Native-Culturism in University of Jordan Students’ Cognitions about Literature

Abstract

This study explores the extent to which Jordanian university English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students’ cognitions about literature are shaped by the concepts of ‘linguistic imperialism’, ‘native-speakerism’, and ‘native-culturism’. A survey is carefully designed by the researchers and electronically distributed to 100 students enrolled in the English language programs at the University of Jordan. The survey includes both objective and subjective questions in order to more fully understand students’ cognitions (i.e., knowledge, beliefs, and thoughts, following Borg’s (2003) conceptualisation) for better reliability in establishing arguments and reaching conclusions. Analysis of objective data is quantitatively conducted and statistically presented using a program called Qualtrics, an online survey tool, and subjective data are qualitatively analysed and consequently categorized into themes for better interpretation. Results show that most students are cognizant of the concepts of ‘linguistic and cultural imperialism’ when it comes to their preferences towards literature but report some obstacles to being exposed to ‘non-core’, ‘periphery’ literary texts. Some of these obstacles are the limited access to Arabic literature and curricular constraints. The study primarily concludes that more awareness of cultural diversity on the part of students and teachers is needed to improve their practices in language pedagogy and literary studies..