The Hidden Culture in EFL Textbooks: Analysing the Cultural Content of ‘English for Libya’ Textbook for the First Year of Secondary Education in Libya المؤلفون

Abstract

The analysis of EFL textbooks’ cultural content has received considerable attention nowadays, as these textbooks can reflect various elements of culture. The current study thus aims to analyse the cultural aspects presented in the ‘English for Libya’ Secondary One textbook and whether it reflects the Arabic Islamic culture, British culture, or international cultures. A checklist consisting of 15 items was utilised to examine the textbook’s cultural aspects relating to the Big C and Small c culture themes. The content analysis revealed that the textbook’s overall cultural presentation was largely imbalanced, with the dominance of the Arabic Islamic culture and the high occurrence of surface cultural aspects: names, leisure time, and geography. Based on these findings, pedagogical implications and suggestions are made for improving the textbook’s cultural presentation to better meet the needs of Libyan students and teachers. Further studies are also recommended