An Analysis Of Cultural Themes In College English Textbooks

In recent years, cultural teaching has drawn more and more attention in collegeEnglish education in China. The contents of English textbooks are the important element inimproving teaching quality and students’ competence. In this context, this research aims toinvestigate the selection and evaluation of the cultural theme in college English textbook inorder to contribute to college English teaching and English textbook compilation. As a casestudy, it is based on Experiencing English Integrated Coursebook (Second Edition)(EEIC),a textbook used in Shenyang Normal University for non-English majors.The study combines qualitative research with quantitative research to investigate thecultural themes in EEIC. The study is based on these theories, the theory of textbookevaluation, the theory of culture teaching, and the theory of intercultural communication. Itadopts Byram’s eight dimensions of categorization for cultural themes to categorize andevaluate the selection of the cultural themes in EEIC. In the meantime, the textbook users’cultural awareness and expectations, their preference for the eight dimensions of culturalthemes in EEIC are also investigated. The goal of the thesis is to offer a general picture ofcultural theme selection in the textbook and also give some suggestions for future Englishtextbook compilation and college English culture teaching.In this study, the participants are322students and7teachers who are using EEIC incollege English classes in Shenyang Normal University. Five teachers from the subjects arechosen for interview.The major findings are: First, the cultural themes in EEIC cover all the eight themes inByram’s list, but the percentage is not even. Second, both students and teachers have arather high cultural awareness in foreign language teaching and learning, and they all thinkthat it is crucial and significant to accomplish cultural teaching in college English education. Thirdly, both of the teachers and students’ participants are quite familiar withthe cultural themes in EEIC and give their evaluation. Last, the compilers should do theirbest to meet the students’ and teachers’ needs and expectation in selecting cultural themesin textbook development. Meanwhile, culture teaching should be strengthened in order tocultivate students’ intercultural communicative competence.