Stories Of Self And Other In Algerian Primary Education: Evaluating Cultural Senses And Representations In 'my Book Of English 5ps'
Keywords:
Cultural senses, intercultural citizenship, intercultural communicative competence, international culture, primary school, source culture, target culture, textbook analysisAbstract
This study scrutinizes the balance in cultural representations within the cultural content of the Algerian primary school English textbook My Book of English 5PS and examines its contribution to fostering intercultural communicative competence (ICC) among young learners. Drawing on Adaskou et al.'s (1990) framework of cultural senses—semantic, aesthetic, sociological, and pragmatic—and Cortazzi and Jin’s (1999) classification of cultural types—source, target, and international cultures—the research adopts a mixed-methods approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative analysis. The findings reveal a dominant focus on aesthetic and sociological elements, with source culture being the most frequently represented, followed by target and international cultures. While the textbook reinforces national identity, it provides limited opportunities for learners to engage with global and English-speaking cultures. This imbalance may hinder the development of a comprehensive intercultural outlook. The study emphasizes the need for a more diverse and balanced cultural representation in future textbooks to better prepare students for global citizenship and effective intercultural communication.
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