REPRESENTATIONS OF VIETNAMESE ETHNIC MINORITIES IN NEW HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS
Main Article Content
Abstract
In Vietnamese boarding schools for ethnic minority students, learners use national textbooks, primarily designed to serve the major group - Kinh students. Therefore, representations of Vietnamese people and culture in these textbooks may mainly focus on this group, and consequently lead to unfamiliarity and loss of interest among students (Cunningsworth, 1995). In international contexts, representations of ethnic groups in English textbooks have been found problematic (Bassani, 2015; Kim & Ma, 2018; Yamada, 2006, 2010). In Vietnam, this issue has not received sufficient interest except for only one study into this type of representations by Dinh (2014), who reveals that the Vietnamese culture in old high school English textbooks was mainly of Kinh people. To address this research gap, this study was conducted to investigate the representations in new high school English textbooks and the accompanying teachers’ books. Employing qualitative approach and quantitative approach, with the underlying procedures adapted from the study by Weninger and Kiss (2013), the researchers identified certain problems. Some noteworthy findings are the underrepresentation compared to Vietnamese people and culture, the absence of some groups, and the limited range of contextual topics. From the results, it is recommended that teachers make modifications to classroom procedures and materials, and textbooks designers incorporate ethnic minorities with more diverse topics.
Article Details
Keywords
representations, ethnic minorities, English textbooks, high school, Vietnam
References
Bassani, C. (2015). Ethnic Representation in Canadian Primary. Red Feather Journal, 6(2), 53-74.
Battistella, E. (1990). Markedness: The evaluative superstructure of language. Wiley.
Bell, A. (2014). The guidebook to sociolinguistics. Wiley Blackwell.
Bing, W. (2006). A Comparison of the Portrayal of Visible Minorities in Textbooks in Canada and China. Canadian and International education, 35(2), 75-94
Chu, Y. (2015). The power of knowledge: a critical analysis of the depiction of ethnic minorities in China’s elementary textbooks. Race Ethnicity and Education, 18(4), 469-487.
Chu, Y. (2018). Visualizing minority: Images of ethnic minority groups in Chinese elementary social studies textbooks. The Journal of Social Studies Research, 42(2), 135-147.
Culler, J. (1976). Saussure. William Collins Sons & Co Ltd.
Cunningsworth, A. (1995). Choosing your coursebook. MacMillan Heinemann.
Dinh, T. (2014). Culture Representations in Locally Developed English Textbooks in Vietnam. In R. Chowdhury, & R. Marlina (Eds.), Enacting English Across Border: Critical Studies in the Asia Pacific (pp. 113-167). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Do, Q., Dao, L. (2020). Critical Cultural Awareness: Should Vietnamese Culture be Taught in a Different Way?. VNU Journal of Foreign Studies, 36(1), 69-80.
Foucault, M. (1972). The archeology of knowledge & the discourse on language. (A. Smith, Trans.). Patheon Books.
Gaul, A. (2014). Where Are the Minorities? The Elusiveness of Multiculturalism and Positive Recognition in Sri Lankan History Textbooks. Journal of Educational Media Memory and Society, 6(2), 87-105.
General Statistics Office (n.d). Các dân tộc Việt Nam. General Statistics Office. https://www.gso.gov.vn/phuong-phap-luan-thong-ke/danh-muc/cac-dan-toc-viet-nam.
Gould, J., & Kolb, W. (Eds.). (1964). Sciences, a dictionary of the social sciences. The Free Press of Glencoe.
Government of Vietnam (2011, January 14). Nghị định về công tác dân tộc. Thư viện pháp luật. https://thuvienphapluat.vn/van-ban/Van-hoa-Xa-hoi/Nghi-dinh-05-2011-ND-CP-cong-tac-dan-toc-117534.aspx?anchor=dieu_4.
Gray, J. (2010). The construction of English: Culture, consumerism and promotion in the ELT global coursebook. Palgrave Macmillan.
Hall, S. (1997). The Work of Representation. In S. Hall (Ed.), Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices (pp. 13-74). The Open University.
Herbst, P. (1997). The color of words: An encyclopedia of ethnic bias in the United States. Intercultural Press.
Hoài, A. (2023, September 16). Việt Nam có 136 chính sách dân tộc đang được thực thi. Báo điện tử Đảng Cộng sản Việt Nam. https://dangcongsan.vn/bao-dam-quyen-cho-nguoi-dan-toc-thieu-so/tin-tuc/viet-nam-co-136-chinh-sach-dan-toc-dang-duoc-thuc-thi-645543.html
Hoàng, V., Hoàng, T.X.H., Đặng, G., Phan, H., Hoàng, T.H.H., Kiều, H., Vũ, L., Đào, L. (2016). Tiếng Anh 10 - sách giáo viên - tập 2. NXB Giáo dục Việt Nam.
Hoàng, V., Hoàng, T.X.H., Đặng, G., Phan, H., Hoàng, T.H.H., Kiều, H., Vũ, L., Đào, L. (2014a). Tiếng Anh 10 - sách học sinh - tập 1. NXB Giáo dục Việt Nam.
Hoàng, V., Hoàng, T.X.H., Đặng, G., Phan, H., Hoàng, T.H.H., Kiều, H., Vũ, L., Đào, L. (2014b). Tiếng Anh 10 - sách học sinh - tập 2. NXB Giáo dục Việt Nam.
Hoàng, V., Hoàng, T.X.H., Phan, H., Hoàng, T.H.H., Kiều, H., Vũ, L., Đào, L. Chung, Q. (2016). Tiếng Anh 12 - sách giáo viên - tập 1. NXB Giáo dục Việt Nam.
Hoàng, V., Hoàng, T.X.H., Phan, H., Hoàng, T.H.H., Kiều, H., Vũ, L., Đào, L. Chung, Q. (2014a). Tiếng Anh 12 - sách học sinh - tập 1. NXB Giáo dục Việt Nam.
Hoàng, V., Hoàng, T.X.H., Phan, H., Hoàng, T.H.H., Kiều, H., Vũ, L., Đào, L. Chung, Q. (2014b). Tiếng Anh 12 - sách học sinh - tập 2. NXB Giáo dục Việt Nam.
Hoàng, V., Phan, H., Hoàng, T.H.H., Hoàng, T.X.H., Kiều, H., Đào, L., Chung, Q. (2015a) Tiếng Anh 11 - sách giáo viên - tập 1. NXB Giáo dục Việt Nam.
Hoàng, V., Phan, H., Hoàng, T.H.H., Hoàng, T.X.H., Kiều, H., Đào, L., Chung, Q. (2015b) Tiếng Anh 11 - sách giáo viên - tập 1. NXB Giáo dục Việt Nam.
Hoàng, V., Phan, H., Hoàng, T.H.H., Hoàng, T.X.H., Kiều, H., Đào, L., Chung, Q. (2014a). Tiếng Anh 11 - sách học sinh - tập 1. NXB Giáo dục Việt Nam.
Hoàng, V., Phan, H., Hoàng, T.H.H., Hoàng, T.X.H., Kiều, H., Đào, L., Chung, Q. (2014b). Tiếng Anh 11 - sách học sinh - tập 2. NXB Giáo dục Việt Nam.
Hồ, L. (2008). Một hướng tiếp cận văn hóa Việt Nam. NXB Văn hóa.
Kim, S., & Ma, T. (2018). How Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in an English Textbook is Being Portrayed in South Korea: A Textbook Analysis. ITJ, 15(1). https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/intesol/article/download/22625/22180/35289
Kirkpatrick, A. (2015). Teaching English in Asia in Non-Anglo Saxon Cultural Context: Principles of the Lingua Franca approach. In R. Marlina, & A. Giri (Eds.), The Pedagogy of English as an International language: Perspectives from scholars, teachers and students (pp. 32-33). Springer.
Liew, P. (2007). An Analysis of Gender and Ethnic Representations in Chinese and Malay Primary School Reading Textbooks: Grades 2-6. ProQuest Information and Learning Company.
Miller, K. (2005). Communication theories: Perspectives, processes, and contexts. McGraw Hill.
Ministry of Education and Training (2018, December 18). Hội nghị tổng kết 10 năm trường Phổ thông dân tộc nội trú giai đoạn 2008 - 2018. Ministry of Education and Training. https://moet.gov.vn/tintuc/Pages/tin-tong-hop.aspx?ItemID=5742#:~:text=Hi%E1%BB%87n%20tr%C3%AAn%20c%E1%BA%A3%20n%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Bc%20c%C3%B3,PTDTNT%20tr%E1%BB%B1c%20thu%E1%BB%99c%20B%E1%BB%99%20GD%26%C4%90T.
Ministry of Education and Training (2014, January 24). Thông tư ban hành khung năng lực ngoại ngữ 6 bậc dùng cho Việt Nam. Thư viện pháp luật. https://thuvienphapluat.vn/van-ban/Giao-duc/Thong-tu-01-2014-TT-BGDDT-Khung-nang-luc-ngoai-ngu-6-bac-Viet-Nam-220349.aspx.
Moon, G. (2002). Thinking about ‘culture’ in intercultural communication. In J. Martin, & T. Nakayama (Eds.), Readings in intercultural communication: Experiences and contexts (pp. 13-21). McGraw Hill.
Mooney, A., & Evans, B. (2015). Language, society and power - An introduction. Routledge.
Moran, P. (2001). Teaching Culture: Perspectives in Practice. Heinle & Heinle.
National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project (1996). Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century. National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project.
Nguyễn, Q. (2021, March 16). TP.HCM: Thành lập hội đồng lựa chọn sách giáo khoa năm 2021. Pháp luật thành phố Hồ Chí Minh. https://plo.vn/giao-duc/tphcm-thanh-lap-hoi-dong-lua-chon-sach-giao-khoa-nam-2021-972880.html
Open Development Vietnam (2019, March 30). Dân tộc thiểu số ở Việt Nam. Open Development Vietnam https://vietnam.opendevelopmentmekong.net/vi/topics/ethnic-minorities-and-indigenous-people/.
Parlindungan, F., Rifai, I., & Safriani, A. (2018). The representation of Indonesian cultural diversity in middle school English textbooks. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8(2), 289-302.
Richards, J. (2001). The role of textbooks in a language program. RELC Guidelines, 23(2), 12-16.
Richards, J. (2015). Key issues in language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
Ronningen, A. (2015). The Ethnic Move – A discussion on cultural diversity. Norwegian Academy of Music.
Sleeter, C., & Grant, C. (1991). Race, class, gender, and disability in current textbooks. In M. Apple, & L. Christian-Smith (Eds.), The politics of the textbook (pp. 78-110). Routledge.
Sun, W., & Kwon, J. (2018). Representation of monoculturalism in Chinese and Korean heritage language textbooks for immigrant children. Language, Culture and Curriculum.
Tsiplakides, I. (2011). Selecting an English coursebook: Theory and practice. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 1(7), 758-764.
Weninger, C., & Kiss, T. (2013). Culture in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Textbooks: A Semiotic Approach. TESOL Quarterly, 47(4), 694-716.
Winkelman, M. (1993). Ethnic relations in the U.S. West Group.
Wood, R. (1997). Tourism and the state: ethnic options and constructions of otherness. In M. Picard, & R. Wood (Eds.), Tourism, ethnicity, and the state in Asian and Pacific studies (pp. 35-70). University of Hawai'i Press.
Yamada, M. (2006). The Representation of Race and Ethnic Relations in Japanese Junior High School English Language Textbooks from 1987 to 2002. Western Michigan University.
Yamada, M. (2010). English as a Multicultural Language: Implications from a Study of Japan's Junior High Schools English Language Textbooks. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 31(5), 491-506.