Teacher’s Perceptions and Expectations of Cultural Contents in Fundamental English Coursebooks

Abstract

This study aimed to examine teachers’ perceptions and expectations of cultural contents in the Fundamental English coursebooks in Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University, Thailand. Cultural contents were analyzed in terms of two themes of culture—Big “C” and Small “c”, and three sources of culture—Source, Target, and International Culture. The participants of this study were 25 teachers including Thai teachers and native English teachers of the Fundamental English courses in the university. Data were collected through questionnaire administration. The findings of the study show that, as a whole, most of the teachers perceived the themes under Big “C” culture as cultural contents. They expected contents under Big “C” culture to be presented in the Fundamental English coursebooks to a greater degree than those under Small “c” culture. Regarding the teachers’ expectations of sources of culture, the findings show that all three sources of culture were expected to be presented in the Fundamental English coursebooks. This study sheds light on the needs for raising teachers’ awareness of teaching culture in English classes. In addition, the findings of the teachers’ expectations of cultural contents can be used as a guideline for the inclusion of cultural contents in materials, coursebooks and curricula.