The Representation of Moral Values in the ELT Textbook for Junior High School Students in Indonesia

Abstract

In this globalization era, the occurrence of moral degradation is increasing rapidly. Hence, several ways have been tried to overcome the problem by intensifying the promotion of moral values to society through various media, such as; television and video games. Apart from the entertainment media, educational media can be an effective tool for promoting moral values, such as textbooks that represent particular moral values. However, there are still many people who are not aware of this great chance. Therefore, this qualitative study analyzes what moral values are represented in an English Language Teaching (ELT) textbook for junior high school students in Indonesia. Using Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) dimensional framework, the findings reveal that visual artifacts and verbal texts in the textbook represent twelve types of moral values, namely; tolerance, courtesy, hospitality, discipline, responsibility, concern, appreciation, obedience, compassion, honesty, generosity, and courage. The implication of this study suggests that some parties, such as; English teachers, ELT textbook authors, and other researchers, should pay more attention to the representation of moral values in ELT textbooks.