In fact the
tendency of what can be termed a shift from French to English
in these countries cannot be cancelled. (122)
23
The above quotation confirms that though English is assigned the status of
second foreign language, it seems at the present time that it is gradually becoming more
favourite for the new generation. This means that the 1993 statistic when English has
been introduced along with French at the primary school cannot be generalised for
today people. For instance, in an investigative study conducted by the Euro Monitor
International Agency, a leading provider of strategic market researches around the
globe, revealed that three in five Algerians value the usefulness of English 57% of the
respondents consider it either important or very important, while 27% report as either
unimportant or not important at all. According to the respondents, English can offer
them opportunities to work in international companies or help them migrate to pursuit
higher education and job opportunities in Anglo-Saxon countries such as Canada.
2.3. Major difficulties in learning English as a foreign language
While much of the discussion on difficulties, problems, and other hindrances to

learning EFL is generated in the context of Learning Disabilities (LD), and more
specifically, Language Learning Disabilities (LLD). Therefore, the effects of the lack
of progress can be critical and there can be many reasons for the lack of progress outside
of the possible presence of (LD). According to Schwarz and Terrill, other reasons for
the lack of expected progress include: First, limited academic skills in the native
language due to limited previous education. Second, the lack of effective study habits.
Third, interference of a learner’s native language, particularly if the learner issued to a
non-Roman alphabet. Fourth, mismatch between the instructors teaching style and the
learner’s expectations of how the class will be conducted. Fifth, sociocultural factors
such as age, physical health, social identity. Sixth, external problems with work, health
and family. Seventh, sporadic classroom attendance, and lack of practice outside the
classroom.
24
If any of these can cause a lack of progress, it becomes apparent that many of
these problems can overlap and that a combination of them might spell certain failure.
For example, external challenges related to family, work, and social identity might
combine to limit a learner’s classroom attendance and outside practice opportunities or
if a learner has poor or limited study skills that had never had the chance to develop,
he or she might also lack effective study habits by virtue of never having learned them
(100-109).
2.3.1 Anxiety
Anxiety on the part of the learner can create a notable barrier to Foreign
Language Acquisition (FLA). Krashen, one of the most recognized experts on FLA,
held that “anxiety inhibits the learner’s ability to process incoming language and
short-circuits the process of acquisition” (p. 31). According to MacIntyre and Gardner,
language anxiety can interfere with the acquisition, retention, and production of the
new language while Crookall suggested that language anxiety may cause problems with
self-esteem, self-confidence and risk-taking ability and “ultimately hampers
proficiency in the second language” (p. 33). At least some of this language anxiety
may be generated by instructors and teaching methods (Young 154), which suggests
that the teaching-style/learning-expectation mismatch mentioned above can create
more than just a contradiction of preferences in classroom methods.
2.3.2. The influence of the First Language
There are a wide variety of challenges that face the second language learner,
even in the best of learning situations. The most basic of these is first language (L1)
interference or negative transfer, the psycholinguistic tendency to rely on familiar
forms of expression when the intent is to develop a new form, that of the second
25
language. This was defined by Elias as “the influence that the learner’s L1 exerts over
the acquisition of an L2” (p. 51).
Since FL learning is the learning of language, skills in the native language

provide the foundation for FL learning (Ganschow 41; Sparks 33; Javorsky 98).
Therefore, if a learner experiences relatively high difficulty in learning EFL, this
difficulty is likely due to weaknesses in the learner’s native language learning
experience. If a learner’s first language learning experience is incomplete, in that, it did
not include the development of some or many of the skills necessary for effective
language learning, it follows that the learner will have difficulty in learning a second
or foreign language since the necessary skills are undeveloped or underdeveloped.
These types of difficulties can be especially pronounced if the tools necessary for the
learning of the second or FL are not necessary or do not exist in the learning of the first
language.
The predictable challenge of interference is compounded when the EFL learner

comes from a language background that does not use phonemic coding such as an
alphabetic/spelling, or phonological/orthographic rule system that governs sounds and
their representation by letters and letter sets or sequences in English words (Henry 46).
All of Krug, Shafer, Dardick, Magalis, and Parente supported the importance of
phonological/orthographic skills in FL learning and found that students have difficulty
learning a FL when they cannot learn word/sound paired associations quickly. The
authors suggested that the difficulty students have in the formation of word/sound
associations limited their ability to encode and decode word/sound pairs and pointed to
a breakdown in the initial stages of FL learning.
Learning English as a foreign language poses specific challenges for students

whose first language bears little similarity to English in sound, appearance, and
phonological/orthographic structure, and these learners might be at a disadvantage in
26
their study of EFL. Since foreign language learning skills are closely related to the
skills used in learning the first language, learners whose first language learning skills
do not match those which would be useful in EFL learning can be expected to
experience relative difficulty in learning English. More specifically, English as a
second language (ESL) learners whose first language is not alphabetical and who did
not learn their first language in an alphabetically coded manner will have particular
difficulty in learning English (Ganschow 87; Holm & Dodd 64; Krug 37).
In learning EFL, learners draw on the skills they used to learn their first
language (Coady 85). English is an alphabetic language with phonological
(letter/sound) and orthographic (letter/spelling) rules that do not exist in non-alphabetic
languages, so EFL learners whose first language was non-alphabetic and who learned
their native language without the need for phonological and orthographic rules might
have a much lower phonological awareness than EFL learners who learned their first
language with an alphabetic system or whose first language is alphabetic. According to
Holm and Dodd phonological awareness is an important skill for the processing of
unknown words in English. Other authors like Mann, Goswami and Bryant have shown
that phonological awareness is developed only through acquisition of an alphabetic
orthography and that people with specific reading disability in English usually show
insufficiencies in phonological processing. Since phonological awareness develops in
relation to orthography, according to Huang and Hanley, it might affect the acquisition
of a foreign language of a different orthography (94).
2.4. Major difficulties in learning British Civilisation in Algeria
The British Civilization course is important in EFL curriculum since it

adequately responds to EFL learning, especially for LMD students who study English
as a foreign language in the Algerian universities. Generally, as Rodrigues stated, in
content-based courses like British Civilization ‘language and content subjects are
27
integrated and the goal is that students study the target language with a particular
subject (e.g. history, geography, mathematics)’ (29). Unfortunately, most of students,
who are expected to get a “Licence” degree in English after three-year study, have a
number of difficulties in learning British civilisation such as a lack in the historical
background on the module and an exhausting process of acquiring new information
due to both the insufficient teaching techniques and the program itself.
2.4.1. The lack of cultural background knowledge
The British civilisation module somewhat depends on historical, cultural and

prior knowledge that the learner has. Background knowledge and prior knowledge are
generally used interchangeably. For example, Stevens defines background knowledge
quite simply as what one already knows about a subject (165). Dochy provide an
elaborate definition, describing prior knowledge as the whole of a person’s knowledge,
including explicit and implicit knowledge, metacognitive and conceptual knowledge
(122).
Students connect what they learn to what they already know, interpreting
incoming information, and even sensory perception, through the lens of their existing
knowledge, beliefs, and assumptions (Vygotsky 167). In fact, there is widespread
agreement among researchers that students must connect new knowledge to previous
knowledge in order to learn (Resnick 83). However, the extent to which students are
able to draw on prior knowledge to effectively construct new knowledge depends on
the nature of their prior knowledge, as well as the instructor ’ s ability to harness it. As
a result, if the learner's background knowledge is weak, he will find it hard to grasp a
new information.
28
2.4.2. The Methodology
The goal that is expected from teaching British Civilization to first year LMD
students is first the improvement of their English language proficiency. Once this is
achieved, students are able to grasp the content knowledge of the course. However, in
the English Department at Laghouat University, British Civilization as a one semester
subject is introduced to first year LMD students aiming at providing them with a
general view about the British community focusing, mainly, on the historical aspect
through the target language. Hence, the course of British Civilization plays a dual role
in the language classroom by affording learners the content knowledge that would
foster their linguistic capacities. Yet, this could not be achieved unless an adequate and
effective teaching methodology is applied.
In fact, this is the very problem faced by both students and teachers in first year
LMD classroom where the emphasis on “what” to learn rather than “how” to learn
dwarfs the role of the students to merely non-interactive receivers of hardly graspable
historical information towards which they rarely feel motivated. And when it comes to
the final assessment of the course through an exam held at the end of the first semester,
students’ bad performance, as the analysis of their exam papers demonstrates, is highly
reflective of traditional teaching methodologies which foster learning by rote rather
than ‘learning by doing’. The latter is increasingly stressed in current EFL teaching
methodologies (Berton 166).
In addition, most of civilisation teachers rely on explanation, dictation and

hand-outs in terms of the way they deliver the course to their students. The latter, in
turn, take translation for granted in order to understand the content they have been
taught and would learn by heart while preparing for their British Civilization exam.
Therefore, the way of teaching British Civilization in first year LMD classes in the
29
Department of English is inadequate and far from being reflective of current EFL
teaching.
Furthermore, first year LMD students are university EFL learners and should
reveal sufficient English language commend to be able to grasp the content of British
Civilization course. However, this does not seem to be the case in first year LMD
classes as teachers are more inclined to overestimate course content in spite of the
language weaknesses students often reveal. As such, instead of taking into
consideration their students’ needs by being language advisors and facilitators most
teachers prefer to be providers of historical information that most students find difficult
and uninteresting.
Moreover, students come to university with a weak level and most of them
ended with a weak. Besides, the way teachers assess their students does not reflect their
role as EFL teachers, i.e. they seem to teach British Civilization for its own sake rather
than for the sake of developing students’ English language. The same can be said for
the assessment of the project work where the content is overestimated at the expense
of language among other aspects. So, this way of assessing students reinforces a
teaching methodology built on unstable grounds and this hinders students’
achievements in the subject of British Civilization.
2.5. Effective ways of teaching British civilization in EFL classrooms
Research on teaching civilisation and culture has shown that language and
civilisation are closely related (e.g. Kuang 222; Savignon & Sysoyev 142; Schulz 55;
Tang 155) and are best acquired together (Schulz 150). Brown describes the
interrelatedness of language and culture stating ‘that Bone cannot separate the two
without losing the significance of either language or culture. The acquisition of a
second language, except for specialized, instrumental acquisition […], is also the
30
acquisition of a second culture’ (p. 189-190). Based on these findings, it is clear that
language and civilisation learning are inextricably linked. Lafayette noted that teachers
spent the greatest amount of time and effort on teaching grammatical and lexical
components of the language, leaving the culture as the weakest component in the
curriculum (175). Strasheim concluded earlier that teachers spent approximately 10%
of teaching time on culture, whereas a study conducted 25 years later by Moore (2006)
found that at least 80% of the teachers surveyed indicated they were teaching culture
more than half of their instructional time. Although teachers have begun to incorporate
more culture in the lesson, the major concern that remains is finding effective ways for
integrating culture and language that prepare the learners to communicate and
collaborate effectively in the 21st century (168).
According to the National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project

‘the true content of the foreign language course is not the grammar and the vocabulary
of the language, but the cultures expressed through that language’ (p. 43). In addition,
classroom activities that are not contextualized and attached to real life issues,
activities, and concerns, do not help the students learn to use FL. Foreign language
learning has been reconceptualised over the last decade as a participatory process, in
which a learner is not only a learner of new ways of expressing ideas but rather the
learner becomes a learner of new ways of thinking, behaving, and living in an FL
community (Pavlenko and Lantolf 125). So, there are several approaches such as the
task-oriented approach, the intercultural approach and the foreign- cultural approach in
addition to a number of techniques such as problem solving technique.
2.5.1. The foreign- cultural approach
This approach was dominant until the 80‟s. It is based on the concept of a
single culture. It was believed that exposing students to the foreign culture approach is
a best way to help them achieve better communication skills. It focuses on the culture
31
of the country where the language is spoken. It does not deals with the learners’ own
country and the relation between the two. It aims at developing the native speaker
communicative and competence.
2.5.2. Task-oriented approach
This approach is based on the learners’ own research. It is characterised by

co-operative tasks. Learners work in pairs or small groups on different aspects of the
target civilisation. They share and discuss their findings with others in order to form a
more complete picture. Lastly, learners interpret the information within the context of
the other culture and compare it to their own (Tomalin and Stempleski 09).
2.5.3. The intercultural approach
It is based on the idea that culture is best learned through comparison. Though
the focus is on the target culture, the intercultural approach deals with the relations
between the learners’ own culture and the target culture. It also develops learners’
understanding of both. In other words, this approach is seen as an effective way in
integrating both language and culture into lessons, and prepares learners for real world
communication, i.e. the aim is to develop learners’ intercultural and communicative
competence, which would enable them to function as mediator between the two
cultures.
2.5.4. The thematic approach
According to Nostrand, culture can be best learnt when it is taught in thematic

ways. This approach focuses upon certain themes like, the art of living, rituals, beauty,
religion, education, intellectuality as typical of a certain culture (112). Seelye says that
32
culture of a community can be best taught when grouped under main themes. He also
states that each culture has its own themes and no one has more than twelve (133).
2.5.5. Problem solving technique
This technique aims at helping students to understand civilisation through reengaging

them in problem-solving strategy. Since there are many cultural aspects and civilization
lessons that cannot be taught in classroom, this technique encourages students to do
some researches on their own. This means that helping students to be better prepared
for finding everyday problems for themselves.
2.5.6. The use of visual aids
The use of visual aids is another effective technique that can be used in EFL
classrooms. This technique completely depends on the use technology. For example,
if students watch a video on the data show in the classroom, about a historical event or
a famous figure in some civilisation, they will easily answer any question on what they
have seen. They will also use the notes they took from the video as a lecture notes
which will be hard to be removed from their minds. Later, they may use that
information in the exams.
2.5.7. Research conducting technique
This technique requires students to complete a task through research. This

means that through individual researches, learners can search for answers that cannot
be provided through lecturing. For example, students can search for issues related to
the target culture, and then they can compare, discuss, express and share their opinions
together in the classroom. The project can be big or small; it can take a month or a 30
33
week. It depends on the type of the research and the level of students. It can also be
done in groups or by one person.
All of these techniques require group discussions. According to Mee Cheach,

culture can be best taught through group discussions. Group discussion is usually used
to teach speaking skills, but if the discussed topic is culturally relevant and appropriate,
it will be then very enriching in terms of teaching civilisation. As a conclusion, there
are different teaching techniques that can be used to raise students’ cultural awareness.
So, the choice of a particular technique or approach depends on the teacher himself in
which he uses what is suitable for his learners (155).
6. Conclusion
This chapter provided a valuable summary to some situational reality to the teaching
of English in general and the teaching of civilisation in specific at the department of
English in Laghouat University. As aforementioned, EFL teachers encounter many
situational classroom challenges that usually undermine their teaching efforts. On the
other hand, the students also find learning difficulties in dealing with English as a
foreign language and the British civilisation as a module. In addition, the chapter
suggested some approaches and techniques that may help both the learners to overcome
the learning difficulties and the teachers to facilitate their work. So, it is important for
teachers to be reminded that the major goal nowadays of teaching foreign language is
to develop learners’ intercultural understanding and communication. In contrast, the
learner should choice the appropriate approach and technique that fit their needs. At
that time, the teacher accept their choice and followed the selected approach or
technique. For more understanding, the next chapter will attempt to enforce the
theoretical insights discussed in the first chapter and the situational ones discussed in
this chapter.
34
Chapter Three
Methodology Design and Procedures of the Study
1. Introduction
2. Method of research
- Qualitative Research
- Quantitative research
3. Case study
- Purpose of the Case study
4. Data collection
- The questionnaire
- The questionnaire advantage and disadvantage
- Description of the questionnaire
- Pilot administration
5. Population and sampling
6. Data analysis
- The Students’ Questionnaire

- The Teachers’ Questionnaire
7. Limitation of the study

8. Conclusion
Chapter Three: Methodology Design and Procedures of the Study
3.1. Introduction
The previous two chapters included theoretical concepts about the relationship
between language, civilisation and culture. In addition, they presented major
difficulties that face EFL students in learning English language in general and British
civilisation in specific. Whereas, the present chapter will deal with the practical part of
this research paper in order to investigate these problems or difficulties that confront
first year students during learning British civilisation in the department of English at
Amar Thelidji University (Laghouat). Besides, this chapter explains the method used
to carry out this study. In other words, it shows how data is collected and analysed
using questionnaire as a tool of research. It also defines the population dealt with and
the sample chosen. Finally, study limitations and problems faced during conducting
this paper of research will be provided at the end of the chapter.
3.2. Method of research
In any research study, the researcher usually goes through a series of

interrelated phases which together make up the design of the research. A research
design therefore refers to the general plan of data collection and the procedures used in
the analysis of data in order to shed the light on the problem(s) under investigation. The
aim is to obtain data which will serve to answer the research questions. Thus a research
design, in this sense, can be defined as "the procedures for conducting the study,
including when, from whom and under what conditions data were obtained. Its purpose
is to provide the most valid, accurate answers as possible to research questions"
(Chumacher 31).
According to Chumacher point view about research design, we distributed two

questionnaires. One devoted to first year LMD students in the department of English at
Amar Thelidji University while the second one was for civilization teachers in the same
36
department. As far as foreign language research is concerned, it is now common

practice among researchers that data collection is handled using to different types of
approaches: the qualitative (descriptive) approach and the quantitative (experimental)
approach. The two are sometimes combined in one single study despite their apparent
difference.
3.2.1. Qualitative Research
The qualitative research is described as the method of analysis that provides

results not arrived by means of numbers (Strauss 4). McMillan agree and add that it is
a method which does not make use of statistical procedures in the examination and
interpretation of observations; it makes use of words rather than numbers, i.e., it is
narrative and non-experimental in character. A qualitative approach, as asserted by
(Nunan 20), uses textual analysis and it is very effective in the exploration and
interpretation of participants’ believes, opinions, attitudes and motivation. The steps to
be followed in this type of research are not planned in advance. The approach is context
sensitive and the researcher usually involves himself in the situation/subject under
investigation. According to (Biklen 121), the general characteristics of qualitative
research are:
 The natural setting is the direct source of data and the researcher is the key
instrument.
 Data are collected in the form of work.
 The process and the product are important.
 The data analysis is inductive, and the theory is constructed from the data.
 The perspective of the subject of a study is very important to the researcher.
37
3.2.2. Quantitative research
According to Goodwin, a quantitative research uses statistical data in the

description of observation (34). Millan and Chumacher expressed the same idea and
added that the quantitative research ‘adopts a positivist philosophy of knowing the
emphasized objectivity by using numbers, statistics and experimental control to
quantify phenomena’ (31). This approach is context free and makes use of deductive
methods. The relationship between different variables are stated in tabular and
statistical forms. The researcher’s population model, according to McCracken, is of a
define size and type that his conclusions will be generalized to a larger population
(134).
We conducted this research according to the outlined steps provided by

Goodwin. First, we identified the target population. Then, we selected the type of
instruments needed. After that, we chose the needed measures and analyzing data.
Finally, we reported the results.
According to Nachmias, we believe that the quantitative approach would serve

better the aims of the present research. This is motivated by the fact that this kind of
approach allows us to state the research problem using very specific and definable
terms which in turn help to follow the set research aims. The use of this method allows
us to enjoy high reliability of data collection and contributes to the objectivity of the
conclusions reached. More importantly, this kind of method helps to determine whether
the predictive hypothesis underlying the present research holds true (54).
3.3. Case Study
Quickly defined, a case study is ‘an instance in action’ (Nunan 75). It is an

illustration from the class of objects, phenomena, or social units that a researcher is
38
investigating, seeking to understand thoroughly the way this instance functions in a

particular context. Cohen explain that the purpose of the case study approach is
to probe deeply and to analyse the intensity of the multifarious

phenomena that constitute the life cycle of the unit with a view
to establishing generalizations about the wider population to
which the unit belongs. (120)
The case study approach is therefore a research method whose purpose is to

fully describe single units so that generalizations or cross comparisons could be made.
In foreign language research, there have been many case studies. The approach has
been widely employed to investigate the learning of English as a foreign language
process/product of advanced and undergraduate; native and non-native learners. The
process consists of direct observations. Rymer reported that the composing strategies
and practices of the case study subject were compared to other scientists (211-250).
Product oriented data, however, consist of analysing the textual features of the various
drafts of the subject’s under study. Dudley used his doctoral student’s drafts, to
examine the stylistic and linguistic expectations of the supervisor (the supervisor’s
comments are revealing of the discourse community expectations) (51).
Connor investigated the thesis drafts of a graduate student to examine how he

acquired the rhetorical and linguistic conventions in disciplinary writing (231-253).
Myers used a case study approach to investigate two research papers’ drafts of two
expert scientists. He analysed the textual changes brought to revised papers (593-630).
Such studies have helped legitimate textual analysis as a valid approach in qualitative
research methodology.
39
3.3.1. Purpose of the Case study
The purpose of using a case study methodology, in this research, is to undertake

a detailed didactical analysis of the participants’ (students and teachers) results from
the questionnaires given to them in the department of English at Amar Thelidji
University (Laghouat). Thus to investigate the difficulties that face students in learning
British civilisation during their first year. Such a procedure is expected to be revealing
the reasons behind the students’ weakness in this module and to bring to light sufficient
teaching techniques of teaching civilisation.
3.4. Data collection
The quality of research depends on the quality of data collection and the
instruments used. The present research makes use of one research instrument. The
researcher is also aware that the research instrument neither guaranties the research
validity nor its objectivity. Rather, it gives insights into the learners’ conception and
understanding of educational psychology as an important factor in teaching/learning
process and thereby a necessary component of foreign language teaching.
3.4.1. The questionnaire
The questionnaire is an instrument for collecting data in the form of a series of

questions about a particular subject or related group subject. According to Tuckman,
through this questions the researcher aims at gathering information about the subjects’
opinions, attitudes, interests and background. Brown defines a questionnaire as ‘any
written instrument that present respondents with series of questions or statements to
which they react either by writing out their answers or selecting from existing
answers’(6). The obtained information is presented in form of descriptive end
40
explicatory studies. The questionnaire usually involves an impersonal approach in the

sense that the subjects are given the questions and asked to write their answers on paper.
3.4.2. The questionnaire advantage and disadvantage
The use of questionnaire along with other instrument types such as surveys,
interviews and role plays in foreign language teaching research has now become a
common practice. This due to their perceived advantages as instruments for collecting
information. The use of questionnaire helped us to reach a large number of people
easily. By using questionnaires, we found that data are accurate, relevant and easy to
code and analyse. Furthermore, Questionnaires are most commonly used instrument
for collecting data in any research, they are extremely flexible and can be used to gather
information on almost any topic from a larger or smaller group of subjects and most
importantly with fewer efforts and in precise times. Such characteristics of
questionnaires are what made us decide to adopt this instrument to collect data for the
present investigation about the difficulties that face EFL students in learning British
civilisation.
However, questionnaires also have their own shortcomings. These usually stem
from the following:
 When faced with difficulty, the informants tend to guess answers especially if the
questionnaire includes close-ended questions type.
 The data generated by questionnaires may be interpreted differently by different
researchers.
3.4.3. Description of the questionnaire
The questionnaire is mainly based on the theoretical part of the present research
which is related to: learners’ issues with the British civilization module, teachers’ use
of different strategies in teaching, educational psychology and its relation to learning,
41
and testing students’ knowledge and attitude towards British civilization. The
questionnaire is addressed to both students and teachers. It makes use mainly of the
technique of direct questions. While the respondents are given various response options
to choose from by ticking one or more of them. The types of questions used are the
following:
 Numeric question items: these questions ask for specific background information
such as work experience, opinion and attitude about the subject of study.
 Open-ended questions are those that allow respondents to answer in their own
words. These are mainly meant to seek free responses.
 Close-ended questions (multiple-choice; one answer or multiple answers): one
type of close-ended question is a dichotomous question which allows respondents
to choose one of two answers (e.g. Yes or No). The second is the multi-choice
questions which allow respondents to choose one of many answers choice.
As explained above, some questions are in the form of clarification questions

in the sense that they constitute a follow up to the previous question. Questions of this
type are in the form of ‘please justify’. The choice of this type of questionnaire is
motivated by the desire to involve the participants fully and avoid any superficial
engagement with topic. In addition, being aware that the task is difficult and time
consuming, care was taken to ensure that the questions be phrased and ordered in such
a way that enable the students to express their views as they wished. The students’
questionnaire consists of 10 questions. Each question is related, sometimes indirectly,
to a specific aspect (part) of the present research.
3.4.4. Pilot administration
Prior to the questionnaire administration, three copies of the questionnaire were

given to three teachers from the department of English at Amar Thelidji University
(Laghouat) who are involved in the field of teaching civilization in EFL classrooms.
42
They were asked to comment on such aspects as clarity, appearance, layout, legibility
and relevance. This pilot administration mainly aims at highlighting the flaws through
testing its content validity. It also allowed us to determine the feasibility of the
questionnaire and to gain some experience about what would happen in the main study.
Interestingly, most of the comments made by the teachers were similar to those made
by the thesis supervisor. Finally, the questionnaire was rated highly.
3.5. Population and sampling
According to Brown," a population is the entire group that is of interest in a

study" (114). While "a sample is a subgroup taken from [a] population to represent
it"(114). Miller also defines the word population, being used in statistics, as a term
applied to describe "all possible objects of a particular type"(59), being subjects or
measurements. From a population of interest, we take a sample through which we seek
to discover the reasons behind the main difficulties that face EFL students in learning
British civilisation. The population of the current investigation consists of first year
LMD students preparing for a "Licence degree" in the department of English at Amar
Thelidji University of Laghouat, Algeria. It has been decided to work particularly with
first year students expressly because students at this level are expected to study British
civilisation for the first time since they have studied English at least for seven years
and have passed several courses in grammar, conversation, basic writing, and reading
comprehension. Under certain circumstances, the sample that would represent the
designed population was selected under one condition. Members of this sample have
to be chosen randomly in order to be representative of the whole population.
Accordingly, the procedure for achieving randomization is the following: we wrote two
questionnaires one for the students and another for civilisation teachers. Students’
questionnaire was given to thirty different students (boys and girls) from different first
year groups.
43
3.6. Data analysis

3.6.1. The Students’ Questionnaire
The method of analysing data of the questionnaire is as follows:

a. in questions like ‘what do think…’, ‘how do you feel…’, and ‘do you like…’ we
used numbers, percentages and tables.
b. In half- closed questions with options to choose from as well as the options “other,
please specify”, or “why”, again we used numbers, percentages and tables as well as
analyses and comments.
c. In additions to all those methods of analysing data, useful and significant correlations
between different questions have been used so as to tackle the issues of learning British
civilisation from different angles according to how they are conceived by the students
and teachers at the same time.
3.6.2. The Teachers’ Questionnaire
Most teachers’ questionnaire consists of more or less open-ended questions.

The purpose of choosing such a type of questions is to gather as much information as
possible. However, some half-open questions which propose options to choose from
are also used. The choice of the first or the second type is dependent on the nature and
purpose of the question, and the information that is sought; so, the type of questions is
mainly dependent on the research question and hypotheses.
3.7. Limitation of the study
In order to explore the students’ and the teachers’ views or conceptions on the
research subject, the use of questionnaires was judged adequate. It can be assumed that
the insights gained from the study and analysis of the responses are things which can
44
be established as certain. The answers provided by the informants reflect their views
about the subject of the study. Admittedly, the number of respondents is reasonably
small which may raise the question of whether a larger group would have generated
different results and a different set of answers with different analysis.
With all our respect to the students’ and teachers’ questionnaires, it is believed
that the collected data is highly reliable and reflects the participants’ real behaviour. As
far as the number of the informers is concerned, one can assume that it was enough to
be considered representative sample of EFL students and teachers in the department of
English at Amar Thelidji university of Laghouat.
3.8. Conclusion
Taking into consideration the above discussion and relating to the present
research, we adopted a descriptive method in which we included an experimental one
by using two questionnaires. One was devoted to first year LMD students in the
department of English at Amar Thelidji University (Laghouat), while the second one
was given to civilisation teachers in the same department in order to obtain the needed
data for the study. The students’ questionnaire was shaped in form of ten questions
which deal with the subject matter situation from different sides. Some questions
tackled students’ opinion, attitude and background on the module of civilisation. Other
questions attempted to discover the issues with the teaching techniques used by the
teachers according to the students’ views. Whereas, a number of questions aimed at
investigating in the difficulties faced by the students in learning British civilisation. On
the other hand, the teacher questionnaire dealt with the side of teaching through nine
question about the study didactical situation. Most of the questions were devoted to
understand the situation of the British civilisation module in the department of English
at Amar Thelidji University in Laghouat relying on the teachers’ point views. In other
words, they aimed at investigating: whether the techniques used are effective or not,
45
whether the time allotted to this module sufficient or not and are the topics taught
beneficial for the students learning or not. Using these questionnaires helped us to
collect enough information needed to carry out the rest of our work. The gathered data
were accurate and relevant to our work. In order to achieve the end of the work, it is
deemed necessary to chart the student’ and the teachers’ views towards the learning of
British civilisation.
46
Chapter Four
Data Analysis, Discussion and Suggestions
1. Introduction
2. The Students’ Questionnaire
2.1 Description of the Questionnaire
2.2. The Questionnaire Results
2.3. Interpretation of the questionnaire
3. The Teachers’ Questionnaire
3.1 Description of the Questionnaire
3.2. The Questionnaire Results
3.3. Interpretation of the questionnaire
4. Conclusion
Chapter Four: Data Analysis, Discussion and Suggestions
4.1. Introduction
Generally, this study investigates students’ difficulties in learning British

civilization during their first year at university. It seems appropriate in the EFL context
we are concerned about giving students an opportunity to express their ideas not only
by means of assignments, but via a questionnaires as well. Basically, this chapter is
devoted to the data analysis and interpretation which were collected from the
questionnaires. Moreover, this chapter aims at knowing whether first year LMD
students find any difficulties in dealing with British civilisation module or not. In
addition, it is an attempt to discover the civilisation teachers’ attitude towards students’
weakness in this module, the teachers’ reaction from the program and the teacher
opinion on the module itself. As for the questionnaires, there were two main
questionnaires. The first one was directed to the EFL students at the University of
Laghouat. While the second one was directed to the teachers of civilisation. So this
chapter is divided into two main parts. The first one deals with the learners’
questionnaire (analysing and interpreting the collected data). While the second one
deals with the teachers’ questionnaire (analysing and interpreting the collected data).
Finally, we hope to gain a thorough understanding of difficulties that hinder the
students’ learning process.
4.2. The Students’ Questionnaire
The questionnaire was prepared in order to explore and investigate how first
year students find the module of British civilisation. In addition, the main objective
behind it is to confirm the difficulties mentioned in the previous chapter. It is worth
mentioning that the students’ questionnaire contains more questions than that of the
teachers due to the fact that we expect the students to provide us with more information
about the learning situation.
48
4.2.1 Description of the Questionnaire
The learners’ questionnaire consists of ten (10) open-ended and multiple-choice

questions. It was given to thirty (30) first year LMD students in the Department of
English Languages at the University of Laghouat, who were very cooperative in that
they handed back the answered copies in less than a week.
4.2.2. The Questionnaire Results
Question 01: do you have any previous information/ideas about the British civilisation
module?
 Yes
 Just little
 No
Answers Respondents Frequency %

Yes 05 16.7
Just little 15 50
No 10 33.3
Table 01: students’ prior knowledge
According to the students’ responses shown in the table above, half of them
(50%) have just little prior information about the British civilisation module. While
33.3% students have no idea about the module but only 16.7% who really do have some
information concerning British civilisation. This lack in prior knowledge may have a
negative effect on the learner’s cultural awareness.
49
Question 02: do you feel that you have a lack of vocabulary in this module?
 Yes
 No
Students' lack of Vocabulary in the Module
Yes No
Figure 01
From the above chart, it can be easily notice that more than a half (70%)
students also have a lack of vocabulary in British civilisation module. While 30% do
not have any problem with vocabulary. This can be one of many factors that hinder
EFL learning in general and British civilisation in specific.
Question 03: when revising for exams, do you find it hard dealing with British
civilisation lessons?
 Always
 Sometimes
 Never
Always 12 40
Sometimes 15 50
Never 03 10
Table 02: students’ attitude towards civilisation exams
50
Exams are the best test for students’ abilities and learning progress. So, when
they revise for exams, half of them (50%) declare that they sometimes find it hard
dealing with British civilisation lessons. Although 40% students state that they always
have difficulty when revising the lectures but only 10% of them never have this
problem.
Question 04: how do you find the module of civilisation?

 Difficult
 Moderately difficult
 Easy

Difficult 17 56.7
Moderately difficult 12 40
Easy 01 03.3
Table 03: students’ attitude towards the module of civilisation
Regard to students’ competence, data shows that 56.7% of the respondents find
the module of civilisation difficult, and 40 % view it as moderately difficult. While
only 10 % view that it is easy to learn. Based on the responses, students’ language
competence can affect their attitude towards any module, and therefore we can
conclude that their lack of cultural awareness might be due to do their language
competence since the majority do not find civilisation an easy subject.
Question 05: among other modules, how do you find the programme of civilisation?
 Motivating
 Interesting
 Uninteresting
 Dull
51
students’ attitude towards the programme of civilisation

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Motivating Interesting Uninteresting Dull
Figure 02
This question is meant to explore respondents’ opinions about the programme

of civilisation. According to the participants’ responses shown in figure 02, it seems
that the majority of students (56.7%) find the programme of civilisation interesting.
While 10% conceder it motivating, others 06% view it uninteresting and only 13.3%
find it dull. This refutation towards civilisation may be due to many factors. Much of
learners’ feelings and emotions towards a particular subject can also be attributed to
teachers’ way of teaching, the teaching content, and relationship prevailing in the
classroom environment.
Question 06: do you feel that the teacher is giving you too much information in one
session?
 Yes
 No
-If yes, you suggest:
- To have more than one lecture per week
- The teacher should reduce the amount of information.
- To have a few number of lectures during the week
52

Yes 18 60
No 12 40
Table 04: students’ attitude towards the amount of information

In the students’ identification to the amount of information that they receive in
a lecture, the majority (60%) feel that the teacher is giving them too much information
in one session. Whereas 40% students feel the opposite. The majority suggest several
solutions as it is presents in the following table:
To have more than one 05 27.8
lecture per week
The teacher should reduce 09 50
the amount of information.
To have a few number of 04 22.2
lectures during the week
Table 05: students’ suggestions on the amount of information
Half student (50%) who declared that they feel that the teacher is giving them
too much information in one session choose the second suggestion in which The teacher
should reduce the amount of information. While 27.8% students suggested having more
than one lecture per week unlike others (22.2%) who proposed having a few number
of lectures during the week.
Question 07: what types of the following teaching techniques and resources does your
teacher of civilization use?
 Lecturing/ board based
 Students’ presentations
 Homework researches
 Debates
 Videos
53
 Postcards
 Maps
 Others
- Which type do you prefer? Why?
teaching techniques used by civilisation teachers

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Figure 03
According to the results presented by the above chart concerning the students’
identification to the teaching techniques and resources used by their teachers of
civilisation, the majority of the respondents (80 %) report to Students’ presentations
method. While only 26.7 report to the traditional teaching method of Lecturing/ board
based. In addition, a few number of students declare other technique such as homework
researches (30%), debates (16.7%), videos (10%) and maps (13.3%). Most of them
state that they prefer the techniques of debates, videos, maps and presentations. This
can be one among several reasons that may lead to learners’ lack of interest towards
the programme of civilisation, especially for those who already enjoy other modules
than the programme of civilisation, or those who find it difficult to be learned.
54
Question 08: at the end of the session, do you mind if the teacher asks you to
summarize what you understood?
 Yes
 No

Yes 18 60
No 12 40
Table 06: students’ attitude towards summarising what they understood
When the teacher asks student to summarize what they understood at the end of
the session, the majority (60%) of student refused the idea. Although, 40% of students
accepted it. The rejecters of the idea declared the reasons behind their rejection as
follows:
They didn’t understand 04 22.2
anything
The teacher didn’t explain
05 50
some points in a clear way
The teacher has a complicated 09 27.8
style in delivering information
Table 07: students’ reasons behind their refusal
Half students (50%) explained that the reason behind their refusal is due to the
unclear way the teacher uses to explain some points. Others (27.8%) specified that the
teacher has a complicated style in delivering information unlike 22.2% of students who
declared that they do not understand anything.
Question 09: what kind of difficulties you usually face while learning civilisation?
 Having a lack in historical background
 Revising from hand-outs as they are the only source of information
 Misunderstanding of the exams’ questions manner
55

Having a lack in historical 08 26.7
background
Revising from hand-out as
they are the only source of 19 63.3
information
Misunderstanding of the 22 73.3
exams’ questions manner
Table 08: difficulties that face students in learning civilisation
The problem of misunderstanding exams’ questions manner is confronted by
almost all participants in the study (73.3%). On one other hand, 63.3% of students face
a difficulty in revising from hand-outs as they are the only source of information
because they do not have anything in their minds or copybooks. In the other hand,
26.7% confirmed that they have a lack in the historical background knowledge.
Question 10: do you feel that learning British civilisation affects your own culture?
 Yes
 No
British civilisation influence on students’ culture
Yes No
Figure 04
56
In spite of all difficulties that the students face in British civilisation, figures 04
demonstrates that most of students (60%) declared that learning British civilisation
affects their own culture. While 40% of them stated that it has no influence on their
own culture.
4.2.3. Interpretation of the questionnaire
The students’ questionnaire is administrated to 30 EFL license students (first

year LMD students) in order to elucidate whether they face any difficulty with the
British civilisation module or not and to discover their attitude, positive or negative,
towards teaching and learning of civilisation programme. The aim is twofold: The first
is to detect the students’ expectations and needs. The second is to know the teaching
techniques influence on the learning of the programme. According to the obtained
results, it is found that the students who hold negative attitude towards the programme
of civilisation outnumber those who hold a positive one due to several reasons: first,
the majority of them find the program of civilisation difficult and uninteresting.
Second, they do not prefer most of the teaching techniques used by their teachers.
Under this case, teachers usually find themselves in confrontation with learners with
different levels of competence, in which a number of them may possess very limited
vocabularies (as the answers of the second question stated). As revealed in question
four, based on their competence they may find a particular programme difficult.
Therefore their expectations and needs can differ greatly from one student to another
accordingly.
In fact, when students enrol the university, they do not have prior knowledge
about the learning programs like civilisation, for example the answers of the first
question stated. As a result, teachers find themselves dealing with number of students
who hold a negative attitude towards some teaching subjects such as civilisation f. For
example, as question five disclose, there are great number of students who find the
57
programme of civilisation either not interesting or not motivating because of the

teaching practices (methods and materials). As shown in question seven, although the
availability of many rigorous teaching resources that can increase students’ motivation,
it seems that the civilisation teachers choose lecture based course and students
presentation. This repeated use of the same teaching techniques is not always helpful
and can be demotivating. Since Learners learn in different ways, so what meets some
students do not necessary fit the others. Therefore, teachers are supposed to select and
devise activities that give the opportunity to each type of learners to develop their own
proficiency in their style of learning in order to avoid their refutation to the subject
matter. This, for instance, can be collaborative learning, homework researches, debates
or other interactive tasks. Additionally, students’ negative attitude can be attributed to
the content being taught. They do not enjoy the programme because its content is a
mixture of both historical and cultural. However, the findings of the students’
questionnaire do not ignore the fact to the existence of some students who hold a
positive attitude towards the programme of civilisation. Finally, the main question is
how to attract all the students to the subject matter, however. To summarise with, it can
be concluded that the nature of the students, the civilisation content, and the teaching
techniques can be considered as two of the main reasons that affect the learning of
British in the EFL department at the University of Laghouat.
4.3. The teachers’ Questionnaire
The data and the results that was collected from this questionnaire will enable
us to diagnose the teaching of British civilisation with its strengths and weaknesses,
thus depart from a real situation/context to suggest the appropriate strategies and
solutions to the prevailing problems the students face when dealing with this module.
The participation of teachers is of a prominent importance because they are aware about
students’ abilities and the cultural awareness.
58
4.3.1 Description of the Questionnaire
The Teachers questionnaire consists of nine (09) open-ended and multiple-

choice. It was given to five (06) teachers of British civilisation in the Department of
English Language at the University of Laghouat.
4.3.2. The Questionnaire Results
Question 01: being a teacher of civilisation, how do you find the programme of
civilisation?
 Mainly historical
 Mainly cultural
 Both
Mainly historical 01 16.7
Mainly cultural 01 16.7
Both 04 66.6
Table 09: teachers’ attitude towards find the programme of civilisation
As follows from figure shown above, one can notice that the majority of the
respondents believe that the programme of civilisation is both historical and cultural.
This means that this view should be reflected in their classes. Whereas, 16.74% believe
that the content is mainly historical and other 16.74% believe that the content is mainly
cultural. This could be due to their teaching practices.
Question 02: is the time allotted to the programme of civilisation is sufficient to cover
all the cultural aspects associated with the target language?
 Yes
 No
59
Yes 02 33.3
No 04 66.7
Table 10: teachers’ opinion on the time allotted to programme of

civilisation
The gathered data related to the number of hours allotted to the programme of
civilisation reveals that the majority (66.7%) regard that the teaching time is
insufficient to cover all the cultural aspects associated with the target language. It
becomes very hard to cover all the cultural aspects of the British and American people,
especially within the LMD system. Teachers tend to skip many events that are,
according to them, very important as they are related to other lessons.
Question 03: To what extent do you think your students enjoy the learning of
civilisation?
 Very much
 little
 Not at all

Very much 00 00
little 04 66.7
Not at all 02 33.3
Table 11: students’ attitude towards the learning of civilisation
The data with regard to teachers’ opinions about their learners’ attitude towards
the learning of civilisation shows that more than the half of the respondents (66.7% +
33.3%) is either enjoy little or not at all, and none of them claims that they enjoy it very
much.
60
Question 04: do you consider the topics you teach sufficient for making your students
fully aware of the country, culture, and people primarily associated with the target
language?
 Yes
 No
- Please, explain?
teachers’ attitude towards the topics they teach
No No
Figure 05
The majority (66.7%) of the teacher declare that the topics they teach are not
sufficient for making your students fully aware of the country, culture, and people
primarily associated with the target language because they cover a few aspects concern
the culture associated with the target language. While only 33.3% of teachers stated
that the topics are sufficient.
Question 05: as a teacher of civilisation, what are the main objectives of teaching
civilisation for EFL learners?
With regard to teachers’ views about the objectives of civilisation teaching, the
results reveal the respondents’ awareness to the role of such programme in developing
the learners’ language and cultural skills. The teachers regard that, to quote some, the
61
main aim of teaching civilisation is to help learners “to make students aware of the
cultural context of the target language”, “to teach the cultural aspects associate with
the target language”, and to “getting to know about the English history and culture”.
Additionally, civilisation programme is also seen as an important subject for helping
students “analysing facts and events and endow them with the skills of arguing in
English and defending their points of view”.
Question 06: which of the following cultural issues do you mainly teach?
 Value /behaviour
 Customs and traditions
 Beliefs and attitudes
 Political and economic institutions
 Historical events
 Social habits
 Battles and wars
 Lifestyles
 Communicative style
The Cultural Topics taught

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Figure 06
62
The data presented in chart 06 with regard to the content being taught, it is
observed that the cultural topics presented to the learners are mainly reduced to both,
the big ‘C’ culture (historical events, institutions, political and economic institutions,
etc.) and to the small ‘c’ culture along with (customs, traditions, lifestyles, value and
beliefs), but the hidden part of culture such as social habits is clearly neglected.
Question 07: What is your aim (objective) behind teaching such topics? Is to help the
Learners:
 Develop their English language proficiency
 Make them aware with the history associated with the target language
 Make them aware with the culture associated with the target language
 Make them aware of the culture differences
 Other reasons
- Specify please?
Develop their English 04 66.7
language proficiency
Make them aware with 03 50
the history associated
with the target language
Make them aware with 05 83.3
the culture associated
with the target language
Make them aware of the 05 83.3
culture differences
Other reasons 01 16.7
Table 12: objectives behind teaching those topics
The statistics in above table allow us to depict the different didactic aims behind
using the topics being selected in the previous table. As shown above, 83% of the
respondents indicate that the purpose behind teaching the topics they select is to help
their learners to be aware with both the culture and the culture differences associated
with the target language while developing their language proficiency. While only 50%
63
declared that the aim behind teaching these topics is to the learners aware of the history
associated with the target language. Whereas 16.7% of teachers stated other reasons
such as expanding the students’ diction through the use of real situation.
Question 08: What types of the following teaching techniques and resources do you
mainly use?
 Lecture-based courses
 Students’ presentations
 Home-works researches
 Videos
 Maps
 Others
- What is your aim (objective) behind using them?
The teaching techniques used

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Lecture-based Presentations Home works Videos Maps Other
Figure 07
As indicated by the statistics above, the most common used teaching methods
in the civilisation classroom are, as has always been the case, lecture-based course as a
method where the teacher is the transmitter of the knowledge and the students the
receivers whose role is usually passive. In addition, the techniques are used by several
teachers such as students’ presentations (83%) and home-works researches (66.7%)
64
There might be reasons for teachers’ preference for these method. In order to reveal so,
we further ask them: What is your aim (objective) behind using them? The aim of this
question is to explicate the teachers’ focus and concern behind utilizing the teaching
methods they use. This question discloses several realities associated with teachers’
preference of the teaching methods they follow, the lecture-based course in particular.
There is an agreement among teachers that their preference to the lecture-based course
method has to do with some pedagogical and classroom conditions. One of these
conditions, as stated earlier, such as the overcrowded curriculum, large classrooms;
other add the lack of teaching materials like interactive boards or video conferencing,
which all are seen as supporting and motivating aspects. Others specified the reasone
behind using students’ presentations is to make the students contribute not relying only
on the teacher
Question 09: We welcome your feedback. Please write any comment or suggestion in
connection with the teaching of the module of civilisation
Some teachers recommended that the teachers should focus on raising their
students’ awareness on the cultural differences. Others suggested that the teachers have
to devote more time to the module due to its importance in the student learning
progress. In addition, the cultural teaching approach is a central element in learning
English as foreign language.
4.3.3. Interpretation of the questionnaire
The teachers’ questionnaire is administered to the teachers of civilisation in

order to detect the major challenges and constraints that hamper the learning of the
civilisation in EFL classrooms. In connection with the first hypothesis, it has been
assumed that there might be some pedagogical problems that might lead the first
students to have a weakness in the British civilisation module. The obtained results
65
from the questionnaire prove the existence of some challenges. To begin with, as can
be observed from question one, the majority of teachers considered the problem of
civilisation historical and cultural at the same time which somewhat makes it hard to
achieve their students’ learning outcome. However, when they are asked to mention
the major cultural topics being taught by them, the majority refer to topics such as
historical events, historical figures, beliefs and attitudes, political and economic
institutions. This may endorse our research claim that argues that the programme of
civilisation is taught as a history and culture. Besides, they declared that the objectives
behind teaching such topics is to make the learners aware of the cultural differences
and the culture associated with the target language.
In addition, it seems that the time allocated to the civilisation module is limited
to only one hour and half per a week. This number seems to be far from being enough
for such module that concerns the study of both language and culture. Instead, the
coverage of most cultural aspects is difficult if not impossible. Besides, one should
mention that there is a tendency among the Algerian teachers to spend about ten
minutes trying to check the absentees and applying orders. Sufficient time is a crucial
factor for successful integration of culture. Under this situation, meeting all of students’
needs can be difficult, if to say impossible. This makes it difficult to keep learners on
task as they work in pair or group. Bearing in mind, when EFL students entered the
university for the first time, they might not expect that they would confront subjects
like literature, civilisation, research methodology, computer sciences, etc. Therefore, it
may be found that sometimes students ask themselves about the objectives of a
particular programme. Consequently, it can be found that some students may enjoy a
particular programme rather than others. This can be noticed from their regular
attendances and grades of the exam. For these reasons and others, teachers are aware
to the fact that there a large number of students who lack motivation. This lack of
motivation, according to the respondents of the question 03, could be imputed to the
66
number of students in their classroom, which is a major in the most Algerian

Universities.
Furthermore, when any teaching module is taught in a classroom that consists

of 40 to 50 students, the following situation may occur: first, teachers will not be able
to work with all students, and they may find themselves driven back to traditional
teaching method. Second, there will be a difficulty to manage the classroom. Third,
there will be a Lack of teacher-students interaction. Generally, the problem of large
classrooms creates discipline problems, and requires more efforts to meet the lesson
objective. However, for various reasons, it sounds that teachers tend to resist any
changes. The reason is that most teachers fear of authority loss. As can be seen from
answers to question 08 the teaching technique in the civilisation classroom is, as has
always been the case, lecture based course, where the teacher is the transmitter of the
knowledge and the students the receivers whose role is usually passive. Teaching
through lecturing can be used when there is a shortage of teaching materials and
resources. Yet, today it is quite easy to access any teaching materials, such as the visual
aids, that can help in making the courses more interesting.
4.4. Conclusion
All in all, as this chapter presented the data collection and the results analysis
obtained from the questionnaires. The results confirmed the veracity of our research
problem of that the difficulties faced by EFL students in learning British civilisation.
In order to know the reasons behind these problems, we explored and analysed both
civilisation teachers and first year students’ viewpoints towards the programme of
civilisation, in terms of attitudes, teaching content and teaching methods. After
browsing and analysing the statistical data provided by the two questionnaire (teachers
and students), a number of constraints were found, which explained the reasons behind
the students weakness in the British civilisation module. First, the students have a
67
negative attitude toward the civilisation module because of the information amount
delivered by the teachers. Second, the students have a serious problems in dealing with
British civilisation exams due to the confusing manner of questions. In addition, they
suffer from using hand-outs as they are the main source of information especially
during exams time. Third, Most students discarded some teaching techniques used by
their teachers and preferred other types such using debates, videos, and maps.
Consequently, all of these reasons can work as barriers in the way of learning British
civilisation. Furthermore, based on the teacher questionnaire results, the time devoted
to the program of civilisation is not sufficient to cover all the cultural aspects associated
with the target language the thing that makes the learning of British civilisation
deficient. Besides, the majority of students do not enjoy learning civilisation due to the
used teaching techniques. This supports the previous problem that the students have
with the teaching method. Finally, all the mentioned reasons and problems lead to the
conclusion that the EFL students confront several difficulties in learning British
civilisation.
68
General Conclusion
The current research entitled “difficulties confronting EFL students in learning

British civilisation“ tried to cast light upon the subject of learning civilisation at the
EFL Department and its potential contribution to the development of learners’
intercultural communication. It also demonstrated clear explanations about the
relationship language and culture learning. The problematic guiding this research was
that the major problems that hinder the learning of British civilisation. Encouraged by
the aforementioned problem and to settle down a plan of action to achieve the goal of
this research, the following research questions were formulated:
First, what are the main difficulties that face EFL students in learning British
civilisation and did they have an influence on learning the English language? Second,
we wondered if the teaching techniques used affect the learning of British civilisation
or not. Third, what are the appropriate teaching techniques that can make the learning
of British civilisation an easy process to do?
As discussed in the first chapter, language and culture have been treated
separately but more recently foreign language teachers have started to realize that
linguistic, phonetic, and communicative competences alone are not completely enough
for a learner to master a language. Most of scholars argued that learners need to
understand the culture in which the target language is taught. Culture is necessary to
shape the study of language as it gives the language class its spirit. The first chapter
also looked at some basic concepts related to culture and civilisation leaning. They
were the most basic issues in the study of culture. These include how culture and
civilisation are defined from different perspectives, focusing chiefly on those related to
the learning of language and relevant to the current study.
69
At the end of this research, it was concluded, based on analysis of data collected
from the research tools (questionnaires), that there is a gap between the teaching
objectives of civilisation and the students learning progress due to several difficulties.
The findings revealed the existence of a number of challenges that hinder both the
teaching and learning of civilisation. First, the students’ negative attitude towards the
programme of civilisation because of the information amount delivered by their
teachers is one of the main reason that made learners admit that learning civilisation is
difficult for them. Second, others do not enjoy the teaching programme of civilisation
due to the use of ineffective teaching techniques. In other words, the adopted teaching
methods are neither sufficient to cover some the cultural aspects nor attracting for
drawing the learners’ interests. Third, time constraints, the allotted time for the
programme of British civilisation, which is concerned with the study of language and
culture, does permit for the coverage of all the cultural aspects associated with the target
language.
In order to provide a trade-off between the teaching goals and the classroom
realities, a number of teaching and learning strategies were proposed such as the use of
visual aids, problem solving technique, and the intercultural approach. In addition, the
historical part can be reduced to allow the addition of many cultural elements (family,
beliefs, scientific and artistic achievements). Besides, civilisation teachers have to
focus on nowadays issues with the reconsideration of the used teaching methods.
Furthermore, Learners should be provided with an appropriate learning environment
that, on the one hand, reflects their interest and motivation. On the other hand, enable
them to apply their knowledge and relate it with other cultural backgrounds. Finally,
we hope that this is the area where this thesis made a contribution to the learning of
English in general and to the learning of civilisation in particular.
70
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76
‫مـلـخــــــص‬
‫تناقش هذه المذكرة اهم الصعوبات التي تواجه طالب السنه أولى في مقياس الحضارة البريطانية‬
‫لكونه عنصرا فعاال في تعلم اللغة اإلنجليزية كلغة أجنبية كما انه يهدف إلى تنمية الوعي ّ‬
‫الثقافي‬
‫والتاريخي للطالب ليمكنهم من التواصل والتحاور مع الغير‪ .‬إن معظم جامعات الجزائر لديها‬
‫مشاكل مع هذا القياس وخاصة جامعة عمار ثليجي في االغواط فإنها تواجد عدة صعوبات في‬
‫التعامل مع هذا المقياس والتي بدورها تعيق الطالب وتجعلهم غير مهتمين بهذا المقياس‪ .‬من بين‬
‫هذه الصعوبات هي كيفية التعامل مع المحتوى وطرق ال ّتدريس و ظروف التدريس المتاحة‬
‫والوقت المسخر لتدريس هذا المقياس‪ .‬بما أن هذه المذكرة تعتمد على المنهج الوصفي‪ ,‬فقد تم‬
‫إستعمال اإلستبيان لتحقق من وجود هذه المشاكل ووفقا لذلك تتقترح هذه المذكرة إعادة ال ّنظر في‬
‫المحتوى الموجــــــه ّ‬
‫للطلبة كما أنها تقترح عدة طرق ووسائل تعليم مختلفة التي تجذب إهتمام‬
‫الطالب وتجعلهم متشويق اكثر للتعلم‪ .‬من بين هاته الطرق استعمال الفيديوهات والخرائط وغيرها‬
‫من الوسائل التي بدورها تساعد كل من الطلبة واألساتذة في تحقيق الهدف المنشود‪.‬‬
Appendices
Appendix I
Students’ Questionnaire
Dear students,
This questionnaire is an attempt to gathering information needed for the

accomplishment of a master dissertation. We use this questionnaire in order to
investigate the difficulties that you face in learning British civilisation. We would be
very grateful if you could help us in accomplishing our research by filling in the
questionnaire.
1. Do you have any previous information/ideas about the British civilisation module?
• Yes
• Just little
• No
2. Do you feel that you have a lack of vocabulary in this module?
• Yes
• No
3. When revising for exams, do you find it hard dealing with British civilisation
lessons?
• Always
• Sometimes
• Never
4. How do you find the module of civilisation?
• Difficult
• Moderately difficult
• Easy
5. Among other modules, how do you find the programme of civilisation?
• Motivating
• Interesting
• Uninteresting
• Dull
6. Do you feel that the teacher is giving you too much information in one session?
• Yes
• No
- If yes, you suggest:
• To have more than one lecture per the week
• The teacher should reduce the amount of information.
• To have a few number of lectures during the week
1. What types of the following teaching techniques and resources are used by your
teacher of civilisation?
• Lecturing/ board based
Students’ Presentation
• Homework research
• Debates
• Videos
• Postcards
• Maps
• Others
- Which type do you prefer? Why?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
8. At the end of the session, do you mind if the teacher asks you to summarize what
you understood?
• Yes
• No
-If yes, because:
You didn’t understand anything.
The teacher didn’t explain some points in a clear way.
• The teacher has a complicated style in delivering the information.
9. What kind of difficulties you usually face while learning civilisation?
• Having a lack in historical background.

• Revising from the hand-outs as they are the only source of information.
• Misunderstanding of the exams’ questions manner.
10. Do you feel that learning British civilisation affects your own culture?
• Yes
• No
Thank you
Appendix II
Teachers’ Questionnaire
Dear teachers,
This questionnaire is designed for the purpose of providing data for a
thesis research aiming at investigating some didactical difficulties that face EFL
students in learning British civilisation in Algeria. Would you have the kindness to
provide us with the necessary answers to the following questions either by ticking the
appropriate boxes or by making full statements? Thank you in advance for your
collaboration.
1. Being a teacher of civilisation, how do you consider this module?

• Mainly historical
• Mainly cultural
• Both
2. Is the time allotted to the programme of civilisation sufficient to cover all the
cultural aspects associated with the target language?
• Yes
• No
3. To what extent do you think your students enjoy learning civilisation?

• Very much
• Little
• Not at all
- If Very much / Not at all, why?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………......................................
......................................
…………………………………………………………………
4. Do you consider the topics you teach sufficient for making your students fully
aware of the country, culture, and people primarily associated with the target
language?
Please, explain.
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………
5. What are your main goals from teaching civilisation for EFL learners?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………
6. Which of the following cultural issues you mainly teach?
• Value /behaviour
• Historical figures
• Customs and traditions
• Beliefs and attitudes
• Political and economic institutions
• Historical events
• Social habits
• Battles and wars
• Lifestyles
• Communicative style
7. What is your purpose behind teaching such topics?
• To develop their English language proficiency
• To make them aware of the history associated with the target language
• To make them aware of the culture associated with the target language
• To take them aware of cultural differences
• For other reasons
- Specify please?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
8. What types of the following teaching techniques and resources do you mainly use?
• Lecture-based courses
• Students’ presentations
• Home-works researches
• Videos
• Maps
• Others
-What is your objective behind using them?
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
………….......................
9. We welcome your feedback. Please write any comment or suggestion in connection
with the teaching of the module of civilisation.

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People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria

Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research

Exploring Learning Difficulties in Civilisation Classes

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for a Master Degree in

Submitted by: Supervisor:

Nowadays, the acquisition of foreign languages plays an important role in developing

First of all, I would like to express my deep hearty gratitude to my supervisor

Mr. BEN REDDA DJAMEL who offered his expertise

Furthermore, I am indebted to all

teachers and students who participated in this work.

Finally, my best appreciations go to

the jury members who accepted to read and examine my work.

At first, a special dedication

To all my friends and colleagues

who helped me with the questionnaire distribution.

I am especially grateful to the two members on The Trinity

kabache Ameur and Sliea Mohamed Elamin

who were my resort whenever I had a research ache.

They were greatly supportive in moments of difficulty and frustration.

To all those I know and have not mentioned their names.

EFL: English as a Foreign Language……………………………………………..01

ESL: English as a Second Language……………………………………………...26

LLD: Language Learning Disabilities………………………………………….....23

LD: Learning Disabilities………………………………………………………..23

L 1: Mother Tongue / First Language…………………………………………...24

L2: Second Language…………………………………………………………...22

Table 01: students’ prior knowledge………………………………………………...50

Table 02: students’ vocabulary…………………………………………………...…51

Table 03: students’ attitude towards civilisation exams…………………………….51

Table 04: students’ attitude towards the module of civilisation…………..…..….…52

Table 05: students’ attitude towards the programme of civilisation…………...……53

Table 06: students’ attitude towards the amount of information……………………53

Table 07: students’ suggestions on the amount of information………………..……54

Table 08: teaching techniques used by civilisation teachers……………..................55

Table 09: students’ attitude towards summarising what they understood…………..56

Table 10: students’ reasons behind their refusal………………………………….…56

Table 11: difficulties that face students in learning civilisation………………….…57

Table 12: British civilisation effects on students’ culture……………………...…...57

Table 13: teachers’ attitude towards find the programme of civilisation……...….…60

Table 14: teachers’ opinion on the time allotted to programme of civilisation…..…60

Table 15: students’ attitude towards the learning of civilisation……………………61

Table 16: teachers’ attitude towards the topics they teach……………..……………62

Table 17: the cultural topics taught…………………………………………….……63

Table 18: objectives behind teaching those topics………………………………..…64

Table 19: the teaching techniques used by the teachers…………………………..…65

Figure 01: Students’ lack of Vocabulary in the Module……………..………………

Figure 02: Students’ attitude towards the programme of civilisation………………..

Figure 03: Teaching techniques used by civilisation teachers………………………

Figure 04: British civilisation influence on students’ culture………………………

Figure 05: Teachers’ attitude towards the topics they teach…………………………

Figure 06: The Cultural Topics taught ……………………………………………….

Figure 07: The teaching techniques used………………………………………………

General Introduction ................................................................................................01

Chapter One: Language, Culture and Civilisation………….……..……….05

1.1. Introduction ....................................................................................................06

1.2. Civilisation and Culture: Definitions………………………………………..06

1.3. Culture for Foreign Language Learners: Definition………………………...11

1.4. Difference between "Culture "and "culture"………………………………...12

1.5. Characteristics of Culture and Civilisation………………………….....……14