A critical analysis of Vietnam-produced English textbooks for high school students: intercultural and multicultural perspectives

ABSTRACT

In the twenty-first century, language users’ communicative competence needs to include a new dimension –intercultural and multicultural literacy – necessary for communication in multilingual and multicultural settings. This article aims to present a study answering the central research question ‘How are interculturalism and multiculturalism reflected in a series of Vietnam-produced English textbooks for high school students?’ In order to answer this question, a cultural content analysis was conducted with the foci on cultural knowledge and skills in intercultural communicative competence. The study found that interculturalism (inclusion of source cultures, international cultures, and target language cultures and of comparisons and contrasts among them) and multiculturalism (ethnic diversity, globalization, mutual understanding, and non-ethnocentrism and non-Western-centrism) are reflected in the textbooks, albeit with certain limitations. The study provides a sample cultural analysis framework and suggestions for English language teaching writers in the Expanding Circle in an era of interculturalism and multiculturalism.

KEYWORDS:

• Interculturalism
• multiculturalism
• intercultural communicative competence
• English language teaching textbooks

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. The National Demographic Survey report is released every 10 years. The next one will be released by 2030.

2. ASEAN consists of 10 countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

3. Today, aside from English, other foreign languages like French, Chinese, and Korean, to name a few, are taught in Vietnam.