Content Analysis of Culture Sections in Elementary School English Textbooks

This study aims to explore cultural dimensions, the relevance between target expressions and cultural content, and topics of culture represented in 3rd to 6th grade elementary school English textbooks. In order to do so, 14 books (4 books for 3rd graders, 4 books for 4th graders, 3 books for 5th graders, and 3 books for 6th graders) were analyzed using three analytical frameworks. The results show that international culture was mostly introduced followed by target, source, and universal culture. It is worth mentioning that source culture was not represented as much compared to target and international cultures. The relevance of the connection between target expressions and cultural content was lacking in general, with the rate of connection varying throughout grades and within the same textbook. The top 10 most used topics across four grades are introduced as well as patterns that these topics expressed across different grades. Finally, the researchers provide pedagogical implications for educators at elementary school level, textbook developers, and researchers involved in the textbook qualification system for elementary school English textbooks.