Local Culture Representation of English Textbooks for Junior High School in Indonesia: An Analysis of Cultural Aspects Framework

Farrahillah, An-Nida (2023) Local Culture Representation of English Textbooks for Junior High School in Indonesia: An Analysis of Cultural Aspects Framework. Undergraduate thesis, UIN KIAI HAJI ACHMAD SIDDIQ JEMBER.

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Abstract

Textbooks have been widely used to mediate English language learning. Apart from encompassing language skills materials, it is important to incorporate cultural content into English textbooks, specifically the local culture of learners. This inclusion helps students connect with local culture and the subject matter. By integrating local culture into English textbooks, students are more likely to be motivated to learn and retain knowledge, as they can relate the topics to their own environment. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the representation of local culture in English textbooks for 9th grade of junior high school students using Yuen's framework of cultural aspects: products, practices, perspectives, and persons.
To analyze the representation of local culture, the researcher employed a qualitative approach utilizing interpretive content analysis as the research method. The researcher selected two textbooks, entitled "Bright An English" and "Think Globally Act Locally." Document analysis was employed for this research. The data analysis process consisted of three phases: preparation, organization, and reporting. The selected data for this study focused on textual and image data. This research used expert review to enhance the trustworthiness of the study.
The findings of the study indicated a total of 262 data representing local culture, comprising 179 textual data and 83 image data. Specifically, in the first textbook, 117 data were identified, including 98 textual data representing aspects of products, practices, perspectives, and persons, along with 19 image data solely representing the products aspect. In the second textbook, 145 data were found, with 81 textual data representing aspects of products, practices, and persons, and 64 image data representing aspects of products, practices, perspectives, and persons. Additionally, the researcher introduces an additional cultural aspect: religions because Yuen did not specifically address the aspect of religions in his research. However, during the analysis of the English textbooks, the researcher identified several instances that portrayed religious practice and religious diversity.
In conclusion, the two selected textbooks successfully represented all four cultural aspects according to Yuen's framework (products, practices, perspectives, and persons) and also the additional aspect (religions). However, there is significant variation in the quantity and types of data for each cultural aspect between the two textbooks. This highlights the significance of achieving a more balanced and comprehensive cultural representation in textbooks.

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