Disclosing Cultural Contents in English Textbook Reading Passages for Junior High School

Abstract

Textbooks have an important role in English language learning to provide information about the English language and interrelated cultures. This research aimed to find cultural contents which refer to cultural dimensions and cultural categories in 34 reading passages. Generating Qualitative Content Analysis, this research attempted to disclose the cultural dimensions and cultural categories embedded in the textbook reading passages. The coding system was done by means of QCAmap App. With regards to cultural dimensions, this research found patterns of the occurrence of the dimension were dominated by the dimension of Practices. Then it is followed by dimension of Perspectives, dimension of Products, dimension of Persons and dimension of Communities respectively. Furthermore, this study found that the highest percentage of cultural categories is Target Culture (35%). It is followed by Universality across Culture (26%), International Culture (24%) and Intercultural Interaction (15%). However, the researcher did not find the occurrence of Source Culture in the 34 reading passages in Next Move 1 Students’ Book.