2015 개정 교육과정에 따른 초등학교 5~6학년군 영어 교과서 문화 내용 분석

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the contents of the culture section in all five types of English textbooks for the 5th and 6th grades elementary school according to the 2015 revised national curriculum. For the analysis of the textbooks, the contents of the culture section were classified into three categories: cultural topics, cultural types, and cultural backgrounds based on the respective theoretical frameworks, and then analyzed by applying the criteria for each category. Based on the analysis of the data, the following results have been obtained. First, under cultural topics, No. 8 on diverse cultures reported the highest percentage, followed by No. 9 on cultural similarities and differences, No. 7 on British-American cultures, and No. 10 on introducing Korean culture. Second, the analysis of cultural types reported the highest percentage in terms of the ratio of behavioral culture, followed by material culture and, the lowest, mental culture. Third, as for the analysis of cultural backgrounds, complex cultural backgrounds showed the highest ratio, followed by other cultural backgrounds, contrastive cultural backgrounds, British-American cultural backgrounds, and universal cultural backgrounds. Korean cultural backgrounds were not presented in any of these textbooks. Lastly, after comparing the current analysis results of the culture section of English textbooks in the 5th and 6th grades with those of 3rd and 4th grades, this study found that the English textbooks for the 5th and 6th grades introduce a wider variety of cultures in different countries compared to the 3rd and 4th grades. Therefore, the English textbooks for the 5th and 6th grades seem to reflect and place more emphasis on developing the students’ ability to understand and embrace cultural diversity. Through this study, it was found that the contents of the culture section of the English textbooks for the 5th and 6th grades of elementary school correspond to the necessities and directions of cultural education specified in the 2015 national curriculum. This study concludes that more balanced and diverse cultural content in terms of topics, types, and backgrounds can contribute to the achievement of more effective and high-quality cultural education in English textbooks.