INTERCULTURAL REPRESENTATIONS IN THE GLOBAL ENGLISH TEXTBOOK: A STUDY OF CONCENTRIC CIRCLE AND CULTURAL DIMENSIONS

In today’s globalized world, English language education plays a crucial role in developing students’ intercultural awareness and competence. Textbooks, as one of the primary teaching materials, are expected not only to support linguistic development but also to integrate diverse cultural perspectives. This study aims to investigate how intercultural representations are embedded in the Global English textbook for Grade 7, an internationally published textbook by Cambridge University Press. It explores the types of countries represented based on Kachru’s Concentric Circles (Inner, Outer, and Expanding Circles) and identifies cultural dimensions using Moran’s framework (Products, Practices, Perspectives, Persons, and Communities). Using a qualitative content analysis design, data were collected from all chapters of the textbook and categorized based on the two theoretical models. The findings reveal that the Expanding Circle is the most dominant, followed by the Inner Circle, while the Outer Circle is significantly underrepresented. In terms of cultural dimensions, the Products category appears most frequently, especially artifacts and places, while Communities and Perspectives are the least addressed. These findings suggest an imbalance in cultural representation and highlight the need for more inclusive and diverse intercultural content in English language textbooks. The study provides insights for educators, textbook authors, and policymakers to enhance textbook content that fosters intercultural competence among learners.