Predominant ideologies in the cultural representations of Germany collected from the Maltese first-year German as a foreign language [GFL] learning context

Abstract

The Foreign Language (FL) classroom is a context where representations of the FL culture are continuously presented, circulated and/or discussed. These educational contexts frequently essentialise about the FL culture by referring only to one-sided, non-inclusive ideologies. This paper analyses the cultural representations of Maltese first-year German as a Foreign Language (GFL) learners collected through an empirical one-year investigation. It identifies, for the first time, ideologies that feature predominantly in the cultural representations of Germany collected from Maltese first-year GFL students. The discussion will highlight the insular mentality people in Malta display towards Germany and its people. Furthermore, the paper shows that each classroom in Malta itself can be treated as distinct educational "islands" that share the predominant insular mentality.