Analysis of cultural content in the online learning materials for Indonesian EFL learners

Siti Arusah Rusydah, Lulu Laela Amalia

Abstract


This study investigates the cultural content in online learning materials for Indonesian EFL learners. The data of this study were collected by selecting the reading materials available in English materials for the tenth-grade senior high school students published in an online learning platform. The materials consist of four units, each composed of various texts such as narrative, descriptive, recount, and announcement. This study was conducted qualitatively by using a content analysis method. To reveal which cultures are represented in the online learning materials for Indonesian EFL learners, the cultural contents are categorized into the source, target, or international cultures (Cortazzi & Jin, 1999). In addition, culture in this research is perceived in terms of products, persons, practices, and perspectives, as proposed by Yuen (2011); the frequency of each culture category was then converted to percentages for comparison purposes. These percentages were then analyzed to determine which culture is represented in the online learning materials for Indonesian EFL learners and which category occurs the most frequently. The study finds that the source culture is predominant in online learning materials for Indonesian EFL learners. Most of the cultural content found is represented by the element of persons and products. The investigation found that 51.28% of cultural content refers to the source culture, 12.82% refers to the target culture, and 35.90% refers to the international culture. Based on the findings, it is recommended that more target cultures and international cultures be included in the online learning materials for Indonesian EFL learners. 


Keywords


Culture; four elements of culture; international culture; source culture; target culture

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References


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