Teachers’ Perceptions Towards Using Culture-specific Idioms In Developing Efl Learners’ Cultural Awareness

Abstract

Abstract The relationship between culture and idiomatic language has always been intrinsically intertwined. The idiomatic language is a subject that deserves further study for several reasons. In addition, the importance of figurative language in L2 acquisition stems from its frequent use in both everyday and academic contexts. Providing cultural background knowledge about culture-specific idioms and using appropriate teaching materials and methods are crucial for enhancing the cultural awareness of EFL students. Yet, many students confront several challenges while attempting to comprehend these idioms. The purpose of this study is to discover EFL teachers' perceptions of the role of culturally specific idioms employed in EFL classrooms to help learners develop their cultural awareness, highlight the obstacles faced, and recommend solutions. To achieve these aims, an online questionnaire was developed and distributed to numerous English teachers (30) in Algerian universities to investigate participants' experiences concerning integrating cultural idiomatic expressions into English language teaching. The findings of the study implied that using culture-specific idioms is an important part of a language learning process in EFL classrooms and would help in developing the cultural awareness of students.