EDUP3073

CULTURE AND LEARNING

TESL JUNE 2017 INTAKE
SEMESTER 4 (2019)

Jabatan Ilmu Pendidikan

Institut Pendidikan Guru
Kampus Bahasa Antarabangsa
Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur
 GETTING TO KNOW YOU
 List of Students’ Information
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CONDITIONS for JOYFUL LEARNING
• ATTENDANCE
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• ASSIGNMENTS
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• LESSON IN PROGRESS
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*** Inform your lecturer of any problem

 RESPONSIBILITIES

STUDENT PORTFOLIO
2019 Checklist for Student’s Portfolio

LCD PROJECTOR
For EVERY Lecture and Tutorial Session

RECORD OF ATTENDANCE
1) Class Attendance List
Find Replacement Classes for:

31 Disember Monday (2 hours)

21 January Monday (2 hours)
 Please refer to the Summary of Course Information / Ringkasan
Maklumat Kursus (RMK)

1. The Concept of Culture and the Importance of Understanding the

Concept

2. Socioculture and Sociocultural Development in Classroom

3. Awareness of Sociocultural Diversity in Malaysia

4. Roles and Implications of Sociocultural Diversity to the Education

System in Malaysia

5. Equality in Educational Opportunities in Malaysia

6. Developing Nation Building in the School’s Sociocultural Diversity

7. Management of a Cultural Friendly Classroom

8. Effective Communication in a Cultural Friendly Classroom

a Cultural
9. Teacher as an Agent Friendly
of Cultural Agent
Friendly in the Community,
National and Global
 EDUP3073
CULTURE AND LEARNING
TOPIC 1:
The Concept of Culture and the
Importance of Understanding the Concept

Jabatan Ilmu Pendidikan

Institut Pendidikan Guru
Kampus Bahasa Antarabangsa
Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur
 OVERVIEW OF TOPIC 1

• Meaning and the Concept of Culture

• Race and Ethnic in Malaysia

• Race and Ethnic Demography in Malaysia

• The Importance of Understanding the

Concept of Culture to Teachers

Dr. Chin Mei Chin

 RATIONALE
for having the
EDUP3073 course

This course is offered so that students

can understand and be aware of the
sociocultural diversity in Malaysia and
be able to create a
cultural friendly classroom environment.

Dr. Chin Mei Chin

 The Meaning and Concept
of Culture
What is Concept ?

Brain Based Structure:

Activation
Develop
Learn By Doing
Integration
Review
Preview
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 The Meaning and Concept
of Culture

What is Concept ?

Concept
= an idea of what something is or
how it works
= thought
= notion
= abstract idea
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 The Meaning and Concept
of Culture

 Various views about the concept of

culture

 Various disciplines have their own idea

about the concept of culture
 Various definitions about culture has
been put forward by many scholars.

Dr. Chin Mei Chin

 Meanings of Culture
• Culture in English comes from the Latin word,
“colere” which means designing or doing.

• Sociological viewpoint:
“Culture” is derived from the
Sanskrit word Buddhaya:
Budhi (Sanskrit) = Active Mind
Daya (Malay) = Force, Power and Influence

• Culture means the way of life.

Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 Definitions of Culture
Edward Bunnet Tylor was the first
anthropologist to define culture in his
1871 book Primitive Culture:
"Culture or civilization, taken in its wide
ethnographic sense, is that complex whole
which includes knowledge, belief, art,
morals, law, custom, and any other
capabilities and habits acquired by man as a
member of society“.
** Ethnography = The scientific description of the customs of individual peoples and cultures.
Source: http://classes.yale.edu/03-04/anth500b/projects/project_sites/02_Booker/BOASANDTYLOR.htm
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 Among other things, he meant that
culture was not something people were
born with, but something they gained
through normal social interaction.

This was an anthropological (study of

humankind) concept of culture.

Its most important effect was to show that

all humans possessed it, and that it was
precisely this which made them human.
Source: http://www.academia.edu/686188/Culture_A_contemporary_definition
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 Tylor’s definition of culture was adjectival
and was used in the singular.

Instead of assuming that

all people had a culture,
Tylor’s use of the word
referred to a
certain stage of development
that a society reached in a
progressive, macro-evolutionary process.
Source:
http://classes.yale.edu/03-
04/anth500b/projects/project_sites/02_Booker/BOASANDTYLOR.htm
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 There was only one way for
someone to have “culture” and
that was to be “cultured.”

In this sense, one could be “cultured” to

varying degrees depending upon one’s
advancement on the progressive
evolutionary scale.

Therefore, culture was often perceived as

the opposite of tradition which is seen as the
dead weight of irrational customs and habits.
Source:
http://classes.yale.edu/03-
04/anth500b/projects/project_sites/02_Booker/BOASANDTYLOR.htm
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 Franz Boas, 23 December 1883
"I often ask myself what advantages our
'good society' possesses over that of the
'savages' and find, the more I see of their
customs, that we have no right to look
down upon them ...
We have no right to blame them for their
forms and superstitions which may seem
ridiculous to us. We 'highly educated
people' are much worse, relatively
speaking ...”
Source:
http://classes.yale.edu/03-
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 Among Boas' main contributions to
anthropological thought was his
rejection of the then popular
evolutionary approaches to the
study of culture, which saw all
societies progressing through a set
of hierarchic technological and
cultural stages, with
Western-European culture
at the summit.
Source: http://classes.yale.edu/03-04/anth500b/projects/project_sites/02_Booker/BOASANDTYLOR.htm
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 (Franz Boas, 1911)
“Culture may be defined as the totality of
the mental and physical reactions
and activities that characterize the
behavior of individuals composing a
social group collectively and individually
in relation to their natural environment,
to other groups, to members of the group
itself and of each individual to himself.
It also includes the products of these
activities and their role in the life
of the groups ".
Source: http://classes.yale.edu/03-
Dr. Chin04/anth500b/projects/project_sites/02_Booker/BOASANDTYLOR.htm
Mei Chin
 Boas argued that culture
developed historically through the
interactions of groups of people
and the diffusion of ideas, and
that consequently there was
no process towards continuously
"higher" cultural forms.
Source:
http://classes.yale.edu/03-
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 Boas also introduced the ideology
of cultural relativism which holds that
cultures cannot be objectively ranked
as higher or lower,
or better or more correct,
but that all humans see the world
through the lens of their own culture,
and judge it according to their own
culturally acquired norms.
Source:
http://classes.yale.edu/03-
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 Franz Boas:
Culture conditioned people to understand
and interact with the world in different ways,
and to do this, it was necessary to
gain an understanding of the
language and cultural practices of
the people studied.

Dr. Chin Mei Chin

 Triandis, 1994
“Culture is a set of human-made
objective and subjective elements
that in the past have increased the probability of
survival and resulted in satisfaction of the
participants in an ecological niche and thus
become shared among those who could
communicate with each other”.
• Objective - something that is tangible, such as
agricultural tools, art works, houses, means of
transportation, communication tools and so on.
• Subjective – something that is abstract such as
norms, morals and values.”
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 "The way of life of people, including their
attitudes, values, beliefs, arts, sciences,
modes of perception and
habits of thoughts and activity“.
(Dictionary of Philosophy,1996)

We can conclude that there are distinct

similarities in the various definitions of culture
from different backgrounds in different epochs.

In short, culture is a way of life in any

society which includes belief systems,
values, beliefs, art, tradition and civilization.

Culture is shared, transmitted through learning

and helped shape behaviour and beliefs.
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 Concept of Culture
Koentjaraningrat (2002) highlights 7 cultural elements:
1. Language
2. Knowledge system *
3. Social organization
4. Technology systems and equipment
5. Livelihood and economic system
6. Religious system
7. Art
* An example of a Knowledge System:
Indigenous knowledge is the local knowledge that is unique
to a culture or society. The indigenous knowledge system is
the basis for agriculture, food preparation, health care,
education, conservation and other activities that sustain
indigenous societies in many parts of the world.
Source: http://www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/mods/theme_c/mod11.html?panel=5#top (Introduction)
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 Other categorizations of
Elements of Culture

1) Social Organization
2) Customs and Traditions
3) Language
4) Arts & Literature
5) Religion
6) Forms of Government
7) Economic Systems

Refer to Handout “THE SEVEN ELEMENTS OF CULTURE”

Source:
http://www.ocs.cnyric.org/webpages/phyland/global_10.cfm?subpage=19595
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 All the 7 elements form the basis
of culture in any society.

These elements are all inter-related.

However, all of these elements do not

necessarily stand out in all societies.

Different societies have

certain elements that stand out and
this varies from one society to another.
Source: Modul Pembelajaran EDU3106 Culture & Learning, Program Pensiswazahan Guru, IPG KPM
(2011)
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 Types of Culture
Based on the elements discussed above, culture
can be categorized into two types:
1) Material Culture
Material culture is a product of the community’s creation which is real
and concrete.
Tools and Equipment for livelihood
and economic systems: Weapons, clothing, buildings, houses, vehicles,
etc.

2) Non-material Culture
Non-material culture is an abstract creation that is
not in the form of material.
It does not include any physical object or artifact.

Values, Knowledge, Language, Rules, Beliefs, Norms, Ideas,

Customs, Religion, etc.
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 Characteristics of Culture
There are several characteristics of
culture
1) Learned
which are similar in all societies.
2) Shared
3) Passed down from generation to
generation
4) Based on Symbols
5) Dynamic
6) Universal
7) Existence of Worldviews Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 Culture is LEARNED.
Culture is not inherited but learned. It is not biological.
Much of learning culture is unconscious. We learn
culture from families, peers, institutions, and media.
The process of learning culture is known
as enculturation. In other words, enculturation is the
process whereby individuals learn their group’s
culture through experience, observation and
instruction (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/enculturation).
Different societies have different elements of culture
such as language, social organization, religion, etc.
For example: Children learn their mother tongue,
values and manners from their parents.
Dr. Chin Mei Chin Source: http://home.earthlink.net/~youngturck/chapter8.htm
 Culture is SHARED.
There are certain elements in a culture that is not
confined to any one ethnic group, but also
practised by other ethnic groups.
We are able to act in socially appropriate ways as
well as predict how others will act because we
share culture with other members of our group.
For example, the traditional food of the Malays in
Malaysia such as nasi lemak is also popular with
the other ethnic groups.
Nevertheless, despite the shared nature of culture,
culture is not homogenous (the same) among
different ethnic groups.
Source:
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 Culture is based on SYMBOLS.
A symbol is something that stands for something
else. Language, money and art are examples of
symbols of a culture. Symbols vary cross-
culturally and are arbitrary.

They only have meaning when people in a culture

agree on their use.

Symbols such as flags, logos, emblems, insignia,

ornaments, or distinctive clothing have specific
meanings and usage among cultural groups.
Source: http://home.earthlink.net/~youngturck/chapter8.htm

Dr. Chin Mei Chin

 Culture is DYNAMIC.
Culture is dynamic over time, context, and place.
This simply means that cultures interact and
change. Most cultures exchange ideas and
symbols when they are in contact with other
cultures.
All cultures change, otherwise, they would have
problems adapting to changing environments.
For example, the Malays and Indians in Malaysia
have adopted the angpow culture of the Chinese
during their respective festivals such as Hari
Raya and Deepavali with the money packet
coming in different designs and colours.
Dr. Chin Mei Chin Source:
 Culture is PASSED DOWN FROM
GENERATION TO GENERATION.
Culture is passed down from one generation to the
next, especially elements such as customs and
traditions.

For example, indigenous knowledge and customs

are passed down from generation to generation
through traditional education (usually by word of
mouth and cultural rituals). The adults teach
practical knowledge of culture, the environment,
and survival through demonstrations and a wide
range of ceremonies, stories, songs, village
meetings and taboos.
Source: http://www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/mods/theme_c/mod11.html (Activity 5)
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 A cultural universal is an element, pattern,
trait or institution that is common to all
human cultures worldwide.

Examples of cultural universals are:

 gender roles
 rites of passage
 tool making
 incest taboo

Nearly every society since the beginning

of recorded history has had a taboo
against sibling or parent/child marriages.
Source: www.boundless.com
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 Section 376A of the Penal Code for
incest states that a person is said to
have committed incest if he has sexual
intercourse with another person whose
relationship to him is such that he is
not permitted to marry her under the
law, religion or custom.

Dr. Chin Mei Chin

 CULTURAL WORLDVIEW
• A worldview is the framework from which we view reality and make sense
of life and the world.

• A cultural worldview answers ultimate questions about humanity and the

universe.
• It is the mental layer of culture which functions in the form of values,
beliefs, and attitudes.

• Samovar, Porter, and McDaniel (2010) define a worldview as a culture’s

orientation toward God, humanity, nature, the universe, life, death,
sickness, and other philosophical issues concerning existence.

• Worldviews are tacitly communicated by narrative stories, origin

myths, linguistic metaphors, and cautionary tales, and they "set the
ground rules for shared cultural meaning.”

Sources: Larry Samovar, Richard Porter, Edwin McDaniel, Carolyn Roy. Intercultural Communication: A Reader. Cengage Learning. 2014
http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/cultural-frames
Dr. Chin Mei Chin
 Example:
• A certain community has a cultural worldview that resonates with the
biblical worldview that the primary reason for existence is to love and
serve God.

• This worldview impacts upon their values, beliefs and attitudes which in
turn influences their behaviour and actions.

• If they believe the Bible is entirely true, then it becomes the foundation of
everything they think, say and do.

• They would make decisions and form appropriate responses to questions

on abortion, same-sex marriage, cloning, et cetera in accordance with the
Bible.

• Their values, beliefs, attitudes and actions would also give rise to the
adherence to Christian customs and traditions within their community.

Dr. Chin Mei Chin Source: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/

 REFLECTION

What elements and

characteristics of culture can
you find in this video clip?

Dr. Chin Mei Chin

 TUTORIAL TASK
1 Researchers on society and culture have given
different definitions of culture based on their
opinions.

a. Explain the meaning of culture based on

your understanding. ( 5 marks )

b. Describe the important features of group

culture in Malaysia. ( 10 marks )

November 2015
2 Culture is inherited from one generation to
another. Culture is also divided into two
components, namely material culture and non-
material culture.

a. Explain the meaning of material culture

and non-material culture components that
exist in a community. ( 5 marks )

b. Discuss the elements of culture found in

a Malaysian community. ( 10 marks )

May 2016
3 Culture consists of beliefs, customs, language
and arts. In Malaysia, every race or ethnic
group has its own culture that will be inherited
by the next generation.

a Explain the importance of understanding

the concept of culture to teachers.
( 5 marks )

b. Discuss the elements of culture found in

the Malaysian community. ( 10 marks )

May 2017
REFLECTION