Comparative analysis of cultural elements in textbooks “Schritte” and “Yeni Hitit”

Abstract

Textbooks play an undeniable role in education and training. The selection of textbooks, which are crucial materials for both teachers and learners in the teaching-learning process, requires careful consideration of specific criteria. Textbooks wield an effect on intrinsic motivation factors like interest, desire, and curiosity. They also impact academic achievement directly. Considering that a contemporary foreign language textbook should include important elements of other cultures and provide valuable cultural information, it's vital to consider cultural elements while selecting these textbooks. Hence, this study selected two textbooks that follow the communicative parametric method, devised primarily for foreign language education for adults, particularly in integration courses. This study analyzed and compared the textbook “Schritte” for foreigners who want to learn German and the textbook “Yeni Hitit” for foreigners who want to learn Turkish in terms of cultural elements. The study focuses on investigating and elaborating on cultural elements in these textbooks. To achieve these objectives, qualitative research was used in compliance with the criteria of validity and reliability of the research. The research showed that both textbooks adequately included cultural elements and provided the target language-target culture context. Both textbooks were found to present features specific to the countries in which they were written. Furthermore, these textbooks highlight the distinctions that exist in terms of characteristics among different groups of people and cultures. It has been concluded that these books are shaped to provide tolerance and empathy towards other cultures, emphasizing the differences in the characteristics of other cultures, and providing the opportunity to learn the culture of the learned language as well as learning a foreign language.