Abstract:

As we begin life in the twenty-first century, our teaching practices in the last two hundred years are no longer a certain or reliable way to teach. New learning technologies, mainly the internet, are becoming increasing popular, but sometimes misleading. The effects of technology, TV and internet in particular, are extremely potent and cannot be predictable. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of technology, as a significant source of knowledge, on students’, who were enrolled in one of the ten foreign languages programs in fall 2008 at the College of Languages and Translation at King Saud University in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, perceptions and attitudes towards the other or foreign cultures. To be more specific, the study was designed to examine and compare the impact of some sources of knowledge, namely TV and internet, textbooks, and instructors on students’ perceptions and attitudes.

To gain a holistic perspective about the phenomenon being studied, multi-methods, quantitative and qualitative, were used. A questionnaire had been developed and distributed to students. The total sample consisted of 248 participants whose responses were statistically analyzed. In addition, semi-structured interviews, lasting between 30- 45 minutes, were conducted with six faculty members teaching foreign languages and cultures at the College of Languages and Translation.

The findings of the study indicate that 1) despite the multiplicity and affordability of knowledge’s sources, subjects, as a group, had positive attitudes towards foreign cultures. Exceptions to this were just outliers. 2) TV and the internet, as a source of knowledge, was by far the predominant source of knowledge for participants. More than 70% of subjects indicated that TV/internet was their main source. However, none of the subjects’ primary sources of knowledge: textbooks, instructors, and TV/internet, was statistically significant. Each source had equal chances of being the most, or may be the least, influential. 3) Regarding the future of foreign cultures teaching and research, four out of the six informants shared the belief that the future of foreign cultures is bright and technology will continue to be the students’ predominant source of knowledge. They all, in fact, expect more interaction, more exposure and dialogues between cultures to occur. Furthermore, they all contributed the recent trends of foreign culture to ‘internet’ to enhance and nurture this kind of dialogue.

Moreover, the study highlighted instructors’ lack of ‘pedagogical content knowledge’. Only a little over 8% of total participants attributed their gain and knowledge about foreign cultures primarily to their instructors which reflects a clear challenge for instructors’ role by the new learning technologies. Yet, more surprisingly, qualitative data showed that only two informants had considered themselves as major sources for their students’ knowledge; a source for the subject being taught.
In conclusion, current teaching practices are clearly challenged by technology. With what the world has been through, moreover, the study underscores the need for having well-developed curricula and more supervision for internet exposure that deal precisely and directly with foreign cultures. Ignorance, ambiguity and/or hope for good, appropriate representation of the other should no longer be part of the equation.