An Ethnographic Interview

An Ethnographic Interview

An Ethnographic Interview

Introduction

It has become a truism in discussions of foreign language curricula that "culture is inseparable from language and therefore must be included in language study" (Crawford-Lange & Lange, 1987, p. 258). In the last decade, the place of culture learning in foreign language classes has been solidified in both the United States and Europe in the form of national standards and curriculum documents. The Standards for Foreign Language Learning for the 21st Century (National Standards, 1999) specify that students are not only to demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices, products, and perspectives of the culture studied-as well as demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own-but to actually "participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world" (p. 9).

In England, a discussion document from Her Majesty's Inspectorate declares that foreign language teaching should "foster positive attitudes towards other countries and those who live in them," "develop a capacity for understanding and accepting the unfamiliar," and "encourage tolerance and a willingness to work together" (HMI, 1987; quoted in Byram, Esarte-Sarries, Taylor, & Allatt, 1991).

This study sought to extend previous research on ethnographic interviews as a method of culture learning in foreign language classes by employing a qualitative case study methodology. Fifty-four university students in a first-year Spanish course worked in pairs to conduct a series of three ethnographic interviews with a native speaker of Spanish. Students reported a variety of cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes of the project, including (a) enhanced attitudes toward Spanish speakers and Hispanic cultures, and in some cases, new friendships with Hispanic individuals; (b) enhanced competencies in relating to and communicating with people of other cultures, including the ability to view situations from other cultural points of view; and (c) an increased awareness of the influence of their own culture in their lives.

Promoting Affective and Behavioral Outcomes through Ethnographic Interviews

Advocates of the use of ethnographic interviews in foreign language programs (e.g., Byram & Morgan, 1994; Damen, 1987; Hickey 1980; Jurasek, 1995; Robinson, 1988) affirm that the interviews are an ideal tool for bringing about affective and behavioral outcomes as well as cognitive ones. As Robinson (1988) pointed out, one benefit of ethnographic interview projects lies in the time commitment that students must make to listen to another person's cultural perspective. Spending time listening to someone's point of view that differs from one's own, especially when the person is from another culture, constitutes a new behavior for most foreign language students (and indeed, for most Americans). In addition, the effort invested in trying to understand another person's perspective sometimes results in a significant affective outcome-the formation of a new friendship.

A second advantage of ethnographic interviews is their potential to introduce students to contrasting cultural points of view in a nonthreatening way. When situations arise in which the interviewees' cultural perspectives differ from those of the students, students can ask additional questions, allowing interviewees to explain their underlying beliefs and ...