The Cultural Content Represented in the Middle School EFL Course: Target, International, and Source

Abstract

This research aims to report the upshots of the textbook analysis in an attempt to figure out which kind of cultural content is represented in the EFL textbook "My Book of English," designed for first-year Algerian middle school classes. Two main research questions are selected to be addressed: 1) To what extent are the cultures represented in the first-year middle school EFL textbook? And 2) which type of culture dominates in the examined textbook? Based on these questions, we would then formulate a hypothesis that aligns with the study objectives: There is an equal representation of cultural content in the middle school EFL textbook as regards international, source, or target. In this research, document analysis is used for data collection, which involves an examination of the textbook itself as the primary source. Analyzing this textbook involves the use of content and cultural analysis, using existing frameworks to identify different elements and examining cultural content to represent different cultural perspectives, respectively. The findings reveal that the majority of the culture content is source (local), followed by a non-specific source of culture that has no reference to any particular culture, whereas target/international cultures are barely represented and an unequal representation of Big ‘C’ and small ‘c’ culture types is very noticeable. The research findings aim to contribute to the existing body of knowledge by informing curriculum design and development and providing insights for other researchers to build upon this research by expanding the scope. Additionally, the results may provide valuable insights and guidance for EFL teachers to reflect on their teaching practices. By way of consequence, it sounds plausible that textbook designers find a remedy and provide an equal cultural representation of the source and the target/international culture to enable learners to build successful intercultural communication competence and avoid communication breakdowns and culture shock.