Intercultural Issues and Practices in Korea’s English Language Textbooks

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The purpose of this study is to understand how to improve the intercultural awareness of Korean EFL learners using English textbooks. English language textbooks play an important role in developing learners’ intercultural competence. For the purpose of this study, 15 English language textbooks reflecting the English education policy and currently used in Korea were analyzed. This study investigated the diversity of cultural backgrounds and topics, particularly those related to intercultural understanding activities that appeared in the reading texts and culture sections of each lesson. As a result, it was found that Korea has been trying to develop learners' cultural competency by introducing various cultures around the world into English textbooks. But in the aspects of improving the intercultural understanding of Korean EFL learners, English language textbooks should be organized in the direction of diversifying intercultural communication activities that can compare and understand the differences between diverse cultures, rather than simply listing up the various cultural representations through the reading texts and culture sections of English language textbooks.

Key Words : language policy, globalization, textbook analysis, intercultural awareness, cultural content, cultural background