The effects of integrating local culture integration on the English-speaking skill of seventh grade students in Bac Lieu province, Vietnam

Abstract

This study examines the effects of integrating local cultural content into English-speaking skill for seventh grade students in a rural area of Bac Lieu Province, Vietnam. Using the mixed-methods research design, the study aims at investigating changes in students' speaking skill, confidence, motivation, and cultural awareness. Thirty students participated in a 12-week instructional intervention in which English-speaking tasks were created around locally familiar themes, including the Ok-Om-Bok Festival, the legend of Cong Tu Bac Lieu, shrimp farming, and ecotourism. Data were gathered through pre- and post-intervention observation checklists and examined using paired-samples t-tests, while qualitative data were collected from semi-structured interviews and student artifacts. The findings showed that students’ pronunciation, vocabulary, fluency, and speaking confidence following the intervention was significantly improved. Also, the result revealed that students’ motivation and sense of cultural and intercultural pride increased when they used English to express their local identity. As a result, the study showed that integrating local culture into EFL speaking lessons can help students improve linguistic performance while also supporting their engagement and intercultural awareness. Also, these findings highlighted that the educational value of culturally responsive methods in rural English language teaching cannot be absent in a new language learning especially in regional context like Bac lieu, Vietnam.