Presentation Types of Cultural Contents in EFL Textbooks and Students' and Teachers' Reflection

Presentation Types of Cultural Contents in EFL Textbooks and Students' and Teachers' Reflection

This study examines the way cultural contents are presented in middle school English textbooks based on the guidelines of the Seventh National Curriculum, and whether they reflect the preferences of students and teachers. Eight English textbooks for second-year middle school students were analyzed and two types of questionnaires were administered for this research. The major findings show that twelve activities are used in the textbooks to present cultural contents as teaching materials. Kendall's tau-b and Spearman's rho correlation coefficients show that there is no significant correlation between the top-ranked cultural activities presented in the textbooks and the preferences of students and teachers. No significant correlation is found between teachers' preferences and those of students. The results show that both students and teachers express negative responses as to the cultural materials in quantitative and qualitative perspectives. Cultural materials should be presented in a more systematic way to help enhance learners' cultural understanding, and it is recommended that textbook writers make greater efforts to reflect the preferences of both students and teachers.