The Influence of Online Liberal Arts English on College Students’ Intercultural Interest

Abstract

The goal of the current study is to determine whether online liberal arts English classes can improve students' cultural awareness and interest. The online English learning environment has drawn a lot of attention from EFL educators as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic. There are several factors that have an impact on the culture aspects of EFL learning. Yet, there is scant research showing how certain features of culture learning can be effectively applied in the Korean EFL context. This study investigates the links between English language proficiency, pre-interest, and interactions with instructors to determine whether aspects of online liberal arts English classes have a favorable impact on students' interest in foreign cultures. Participants came from 84 Listening, Reading, Speaking I and II classes, totaling 1,421. With the use of Microsoft Teams, the classes were delivered online for 15 weeks. After that, a survey was used to measure students’ pre-interest in English language learning, language achievement, interactions with professors, and cultural understanding. The results of that survey—which used the Naver Office Form—were evaluated using SPSS version 26 to examine any relevant statistics. The findings identified three factors that contribute to students' cultural understanding and interest in online liberal arts English classes. Among these factors, interactions with instructors had the most significant impact, followed by pre-interest and language proficiency. The data suggests that interactions with professors during online EFL classes play a more critical role in promoting students' understanding and interest in other cultures than factors such as English language achievement and pre-interest in English. The effect was particularly pronounced in speaking I and II classes. Therefore, it is crucial for educators to utilize various methods and technologies to encourage interactions between students and professors in online EFL classes. This study makes a significant contribution to the literature by analyzing the specific factors that influence students' cultural understanding and interest and highlighting the critical role of interactions with professors in online liberal arts English classes.