CULTURAL CONTENTS IN THE ELT TEXTBOOK PREPARED BY THE INDONESIAN MINISTRY OF EDUCATION FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Background and Purpose: Learning materials are powerful resources in facilitating students’ intercultural communication competence; therefore, this study aims to investigate the cultural contents presented in the textbook for Year 11 students in Indonesian secondary schools.  Methodology: This study employed a content analysis approach based on the framework by Cortazzi and Jin (1999). The texts, dialogues and images in the textbook were analyzed to understand which culture they represent.  Findings: The textbook contains elements of the target culture, native culture and other international cultures in varying degrees. The dominant culture presented in the textbook is the target culture (57.6%). Elements of native culture represent about one-third of the content (30.3%). However, the content related to other international cultures is very limited (12.1%). When there is a lack of exposure to international cultures, students’ cognitive and affective skills may subsequently reduce and this leads to difficulty in developing their intercultural competence. Revision to some parts of the textbook should be done to meet the ideal requirements. Contributions: The study provides insights into the cultural contents of the ELT textbook used in Indonesian secondary schools and it suggests that the textbook should be revised to meet the requirement of intercultural competence.   Keywords: ELT textbook, intercultural competence, international culture, native culture, target culture.   Cite as: Deswila, N., Kustati, M., Yusuf, Y. Q., Raja Harun, R. N. S., Besral, & Rehani. (2021). Cultural contents in the ELT textbook prepared by the Indonesian ministry of education for secondary schools.  Journal of Nusantara Studies, 6(1), 222-241. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol6iss1pp222-241