Vietnamese indigenousness depicted in English 3 student books

Abstract

This study aims at examining the Vietnamese indigenousness depicted in English 3 students’ textbooks through the lens of cultural responsive teaching approach. Content analysis was appliedto figure out the occurrence of indigenousness in both visual images and written texts, and to analyze the effectiveness of including indigenous culture in curriculum development and textbook design. The study’s findings showed that English 3 textbooks are localized by employing Vietnamese characteristics with different roles directly related to the four main topics of the whole books. The Vietnamese indigenousness occurs far more frequently than the native English speaking depictions in both visual images and written texts throughout the two students’ textbooks. The appearances of native English speaking depictions and ethnically neutral depictions along with the Vietnamese indigenousness also create a culturally diverse environment in which students may learn to recognize each other’s merits, divergences, and thoughts.