Benefits from Integrating Local Culture into English Classes via Project-Based Learning in Vietnam Context

Local culture is generally carried by learners. Thus, involving it in the classroom for better learning engagement is practical because it is relevant to learners. The present study explores the benefits of local culture integration to the English classroom. Participants were 67 English-majored juniors from a university in Vietnam. They enrolled in an English-Vietnamese translation course for 15 weeks. Upon this learning course, two phases were conducted. The first one (lasting 10 weeks) engaged students to examine learning materials embedded with cultural knowledge in the classroom. The first phase paved the way to the second phase, which occupied the rest of the course. The second phase required students to work in teams of three or four members to produce learning projects about local culture. The final week provided spaces for teams to showcase their completed video products in the classroom. Video products are qualitative data for the present study. Data analysis reveals eight culture-related themes from 22 video products. Obtained benefits for participants cover three major dimensions: (i) diverse English language practices and communicative strategies are gained, (ii) cultural competence is cultivated, and (iii) learner autonomy and social skills are harnessed. Challenges faced by students involved during the project operation are also disclosed. Despite the challenges, all students enjoyed themselves and learned various practical things from producing their authentic projects. Further research is suggested for better outcomes and more insights into this topic in Vietnam and other countries.