Identity Options and Cultural Representations in English Textbooks Used in Cambodia

Abstract

Language textbooks play an important role in bridging learners’ understanding between the source culture and target culture. This study explores how the Cambodian and foreign characters are produced and how the source and target cultures are represented in three English language textbooks published by the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS). The data were collected from textbook passages, exercises and images presented in the textbooks and the data were analyzed based on the emerging themes in language and cultural representations of the textbooks. The findings indicate that regarding the distribution in the target communities, Anglophone and their postcolonial countries are prominently highlighted in the textbooks with the exception that Japan is exclusively introduced as imagined interlocutor for cultural communication; concerning the representation of the source culture, Buddhism and Khmer are constructed as legitimate forms of Cambodian practices. Based on the findings, we argue that English textbooks produced in Cambodia have not provided Cambodian youth with balanced exposure of cultural diversity. The study has implications for designing English textbooks with the consideration of diverse identity options and cultural representations.

The representation of foreign culture in English textbooks used in Cambodian upper secondary schools

“…This method consists of a systematic procedure that can be employed to infer the texts or transcripts of human interaction validly. It classifies texts into applicable and controllable data (Li et al, 2019).…”

“…On the other hand, the study on cultural representation in English textbooks used in Cambodia is rarely conducted. The past study has explored the identity choices and cultural depictions in English textbooks utilized in Cambodia (e.g., Li et al, 2019). The result of this study showed that the contents of the books, especially the images and people in the dialogue or conversation in the books are mostly concerned with Japanese culture in terms of foreign culture due to the fact that Japan is one of the main educational supporters.…”

Investigation of Cultural Values in English Textbooks for Junior High School Students

“…There are two main reasons to represent local culture in EFL textbooks for junior high schools in Indonesia which include promoting a sense of familiarity among junior high school students in learning English as well as strengthening the national aspect (Mahmud, 2019). Thus, English textbooks used by educators must consider the choice of diverse identities and cultural representations (Li, Dong, & Duan, 2019) According to previous research, textbooks are one of the fundamentals for achieving culturaleducational values and the development needs of human life. As a result, the gap in this study focuses on the study of cultural values in textbooks, which are understood through the topics or themes found in each chapter of the textbook.…”

Cultural Representation in EFL Textbooks for the Seventh Graders: A Multimodal Analysis

“…Studies on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbooks have concentrated on how cultural content is portrayed in the textbooks over the last five years (Arslan, 2016;Hodkinson, Ghajarieh, & Salami, 2018;Kiss, 2017;Li, Dong, & Duan, 2019;Sahraee, 2018;Su, 2016;Teo & Kaewsakul, 2016). The research body is primarily situated in Asia (e.g., China, Iran, Taiwan, Cambodia, Thailand) and Europe (e.g., Turkey).…”