THE ANALYSES OF THREE ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS THROUGH THE PERSPECTIVE OF CULTURAL CONTEXT

Abstract

In this article we will investigate the cultural elements of three different English Language textbooks used in teaching foreign learners. The textbooks include Face2Face, New Matrix and English Plus, which is the textbook used at “Turgut Ozal Secondary School” where I completed my internship. The great importance of culture and the need to integrate culture into teaching has been discussed and highlighted in many studies. Textbooks are an essential part of learning a language in classrooms. Today it seems very common that teachers forget the importance of target culture information and its impact on learning a language and developing the learner’s linguistic knowledge. In this article we initially will expand our knowledge on culture and culture awareness. Moreover, we notice the importance of cultural diversity and textbooks as authentic materials and their impact on the success and failure of teaching culture to second and foreign language students. We see closely some of the guidelines to evaluating cultural context in the two chosen textbooks and then present a survey questionnaire done only for the cultural section of English Plus course book to elicit the teacher’s perceptions. The results have indicated that the teachers of Turgut Ozal College were very satisfied with the English Plus textbook, which is currently part of the curriculum that they are following for the secondary school. The survey presents a clear picture of the cultural context of the textbooks, and indicates that it has been very helpful for the students in increasing their understanding and awareness regarding the culture in English speaking countries. To sum up, this article mainly deals with the cultural elements of three different English textbooks used in teaching English as a second language.