DefinePK

Abstract

Although it is encouraged for students to explore other cultures and be equipped with world knowledge, the basis of patriotism and love for the country must be embedded to ensure the nation has a sense of pride and belonging. This paper attempts to provide a preliminary investigation for the components of the cultural identity from a Malaysian standpoint, the level of attachment of Malaysian Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) students to their cultural identity as well as factors affecting this relationship. Thus, quantitative method was adopted for this study to identify the level of attachment of Malaysian TESL students to their cultural identity. A questionnaire was distributed online to the participants from all three main races in Malaysia with TESL background and the data was analysed using SPSS. The findings of this study have shown that despite the extensive exposure to and involvement with the English language and culture, the level of attachment of Malaysian TESL students towards their cultural identity is high with regards to all three major components: national language, food and cultural spaces.