Pioneer: Journal of Language and Literature
Vol 17 No 2 (2025)

Using Western movies to enhance cross-cultural understanding among English literature students

Purnomo, Budi (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 Dec 2025

Abstract

This study investigates how Western movies facilitate students’ cross-cultural understanding in a Cross-Cultural Understanding (CCU) course within an English Literature program in Indonesia. Using a qualitative descriptive design, data were collected over four instructional weeks through classroom observations, audio-video recordings of role-plays, and reflective journals. The findings show a clear progression in students’ intercultural learning. Initially, students experienced cultural dissonance when encountering unfamiliar pragmatic features such as direct refusals, sarcasm, and informal teacher-student interaction. With guided scaffolding, they began to reinterpret these behaviours and develop emerging cultural awareness. By the third week, students engaged in comparative reasoning between Western and Indonesian/Javanese norms, which later evolved into perspective-taking in the final week. Reflective journals reveal increased confidence, pragmatic sensitivity, and deeper cultural insight. Overall, the study concludes that Western movies are effective multimodal input for intercultural learning, but their pedagogical value is maximized when paired with structured discussions and reflective tasks.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

pioneer

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Social Sciences

Description

Pioneer is a journal of language and literature which provides academics and practitioners with the opportunities to put out their ideas, theoretical applications, data analyses, discourses, and literary criticisms. This journal is managed by Faculty of Letters, University of Abdurachman Saleh ...