Investigating EFL Learners’ Cultural Awareness and its Impact on Their Language Competency: Case of Master 01 Students of Linguistics at Ibn Khaldoun University of Tiaret

Abstract

The current research aims at investigating EFL learner’s’ cultural awareness and its contribution to learners’ language proficiency .Its main objective is to examine the extent to which the EFL learner knows about the foreign culture as well as the role CA plays to attain mastery of language .In an attempt to go deep through the subject, two investigative tools are used: a semi structured - interview with six teachers and a questionnaire administered to 80 first year master students of linguistics at Ibn khaldoun University of Tiaret .The findings reveal that EFL learners’ do not know much about the foreign culture therefore, their cultural awareness is under the required level, due to the marginalization of the cultural dimension in classrooms and the focus on promoting learners ‘linguistic skills only .For the informants, culture incorporation is seen as the main tool through which their cultural knowledge can be optimized since that cultural awareness is one the essential components that will greatly contribute to achieving language proficiency and developing intercultural communicative competence . Based on the findings some suggestions and recommendations are proposed to help in developing learners’ cultural awareness