Cultural Representation in “Bahasa Inggris Work in Progress” Textbook for Grade X

Abstract

This study investigates the representation of cultural elements in the Bahasa Inggris Work in Progress textbook for Grade X students in Indonesia. Using a descriptive qualitative approach with content analysis, the study analyzed reading materials and visual contents across six chapters based on Yuen’s (2011) framework, which categorizes cultural elements into Products, Practices, Perspectives, and Persons. The findings reveal an uneven distribution of cultural elements. Products were the most dominant element with 46 instances (74%), followed by Persons with 9 instances (15%), Perspectives with 5 instances (8%), and Practices with only 2 instances (3%). Source Culture was most prominent in Persons, while Target Culture dominated Products. No Source or International Culture representation was found in Practices. These findings indicate that the textbook primarily presents culture at a surface level, with limited representation of deeper cultural dimensions. Consequently, students may have fewer opportunities to develop intercultural communicative competence. The study highlights the need for a more balanced representation of cultural elements in EFL textbooks to support intercultural learning.