The Learning of Multicultral/Global Themes through Authentic Materials in EFL Classrooms

This study explored the learning of Multicultural Education (ME) and Global Education (GE) in Taiwan's English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms using authentic materials. The study was based on the data collected from an elective course named 'Multicultural and Global Education' at a university in northern Taiwan. The study aimed to explore (1) what multicultural/global learning means to EFL students and (2) how EFL students relate multicultural/global themes to their lives. The data were collected from students taking the course during the 2006 school year. The data consisted of students' interviews, students' reflective journals, and the instructor's (i.e., the researcher) reflective journals. The study found that multicultural/global learning helped construct students' knowledge, provided them with opportunities to learn more about themselves, and encouraged them to take actions within and outside of their communities. It also found that authentic materials helped motivate students in learning English. Based on the findings, some theoretical and pedagogical implications are provided.