An Investigation into the Promotion of Cultural Awareness in Locally Produced English Learning Materials in Thailand more

Fri, Apr 29, 09:00-Tue, May 31, 23:55 Asia/Seoul

This research evaluated the extent to which two series of in-house English textbooks in Thailand, New Weaving It Together and Moving Up Critical Reading, enhance cultural awareness among different learners. A three-level model of cultural awareness established by Baker (2011) was adopted as a framework to analyze the content of the selected materials. We descriptively analyzed 120 reading passages and 150 reading exercises in total. The agreement between the two raters was almost perfect. Overall, the content of the New Weaving It Together series has more significant potential to increase cultural awareness at basic and advanced levels as opposed to that of the Moving Up Critical Reading series. We suggested that reading passages and exercises in locally-produced ELT materials should integrate content focusing on different traditional or cultural aspects and knowledge across disciplines or subjects. These include stories about science, technology, and geography, enhancing intercultural sensitivity and awareness.