This paper investigates the ways in which readers interpret a news editorial on the basis of cultural assumptions formulated partly under the influence of the media they are associated with. For this investigation, questionnaires (English and Japanese versions) on the discourse of whaling were administered to 30 Japanese postgraduate students and 30 British, European and North American academics, researchers and teachers. In addition, seven EFL students also participated in filling in the questionnaire. The result shows that in the case of the English version, the majority of the non-Japanese respondents were anti-whaling, while most of the Japanese version respondents (Japanese) were either neutral or pro-whaling. This is clearly reflected in their interpretation of the text. The English respondents overwhelmingly supported the editor’s anti-whaling stance despite pointing out the excessive use of emotive language. By contrast, most of the Japanese respondents showed strong disagreement with the editor’s attitude, pointing out the lack of evidence and information. Although the result does not necessarily show that this single editorial had a direct influence on the respondents, there are nonetheless some indications of the ways in which naïve readers could be influenced by the media. Finally, the paper discusses implications of this study for language pedagogy.
목차
METHOD AND INFORMANTS PROCEDURES FOR THE ANALYSIS ANALYSIS OF THE RESPONDENTS’ OPINIONS ABOUT WHALING BEFORE READING THE COMMENTARY ANALYSIS OF THE RESPONDENTS’ OPINIONS ABOUT THE COMMENTARY AND THE CHANGE OF OPINIONS ABOUT WHALING AFTER READING IT Direct and Indirect Influences Agreement: Complete Match of Pretextual Assumptions Neutral: Critical Awareness Disagreement: Complete Mismatch of Pretextual Assumptions Summary CONCLUSION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS THE AUTHOR REFERENCES APPENDIX
The goals of Asia TEFL are to promote scholarship, disseminate information, and facilitate cross-cultural understanding among persons concerned with the teaching and learning of English in Asia. In order to accomplish this, Asia TEFL will pursue the following goals:
1. To link ELT professionals in joint research on issues and concerns regarding English teaching and learning in the Asian context.
2. To publish an academic journal, The Asia TEFL Journal, as an internationally recognized journal in the field of English language teaching.
3. To host conferences and seminars addressing important issues concerning ELT in Asia.
4. To develop proficiency guidelines and assessment methods designed for the needs of the Asian context.
5. To develop programs for Asian learners and teachers of English to build their English language proficiency and cultural understanding and provide them with the skills required to be efficient English teaching professionals.