<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?><article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id>1409-4703</journal-id>
<journal-title><![CDATA[Actualidades Investigativas en Educación]]></journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title><![CDATA[Rev. Actual. Investig. Educ]]></abbrev-journal-title>
<issn>1409-4703</issn>
<publisher>
<publisher-name><![CDATA[Instituto de Investigación en Educación, Universidad de Costa Rica]]></publisher-name>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id>S1409-47032020000100053</article-id>
<article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.15517/aie.v20i1.39886</article-id>
<title-group>
<article-title xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[Improving culture teaching in the english major at Universidad Nacional: perceptions and practices]]></article-title>
<article-title xml:lang="es"><![CDATA[El mejoramiento de la enseñanza de la cultura en el bachillerato en inglés de la Universidad Nacional: percepciones y prácticas]]></article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Espinoza Murillo]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[Ligia]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="Aff"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Rodríguez Chaves]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[José David]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="Aff"/>
</contrib>
</contrib-group>
<aff id="Af1">
<institution><![CDATA[,Universidad Nacional Sede Interuniversitaria de Alajuela ]]></institution>
<addr-line><![CDATA[ ]]></addr-line>
<country>Costa Rica</country>
</aff>
<aff id="Af2">
<institution><![CDATA[,Universidad Nacional  ]]></institution>
<addr-line><![CDATA[ ]]></addr-line>
<country>Costa Rica</country>
</aff>
<pub-date pub-type="pub">
<day>00</day>
<month>04</month>
<year>2020</year>
</pub-date>
<pub-date pub-type="epub">
<day>00</day>
<month>04</month>
<year>2020</year>
</pub-date>
<volume>20</volume>
<numero>1</numero>
<fpage>53</fpage>
<lpage>74</lpage>
<copyright-statement/>
<copyright-year/>
<self-uri xlink:href="http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&amp;pid=S1409-47032020000100053&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><self-uri xlink:href="http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&amp;pid=S1409-47032020000100053&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><self-uri xlink:href="http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_pdf&amp;pid=S1409-47032020000100053&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><abstract abstract-type="short" xml:lang="en"><p><![CDATA[Abstract The present study aims at exploring the bond between culture and language learning, in the curriculum of the English major (Bachillerato en Inglés, in Spanish) at Universidad Nacional (UNA). Specifically, the major under study is affiliated to Escuela de Literatura y Ciencias del Lenguaje and implemented at Sede Interuniversitaria de Alajuela, Costa Rica. The researchers seek to diagnose current needs in this major by examining perceptions and practices in culture teaching in the classroom of English as a foreign language (EFL). Although culture is part of the curriculum of the English major, perceptions and practices toward the integration of the cultural component in this study plan have been first addressed in this research. Through a quantitative approach, this study determines several cultural teaching practices developed in EFL courses along four academic levels in the English major. Participants comprised 74 students and five faculty members. Learners&#8217; understanding and perceptions toward culture learning were analyzed through a survey. Likewise, a questionnaire for professors was administered to identify teaching approaches to culture. Findings revealed that cultural aspects are addressed in most of the courses in the major; however, the practices implemented for approaching such aspects must be authentic and reflective for the broadening of cultural understanding per se and in turn the enhancement of cross-cultural communication.]]></p></abstract>
<abstract abstract-type="short" xml:lang="es"><p><![CDATA[Resumen El presente estudio exploró el nexo existente entre la cultura y el aprendizaje de un idioma dentro del plan de estudios del Bachillerato en Inglés de la Universidad Nacional (UNA). En específico, la carrera en estudio está afiliada a la Escuela de Literatura y Ciencias del Lenguaje, y es implementada por la Sede Interuniversitaria de Alajuela, Costa Rica. El grupo investigador procuró diagnosticar necesidades actuales de esta carrera al examinar percepciones y prácticas de la enseñanza de la cultura en la clase de inglés como lengua extranjera (ILE). Aunque la cultura ha formado parte del plan de estudios de esta carrera, la presente investigación es el primer abordaje de las percepciones y las prácticas sobre la integración del componente cultural en dicho plan. Por medio de una metodología cuantitativa, se determinó varias prácticas desarrolladas para la enseñanza de la cultura en ILE, en los cuatro niveles académicos de la carrera. La población participante constituyó una población de 74 estudiantes y cinco docentes del bachillerato. A través de una encuesta, se analizaron aspectos culturales y percepciones hacia el aprendizaje de la cultura por parte del estudiantado. Además, se aplicó un cuestionario al personal docente para explorar las estrategias metodológicas aplicadas en sus clases al enseñar cultura. Los hallazgos indican que los aspectos culturales son abordados en la mayoría de cursos de la carrera; sin embargo, las prácticas desarrollas para enseñar tales aspectos deben ser auténticas y reflexivas para así expandir el conocimiento de cultura y a la vez mejorar la comunicación intercultural.]]></p></abstract>
<kwd-group>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[english as a foreign language (EFL)]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[culture learning]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[learners&#8217; perceptions]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[teaching strategies]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[inglés como lengua extranjera (ILE)]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[aprendizaje de cultura]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[percepciones estudiantiles]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[estrategias de enseñanza]]></kwd>
</kwd-group>
</article-meta>
</front><back>
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