A Study on Integrating Language and Culture in Culture Classes: From the Perspectives of Deep Culture and Individual Culture

Abstract

This study reflects on a series of culture lessons conducted through teaching practicums and explores improvements based on action research. In the winter practicum, lessons mainly focused on surface culture, revealing a tendency toward one-sided instruction and fixed cultural knowledge. In the spring practicum, the author attempted to incorporate deep culture, but the outcome remained surface-oriented. To address this issue, the “3Ps” framework—Products, Practices, and Perspectives—was adopted to visualize and balance cultural content in the lessons. Furthermore, the concept of “individual culture” (Hosokawa, 2003) was integrated into a revised lesson plan. This aimed to encourage students to explore cultural understanding through mutual communication and interaction. The revised plan emphasized learner-centred activities that connect language and culture, moving beyond the transmission of cultural facts. By presenting a lesson plan designed to integrate language and culture, this study proposes a pedagogical approach to cultural instruction within language education.