Identity Options and Cultural Representations in English Textbooks Used in Cambodia

Juan Dong,Jia Li,Wei Duan

doi:10.5539/ass.v15n11p60

Abstract

Language textbooks play an important role in bridging learners&rsquo; understanding between the source culture and target culture. This study explores how the Cambodian and foreign characters are produced and how the source and target cultures are represented in three English language textbooks published by the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS). The data were collected from textbook passages, exercises and images presented in the textbooks and the data were analyzed based on the emerging themes in language and cultural representations of the textbooks. The findings indicate that regarding the distribution in the target communities, Anglophone and their postcolonial countries are prominently highlighted in the textbooks with the exception that Japan is exclusively introduced as imagined interlocutor for cultural communication; concerning the representation of the source culture, Buddhism and Khmer are constructed as legitimate forms of Cambodian practices. Based on the findings, we argue that English textbooks produced in Cambodia have not provided Cambodian youth with balanced exposure of cultural diversity. The study has implications for designing English textbooks with the consideration of diverse identity options and cultural representations.

Highlights

In the globalized era, English has spread on a huge scale all over the world (Crystal, 2003; Graddol, 2006; Jenkins, 2015)
(1) How are the Cambodian and foreign characters displayed in the textbooks?
The findings in relation to the first research question, “How are the Cambodian and foreign characters displayed in the textbooks?” To answer this question, we analyzed the set of characters, their gender, occupation and nationality for Cambodian and foreign characters offered in the three textbooks

Summary

Introduction

English has spread on a huge scale all over the world (Crystal, 2003; Graddol, 2006; Jenkins, 2015). With English becoming increasingly significant for achieving success in 21st century global competition, English has been adopted as an official language used in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Zein, 2017). The Kingdom of Cambodia, as one of the members of ASEAN, has been dominated by the impact of global, international and national status of English language. English plays a significant role in Cambodia both politically and economically. After gaining independence in 1953, English has become popular in connecting Cambodia to the rest of ASEAN and in enhancing its local economy via the tourism industry. The boom of the tourism and hospitality industry is probably the most compelling reason and the strongest incentive for learning English among the young generations in Cambodia (Kasanga, 2012)。

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion