The Visual and Textual Analysis of Democratic Values Represented in the EFL Textbook for Senior High School Students

Abstract

This study examined how visual and textual data in the senior high school English textbook represent democratic values by using Visual Semiotics of Roland Barthes. This study was expected to give enlightenment towards the discussion of Democratic Values needed in English teaching and learning process or the next research in the future. The researcher gathered the text and visual materials which provide information about democratic values by using the documentary method. The data analyzed using two layers of visual semiotic of Barthes (i.e., denotation and connotation) in order to reveal the representation of democratic values in English textbook for tenth grade students. The findings show that there were 8 pictures and 4 texts represent democratic values in English textbook. For the pictures, there are 2 pictures showing an act of respecting the freedom to express opinion, 1 picture that shows an act of respecting the right to obtain self-development, 1 picture that shows an act of respecting the freedom to choose religion, 1 picture that shows an act of respecting the right to sustain the life, 1 picture that shows an act of respecting the freedom to assembly, and 2 pictures that show an act of respecting the right to have welfare. For the texts, there are 2 texts showing an act of respecting to right to have welfare and 2 texts showing an act of respecting to right to sustain the life and get security. The data also prove that English textbook contains democratic value messages that both teachers and students can use it for learning. Other than that, teachers need to equip their students with experience (e.g., respecting others right), knowledge (e.g., democracy perception), skills (e.g., politeness strategies), and attitudes (e.g., democracy awareness) to make students critically get the meaning of hidden values in the English textbook. Considering Indonesia build upon the heterogeneous populations, it is also needed for the teachers to develop the materials which suitable for the students‟ discussion of democratic values