Cultural Presentation in Thai Secondary School ELT Coursebooks: An Analysis From Intercultural Perspectives

Abstract

Globalization has accelerated the growth of English and created a need for several changes in English language teaching (ELT), one of which is related to the role of ELT materials in facilitating interaction across cultures. Considering the fast growing importance of cultural content in ELT, this study explores issues of cultural presentation in Thai secondary school ELT coursebooks. The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to analyze cultural content presented in visuals and reading texts; second, to investigate teachers’ attitudes toward cultural presentation in ELT coursebooks. The coursebook sample included seven approved ELT coursebooks entitled Bridge 1, English in Mind 1, Messages 1, Motivate! 1, New World 1, Time Zone 1, and Your Space 1. The findings suggested that native speakers’ contexts were dominantly portrayed in both visuals and reading texts in all the coursebooks except Time Zone 1, which yielded a great deal of non-native speakers’ contexts. Nevertheless, Thai cultural context was completely absent from the reading-focused activities, and only a few pictures presenting Thai culture were identified. The questionnaire findings revealed that Thai secondary teachers are ready to embrace the intercultural aspects of ELT, as the overwhelming majority of respondents’ opinions signified the shift toward localized and culturally diversified materials.

How Do Maritime English Coursebooks Facilitate Cadets to Acquire Pragmatic Competence? Focus on Imperative Forms in the Directive Speech Act

“…(Harpe, 2015). In this analysis, the statetements of attitudes were adapted from Thumvichit (2018) and the results were divided into five categories: 1) strongly disagree 2) disagree, 3) agree, 4) strongly agree.…”

“…The results of the textbook review showed that teachers who used these five coursebooks, as well as future coursebook designers, must use pragmatics research and authentic examples to improve their lessons on request. In addition, the reserach of Thumvichit (2018) provided enrichment for analysis on the textbooks. Thumvichit, have not only analyzed cultural content presented in visuals and reading texts, but also investigated teacher's attitudes toward cultural presentation in ELT coursebooks.…”

A Situational Analysis of EFL Textbook Selection in Thai Public Schools

“…For instance, Pornsakkul (2015) studied the teachers' opinions on the effectiveness of the textbook Smile 1 for grade 1 students, which he claimed to be the most popular in one of the southern provinces in Thailand, while Pinjinda (2015) conducted an intercultural analysis of three coursebook series (Books 1-6) used by grades 7-12, or Mattayomsuksa 1-6 Thai secondary school students. Thumvichit (2018) analyzed cultural content presented in visuals and reading texts from seven EFL textbooks for grade 7, or Mattayomsuksa 1, namely Bride 1, English in Mind 1, Messages 1, Motivate! 1, New World 1, Time Zone 1, and Your Space 1, and then investigated teachers' attitudes towards cultural presentation in these coursebooks.…”

Methodical Specifics of Contemporary Textbook in the Discipline “Foreign Language for Academic Research”

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