AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE CULTURAL REPRESENTATION IN ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS PERCIEVED BY TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN SOME NORTHERS MOUTAINOUS SCHOOLS

Abstract

This research is the first attempt to understand the perceptions of school teachers, as learners in an English proficiency course, on cultural representation in English textbooks. The aim of this exploratory study was to elicit some salient features in teachers-as-learners’ attitudes towards cultural content. The data on teachers’ attitudes were collected from a questionnaire and phone interviews to 34 school-teachers in mountainous areas, and the data on their teaching contexts arose from direct interviews to 12 teachers. The quantitative and qualitative analysis shows the impact of teaching contexts on teachers’ thoughts and the existence of traditional, English-as-an-International-Language perspectives as well as critical pedagogies. The writer then gives recommendations on presenting culture in an English textbook as well as exploring cultural content in international textbooks in Vietnam.