AN ANALYSIS OF CULTURE INTEGRATION INTO ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AS FOUND IN ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS FOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Abstract

The main concept of foreign language education is that communication is a social interaction
much more than it is a linguistic exchange (Seelye, 1993: 57). It is true that linguistic skill is necessary
in acquiring and mastering a foreign language but a language learner needs more than fluency in
foreign language and non-verbal signals to communicate effectively. This concept, then, requires
the integration of culture into foreign language learning including into the teaching material.
This study is designed to know the culture integration in the textbook as the main teaching
material in the English teaching and learning process. English textbooks for Senior High School are
selected because English learning in this level is the final level of secondary education level and
Indonesia secondary school levels have adopted communicative approach for English language
teaching and learning.
This approach’s main goal is to make communicative competence the goal of language teaching
and to acknowledge the interdependence of language and communication (Freeman, 2000: 121).
Along with this proposition, it becomes crucial to include culture aspects into learning materials
since they will enable the stud ents to master pragmatic functions of the language to assist them in
enhancing their communicative competence.