ABSTRACT
If pre-service English teachers have a limited view of language and culture, it will influence their lesson planning as teachers and may therefore reinforce their students’ stereotypical views of language and culture. This chapter considers the kinds of knowledge of and attitudes towards language and culture that are desirable for EFL teachers. It first investigates how language and culture are described in the Course of Study, the guidelines set out by the Japanese government, and other related publications. Secondly, it analyses pre-service English teachers’ views of language and culture based on a survey of university students enrolled in Methodology of Teaching English as a Foreign Language, one of the required courses for pre-service English teachers in Japan. This chapter argues that it is of utmost importance to address the need for critical thinking about language and culture in professional development for pre-service teachers in order to improve ELT in Japan.
