JANUARY HANNAH ARAñAS (TANZA NATIONAL COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL)

INTEGRATING CAVITEñO CULTURE IN VIRTUAL ESL CLASSROOMS: PROMOTING INTERCULTURAL AWARENESS IN THE NEW NORMAL SETTING : INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND GLOBAL COMPETENCIES

This paper aims to explore how Filipino ESL teachers integrate the Caviteño culture in their virtual ESL classes to promote intercultural awareness. Following a case study research design, the researchers investigated the experiences and local cultural integration practices of five first time online distance learning (ODL) English teachers in Cavite, Philippines during the first nationwide implementation of remote virtual instruction in the amidst the global pandemic. Data were gathered through a survey interview and class observations for one grading period to assess the participants’ perceptions on integrating the Caviteño culture in their virtual lessons. Their practices were compared to the Intercultural Communicative Language Teaching (ICLT) framework as the basis for cultural integration in ESL classrooms. Through thematic coding, the common themes were extracted to form a guide that teachers can use to integrate the Caviteño culture in the virtual ESL classrooms. The research findings revealed that the English ODL teachers barely integrate the local Caviteño culture in their lessons due to limited understanding of intercultural integration, time restrictions, limited resources, and misaligned lesson topics. Focus on local cultural comparisons and contextualization of language practices must be given priority. The scope of this study deals with the teachers’ actual cultural integration practices through Caviteño cultural and historical content, practices, and localized norms in the said locality. It will provide a clear set of guidelines for local cultural integration that teachers can readily apply in their local settings. Future research can explore the effectiveness of these localized strategies among Filipino ESL learners.

Ms. January Hannah P. Arañas in a 9th grade English teacher at Tanza National Comprehensive High School. She earned both her bachelor’s and master of arts degrees majoring in English Language Teaching at the Philippine Normal University, Manila. Her research interests are interculturalism and translanguaging in Philippine English language education.