Textbook Analysis: The Analysis of Cultural Aspects in 7th Grader English Textbook When English Rings a Bell 2017 Revised

Abstract

Nowadays, the literacy skill is no longer defined only as the ability to read and write upon certain information. Cultural competence is now part of the basic literacy skills in 21st century. The Ministry of Education and Culture of Indonesia has launched a modified curriculum called "2013 Curriculum" which is characterized by some attributes one of them is cultivating strong character in appreciating both own and other culture. This attribute is expected to implant cultural competences through education system. Therefore, the national education curriculum needs to integrate the cultural aspects into the teaching and learning activities in form of material or textbook selection. Cultural aspects can be implanted trough language learning, because language is a part of culture and learning both of them cannot be separated. This study aims to analyze English language learning textbook (supporting material) in terms of the practice and to what extent the reflection of cultural aspects based on semiotic theory. The method used in this study is qualitative document analysis by analyzing one primary document, it is Electronic English Book for 7th graders 2017. The contents analysis is used to collect the data. The findings revealed that the content of the textbook has already covered several aspects of culture, for instance social awareness. However, the textbook still has some missing points in reflecting the cross-cultural aspects.