English Language Teachers' Maxims in Relation to Teaching the Culture Associated with English

The importance of the knowledge of target culture, in order to communicate correctly and efficiently, has entered the field of English language education since 1970s. Many scholars consider this issue to be aligned with the ideological aspects of English and cultural imperialism. They believe that excessive focus on the culture of English speaking countries not only exposes learners to identity conflict, but also leads them to separate from their cultural heritage. The present study, thus, has investigated maxims that guide English language teachers to teach cultural issues included in international textbooks. Data was collected through semi-structured interview with six English language teachers, in addition to distribution of an open-ended questionnaire among them. The data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Data analysis showed that "increasing learners' involvement", "conformity to the textbook methodology", and "paying attention to learners' needs" were maxims that led teachers to address cultural issues included in the textbooks. The findings also showed that "teacher education", "institutions' requirements", and "lack of critical vision" played an effective role in establishing their maxims. Based on the findings, the need for concentrating on critical pedagogy in teacher preparation and compiling national textbooks with the main focus on preserving and promoting national culture have been discussed.