The Representation of Peace Values in the English Textbook Entitled “Bahasa Inggris When English Rings A Bell Smp/Mts Kelas VII

Abstract

This study examined the representation and the dominant value of peace values in the Junior High School English textbook issued by the Department of education and culture in Indonesia. In dealing with the peace values that were part of the character-building program, the researcher related some example of some categories of peace values with the value in the character-building program. These peace values were Inner peace, Social peace and Peace with nature. From each value, there were subcategories: Appreciating the achievement value and religious value from the character-building program were included in inner peace. Tolerance, friendly/ communicative, democratic, social care, and peace-loving from the character-building program were included in social peace. And environmental care value from the character-building program was included in peace with nature. The researcher gathered the texts only, texts completed with the images and images only which provide information about peace values by using the documentary method. Content analysis and critical discourse analysis, focusing on two layering meaning of visual semiotic analysis was used to analyse the discourse of visual and textual form. The findings showed that there were a total of 9 images, 96 texts completed with the images and 37 texts presented social peace values. While in inner peace there was only one image, four texts completed with the images and 12 texts, and in peace with nature, there was only one image, six texts completed with the images, and two texts presented in the textbook. The data prove that social peace was the dominant value presented in the textbook. In inner peace, the researcher found some texts and images presented appreciating achievement in the topic of appreciating clean and tidy classroom, appreciating parents’ job, appreciating someone coming on time to school, and appreciating other attitudes. Religious value presented in the textbook in the topics of shaking hands between students and teacher and an image of a family praying together before eating. There were some topics presented in the textbook to show some value of social peace: tolerance value presented in the image of some children from different races playing together without discrimination, and there was also a dialogue completed with the image between a girl wearing hijab greeted her friend that had a different complexion. In the textbook, the friendly/ communicative value was presented in all forms of different topics and different situations of dialogues, also some dialogue completed with the images. Democratic value was presented in the textbook with the topic of human rights. The other value of social peace was social care value presented in the topics of helping other people, caring to other people and cooperation. And peace-loving value in the textbook presented in the topic of conflict and understanding others condition. The last, in the peace with nature, the environmental care value presented some images and texts completed with the images that can invite the reader to plant trees and loving animals and keep the environment clean. In this case, to maximize the development of education in Indonesia, the teacher are suggested to pay more attention to students’ character-building program, and As the developers of the textbook, the authors and publisher are suggested to review and evaluate the textbook that has been made based on the latest curriculum in accordance with government regulations.