Cultural sensitivity in Indonesian secondary school ELT textbooks: Teachers’ perspectives, challenges, and pedagogical responses

Rolisda Yosintha; Yeni Suprihatin

doi:10.32332/joelt.v14i1.13128

Authors

Rolisda Yosintha English Language Education Department, Universitas Tidar, Indonesia
Yeni Suprihatin English Language Education Department, UIN Jurai Siwo Lampung, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32332/joelt.v14i1.13128

Keywords:

authentic materials, English textbooks, cultural sensitivity, intercultural understanding, secondary school teachers, mixed-methods study

Abstract

English textbooks play a central role in shaping learners’ linguistic development, cultural awareness, and intercultural understanding. In multicultural EFL contexts, textbooks are expected to represent cultural diversity inclusively and pedagogically. However, limited attention has been given to how Indonesian secondary school English teachers perceive cultural sensitivity in textbooks and how they respond to cultural representation issues in classroom practice. This study examined teachers’ perspectives, pedagogical strategies, challenges, and recommendations regarding cultural sensitivity in English textbooks. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, the study collected quantitative data from a questionnaire completed by 35 secondary school English teachers from Central Java, the Special Region of Yogyakarta, West Java, and Bangka Belitung, Indonesia, and qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with five selected teachers. Questionnaire data were analyzed descriptively, while interview data were analyzed thematically. The findings show that the textbooks used in the participants’ schools tended to foreground Indonesian cultural perspectives, but provided limited representation of global, minority, and intercultural perspectives. Teachers responded by supplementing textbook materials, contextualizing cultural content, facilitating respectful classroom discussions, and using authentic cultural texts. The study suggests that culturally sensitive ELT textbook use requires inclusive textbook development, teachers’ intercultural awareness, pedagogical agency, and institutional support, particularly where learners negotiate local identities and global communicative demands through English in classroom learning. These findings offer implications for textbook evaluation, teacher professional development, and collaborative curriculum design in Indonesian secondary English language education.

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