The Representations of Multicultural Education in an Indonesian English Textbook

Abstract

Previous research has extensively examined multicultural values with some theories but has not specifically utilize Banks (2004) theory of multicultural education. This gap underscores the need to evaluate how textbooks reflect multicultural education because textbook is one of the crucial item in curriculum. This study investigates the representation of multicultural education in Indonesian English textbooks through a content analysis of "Buku Bahasa Inggris ‘Work in Progress’ SMA/SMK/MA Kelas X," with the new 'Kurikulum Merdeka'. Using Banks' (2004) framework, the research evaluates five dimensions of multicultural education: content integration, knowledge construction, prejudice reduction, equity pedagogy, and empowering school culture. The findings reveal substantial representation in four dimensions, including content integration, knowledge construction, prejudice reduction, and empowering school culture. The dimension of equity pedagogy is not found in this textbook. The research contributes to ongoing discussions on the effectiveness of multicultural education in Indonesian EFL contexts and offers empirical data to support the development of more inclusive educational resources.