THE USE OF INDONESIAN TEXTBOOKS 
IN THE EFL CLASS AS ALTERNATIVE ELT MATERIALS 

AT THE PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN INDONESIA 

Y. E. Budiyana J 

Abstract: The produclion of Ic'.w/)(}oks is /Jolh cosIly and 1;1/11' 

consiliI/iI/X. AII"e SWill' lillie Ihae already l'XiSIS II l'lIsl W/WIIIII of 
primed tlUllaia/s. Bearing in mil/d Ihl' cOlIslraillfs /IIentioned, ;1 
\I'OIIId seem sellsih/e to make lise of exiSlillg mlller;als. The pllrpOJl' 
of this artie/e is 10 argile Ihat olh('/' Indollesiall lexlbooks w;lh /ocal 
cu/tural collfellfs slIch as Bahasa IlIdonl's;tI (Illc/Olll'sillll /allx"agl'), 
/lmll P('//Xl'lahIUlII A/am (Sc;ellce Education). /lmll Pengeta/ll/tln 
Sos;al (social sc;ellcc' edllcal;oll), {llId Pellclic/;kall Axall/a (relig;olls 
edllcal;on), call be adapled anel dC'I·l'ioped./fI/·lhe leaclt;lIg of ElIglish 
al Primm)' Schools. 

Key words: /ocal cllllllral cOllle1ll maler;als 

INTRODUCTION 
The idea for adapting and developing ELT materials for Indonesian 

learners at the Primary School stems from the fact that most commercially 
published ELT materials focus on clements about American or British culture. 
This argument is. firstly. hased on my observations upon the ELT textbooks 
for young learners sold in the bookstores in Semarang (see Appendix I). 
l\itore than 7()11r of the tcxthoob arc written h~ foreign ELT writers. Most 
of the textbook writers who daim that their books arc made lISC of in both 
EFL and ESL contexts arc native speakers who consciollsly or unconsciously 
transmit their views. values. bdiefs. attitudes and feelings of their own society. 
They normally live in their own culture and therefore find it hard to compose 
data beyond their own cul-tural boundaries. As a result. other learners from 

I. Drs. Y.E. Budiyana, M.A. is;1 lecturer of the Faculty or Letters, Soegijapranata 
Catholic University. Scmarang. 



112 Celt, Volume 5. Number 2. December 2005 : 111-123 

other societies such as Indonesia find it difficult making use of them on 
account of their irrelevance to their own culture. 

Secondly, in order to meet local needs, the ELT materials must be 
closely linked to the national curriculum which is obliged to be implemented 
nationally. Clearly, almost all of the foreign textbook writers do not base their 
text books on this curriculum. The 1994 National Curriculum places emphasis 
on Indonesian culture. Such topics as at school, in the classroom, in the 
library, in the school canteen, in the school garden, school activities, scouting 
activities and classroom regulations are culture-specific, while most of the 
textbooks on the above topics are English or American culture based. 
Thirdly, the argument is also based on the fact that the English teachers in 
elementary schools, in particular Pangudiluhur elementary schools are class 
teachers who are the IKIP graduates of the Engl ish Department. In other 
words. being class teachers. all of them have been familiar with the teaching 
of other subjects. The implication is that they will find it easier to teach 
something familiar than that of being unfamiliar. 

THE USE OF LOCAL CONTENT MATERIALS AS A SMOOTH 
DEPARTURE FROM WHAT IS CULTURALLY FAMILIAR IN 
THE DAY- TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT OF THE STUDENTS TO 
UNFAMILIAR SCHEMA 

According to Widdowson (1990). in our daily life. there are two types 
of knowledge involved in expressing and interpreting meanings in a given 
language: syslelllic and schemalic knowledge. SChl'III(/lic knowledge refer~ 
to socially-acquired knowledge. In contrast. syslC'lIlic knowledge refers to 
the fOlmal propertie~ of language. involving its semantic and syntactic systems. 
In native language learning, it child's sysll'l1Iic and .\"Cht'llwtic knowledge 
are believed to develop concurrently. However, Widdowson says that foreign 
language learning experience is different: 

Here Icarner~ have .tlrem.ly heen ~()cialized into 
.fcilC'I//(/lic knowledge associated with their mother 
tongue: they arc initiated into their culture in the very 
process of language learning (1990: 163-164). 

In tracing the connection between both kinds of knowledge, it is easier 
to give the evidence in a precise form. Let us take the word breakf(/Sl in 



Y. E. Uudiyana, The Use ql bu/oII('siall Textbooks 113 
~ 

r:;"'?;;z~_!,"!'i;,\ 

Englis.h which is culturally transla,t!!d into mllklill pag; in Indonesia~, C . t1;~.' .. :fJ{::1~> 
speakmg, breakfast cannot be slTnply and culturally translated mto ~1'\. 
pagi. The concept of breakfast may give some different kid] :~-:;'~ , .. 
interpretations from that of makall pagi.. ~PlIH;"Y-:'" 

It demonstrates how even a simple word like breakfllst contains cultural 
information. While the Indonesian children will normally think of makall 
pagi as rice. an egg. 1l'Inpe or tallll, and water, English children think of 
breakfast as milk. bread. eggs or bacon. We can have orange juice or apple 
juice for breakfast but not for makall pagi because if we do. our parents 
will be worried about the possibility of our suffering from a stomach-ache. 

The two words presented above are authentic examples. Learning a 
particular language involves acquiring a whole set of concepts. If the concepts 
in both languages are different. there must be smooth transition from familiar 
to unfamiliar schemas. Alptekin further mentions that: 

Given what is known ahout the facilitating effects of 
familiar schemas (or schem,.ta) on foreign language 
acquisition. it is most natuml for learners to rely on 
their already established schematic knowledge when 
developing systemic knowledge (1993: 136), 

The implication in teaching is that the learners who learn English for 
the first time, especially primary school students, must start from the elements 
rdated to their life environment and their background culture. something 
with which they arc already familiar ,md then step-by-step they arc introduced 
to the items related to the target culture after their mastery of the vocabulary 
items in their own culture. Through the process of adaptation. the concept of 
II/(/klltl pagi (the Indonesian breakfast) should be introduced to the learners 
first although the texthook presents the COI1l:cpt of the English breakfast. 
The new concept should be introduced later. Comparing the two different 
cultural concepts will be interesting for learners as a cross cultural t!x!!rcise. 

Foreign textbooks somt!times show some patterns of behaviour in an 
English speaking social context that Indonesian learners may find strangt!. 
The picture below is an illustration taken from the book entitled Teaching 
English ill the Primary School by Halliwell (1992: II 0). 



114 Celt. Volume 5. Number 2. Dcccmbcr2005 : 111-123 

Picture I: 
The tasks arc taken from Teachillg English ill the Primary School by Halliwell 

(1992:110). 

There are four children. Derek. Ann. Rob. and Richard. who have 
different kinds of pets; a dog. a rabbit. a white mouse. and a cal. Indonesian 
learners. for example. find it uncommon oreven disgusting to think ofhavillg 
a mouse as a pet because Indonesia is an agricultural country where mice 
are considered as farnlers' enemies. Similarly. in countries where the majority 
of the population \s Moslem. such as Indonesia and Malaysia. dogs will not 
be looked after as pets because they are strictly forbidden by their religion. 
Using a dog as a pet. particularly in Moslem schools. will not be an appropriate 
example and will result in the learners' unhappiness and discomfort. In this 
case. the teacher must be wise enough to adapt this kind of exercise to the 
local environment. Using textbooks without a process of adaptation in this 
case is not a wise decision. Instead of using {/ dog and llll/Oll.,·e. the teacher. 
for examplt!. may use 1I parrot or 1I pigeon as examples of pets. 

The following picture is also another example of adaptation taken 
from the same book. In sekcting and grading vocabulary items from forl.'ign 
textbooks. the teacher should start frolll those related to background culture. 
The word .\"II(}\rillg is culture-specific. Therefore. it should not be introduced 
to the Indonesian learners at the same time as raining. hot. and foggy. The 
teacher can introduce cloudy instead because raining. foggy. hot. and cloudy 
are related to tropical weather. 



Y. E. Budiyana, Tile Usc Ofllldollesi(/ll Tt:xI/Jooks 115 

---_.- ---- - -_ .. &.._- _# .-- _._-, 

PiclUre 2: 
The tasks are taken from 7('(/cllillg Ellglisll ill lill' Prill/(/ry Scllool hy Halliwell 

(1992:79). 

Most task based and problem solving activities above are taken from 
imported materials. They characterize communicative approaches and 
materials which are not value free models of behaviour and reneet the day 
to day situations in the native speaker's world which may not be in harmony 
with the situlltions of some cultures. In pillces where there is II growing 
shortage of local textbooks. the teacher's role is 10 make effective use of the 
ex isting foreign textbooks and bllckground culture materials through variolls 
degrees of adaptation. 

AN ALTERNATIVE TECHNIQUE OF EXPLOITING 
BACKGROUND CULTURE MATERIALS OF SUBJECTS OTHER 
THAN ENGLISH FOR EFL TEACHING 

This section deals with several examples of how to exploit background 
culture materials of subjects other than English for EFL teaching. According 
to Halliwell, 



116 Celt. Volume 5. Numbcr2. December 2005 : I I 1-123 

Learning other things in English will help children to 
learn English. In the process. they will be handling real 
meaning rather than just words and structures for their 
own sake (1992: 131). 

This section intends to show that there are tasks in the student textbooks 
of other subjects wonhwhile for ELT materials by which students will be 
learning, at some stage, to record information diagrammatically. 

A. Exploiting the materials of /lmu Petlgetahuan Sosial (social 
studies) 
In social studies. the primary school students are usually asked to fill 

in the forms provided by the teacherto record informa-tion from the statistics 
in their own village offices showing, for example. the data about the number 
of population (adult. male. female. children). occupa-tions. religions. families. 
etc. Usually these surveys are conducted in either their mother tongue or 
Indonesian as pan of social studies. The following tasks can just as easily 
and far more usefully be done in the English lesson. 

DESA WONOnNOAL 
K£CAMATAH 8EMARAHO 8I!LA1AH 

Picture 3: 
The tasks are taken from /lmll PellgeralllulIl Sos;a/ by Bale (1989:34). 



Y. E. Budiyana, The Use Of It/dot/esiat/ Texlbooks 117 

The task above is done after the students have been taught the different 
types of occupations. They are then asked to go to the offices of the chiefs 
of their villages to see the statistics and to fill out the forms provided by the 
teacher. They have to find the infonnation about the distribution of occupations 
in their own village. In the following English lesson, they have to report it to 
the class orally as follows: 

T/rae are 100 fanllers, 20 brickla,n'rs, alld 45 ('017'1'1111'1"5 
ill my I'il/age. 

Although the purpose is to practice collecting information about their 
:-oeinl environment, this exercise is eminently suit-able source of materials 
needed for English lesson. This authen-tic material collected by the students 
will become a good source for the teacher to teach other topics, for example, 
comparison. Using their own diagrams, the students arc expected to be able 
to produce such sentences as: 

TlIl'H' are more IIlIrses IIiall doctors ill Illy \'iII{/~e, 
Thc'u! are IIIOH' farmers II/(III I('(lcll£'l'," ill \\'ollolin~{/I. 
Tile /lllIl/ber ofll"rses (lnd leachers ill III." l'iIIa~(' i.1 Ille 

,WII/e. 

A follow-up activity allows students to compare the infonnation of their village 
with that of others. for example: 

There are morefamlen ill Illy I'il/age (IIi111 ill WI/I/'I. 
TIieH' i,~ IIi(' ,Wille IIIIlIIh"r of ('acllen ill /'0111 
I'il/age.l. 



118 Celt, Volume 5. Number 2. December 2005 : 111-123 

' .. 
. ,:- } , 

Picture 4 
The task are taken fromJlllllt Pellgewiluw/ Sosial ( 1989:23) 

by Asnawi and Rachmat ( 1989:23). 

The task in Picture 4 is taken from the student workbook of IImu 
Pellgeta-IIlI{1II Sosial (social studies for primary schools). The students are 
asked to write the names of the occupations in the pictures, the names of the 
people in their village whose jobs are shown in the pic-tures such as repainnan. 
merchant, mechanic. etc., and then report it to the class in the following 
English lesson. Through this kind of activity. the students' learning is not 
limited to the classroom only. but they also learn how to learn outside and 
beyond the classroom. In line with this argument, Phillips further mentions 
the importance for students to learn not only inside the classroom but also 
beyond and outside as follows: 

Finally. it is increasingly recognized Ihal children need 
to 'Iearn how to learn' . This means thallheir education 
and learning should not be confined 10 Ihe limits of 
their classroom. text-hooks, and teacher, but that we 
should help them to acquire skills and independence 
that will enable them to continue learn-ing outside and 
beyond school (1993:6). 



Y. E. Budiyana, Tlu' Use Of Indonesian Textbooks 119 

In other words. the students need to be aware of how they learn. and 
to experiment with different learning styles. to organize their work. and to be 
open and interested in all that surrounds them. 

B. Exploiting the teaching materials of JIm" Pellgetallllall Alam 
(Natural Science) 
The task in Picture 5 is extracted from the student book of IImu 

Pengetallll(ll/ Alam (Natural Science) by Agus F. Tangyong (1990:29). The 
students are asked to observe the things in the classroom and then with the 
labels provided by the teacher. they must stick the labels to thejJems 
oncerned. This kind of exercise i~ a simultaneously involving activi,{'~lic:h~} 

builds on the children's desir~ to talk to each other. It provides th'-'~~!~y 
good reason to get out of theIr seats. ~~~~? 

Picture 5: 
The tasb arc taken fwm /111111 /'('l/g('I(//I11(/1/ A/(/1II 

hy Tangyong ( )YYO: 2lJ) 

~'#A~J 
P .. "" 'J:fiPUSTP.-r.t-

C. Exploiting the materials of Pelldidikall Agama (religious 
education) 
Indonesia is a country with multi-ethnic groups and religions. There 

are hundreds of ethllic groups living all over Indonesia with four major 
religions: Islmn. Christianity. Hinduism. and Buddhism. Religious education 
is a compulsory subject in all levels of education. Tolerance and a sense of 



120 Celt, Volume 5, Number 2, December 2005 : 111-123 

respecting other religions are emphasized in religious education. Students 
should know such things as religious holidays and places of worship. 

Having read the textbook of religious education, I found that there are 
activities or tasks which can be applied to the teaching of English as shown 
in Picture 6 below. 

(Iiliiiii • IiIiIiii 

'!§!iiIi .. Cfui!ri I 
I H!IdU Q I§i§IIi 

'iiUCIiID • IiUCii#ii!ci 

Picture 6: 
The tasks are taken fromJlmu Pendidikan Pengetahuan Sosial 4 

by Asnawi and Raclunat (1989:43) 

This was originally a mother tongue exercise designed to teach children 
the kinds of religions and places of worship. In fact, it works equally we1lll1 
the early stages of English as a vocabulary exercise and a question and 
answer exercise in the present tense. The students are asked to draw a line 
to match the word and the picture and then expected to be able to use the 
vocabulary items in such sentences as: 

Moslems go 10 mosque on Friday and Christians go 
to church on Sunday. 

According to Phillips it is common sense that "if the lesson is enjoyable, 
it will be memorable; the language involved will stick, and the children will 
have a sense ·of achievement which will develop motivation for further 
learning" (1992:8). 



Y. E. Budiyana, The Use Of flU/one sian Textbooks 121 

CONCLUSION 
The rational for adapting ELT materials for Indonesian learners at 

Primary School stems from the fact that most commercially published ELT 
Materials focus on elements about target language culture. Most of the 
textbook writers who claim that their books are made use of in both EFL and 
ESL contexts are native speakers. They normally live in their own culture, 
and therefore find it hard to compose data beyond their own cul-tural 
boundaries. In contrast, the 1994 National Curriculum places emphasis on 
the Indonesian culture. As a result, other learners from other soc ie-ties such 
as Indonesia find it difficult making use of them on account of their irrelevance 
to their own culture. 

Learning a particular language involves acquiring a whole set of 
concepts. If the concepts in both languages arc different, there must be 
smooth transition from familiar to unfamiliar schemas. The implication in 
teaching is that the learners who learn English for the first time, especially 
primary school students, must start from the elements related to their life 
environment with their background culture. with which they are already 
familiar and then step-by-step they are introduced to the items related to the 
target culture after their mastery of the vocabulary items in their own culture. 
Comparing the two different cultural concepts wil i be interesting for learners 
as a cross cultural aspect. 

With the growing shortage of time and money for writing textbooks, 
particularly in the seldom taught languages. there is a premium on making 
effective use of what already exists. The use of background culture materials 
and the idea of integrating English as a Foreign Language with other subjects 
are due to the fact that the work the teacher does in an English lesson and 
the work he/she does in other lessons. in terms of process. have similarities. 
Therefore. the tasks in student textbooks of scielKe educa-tion. social studies. 
Indonesian suhject. religious education. can he used for \\'ork in EFL classes. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 
Allwright RL "What Do We Want Teaching Materials For T. 111 ELTJo/lI'IIlll. 

Vol. 36. No. I. 1983: 4-17. 
Alptckin. C. ( 1993: 136-143), 'Target-Iangunge Culture in EFL Materials". In ELT 

JO/lrnal, Vol. 47. No.2. 1993: 136-143. 

Asnawi N. and Raehmat. Lembar Kerjlllllll/l p(·IIg(·tallllllll Sosial Kelas 4. Jakarta: 
Grnmcdia. 1989. 



122 Celt, Volume 5, Number 2, December 2005 : 111-123 

Bale, J.lLmu Pengetahuan Sosial .. Jakarta: Balai Pustaka, 1990. 

Block, D. "Some Thoughts on DIY Material Design", ELT Journal. Vol. 45, No.3, 
1991:211-217. 

Breen, M. P. and Candlin, C. "Which Materials 7: A Consumer's and Designer's 
Guide". In ELT Textbooks and Materials: Problems in Evaluation and 
Development. Edited by L. E. Sheldon. London: Modem English Publication, 
1987: 76-81. 

Brumfit.·C. "Introduction: Teaching English to Children", In Teaching English to 
Children. Edited by C. Brumfit. 1. Moon, and R. Tongue. London: Collins 
ELT, 1991: iv-viii. 

Clarke. D. F. ''Materials Adaptation: Why leave it all to the teacher". In ELT Journal 
Vol. 43,No. 2, 1989: 131-141. 

Clarke, 1. and M. Clarke. "Stereotyping in TESOL Materials". In Harrison Brian, 
Culture and the Language Classroom. By H. Brian. London: McMillan 
Modem English Publication, 1990: 31-45. 

Cunningsworth,A. "Evaluating Course Materials". In Teacher Training. Edited by 
S. Holden. London: Modem English Publication, 1979. 

Dendrinos, B. The EFL Textbook and Ideology, Athens: N.C.Grivas Publication, 
1992. 

HalIiweJl, S. Teaching English in the Primary Classroom, London: Longman, 1992. 

Harrison; R. Keep Writing 2. Burnt Mill, Harlow, Essex: Longman, 1992. 
Larsen~Freeman, D. and M.H. Long. An Introduction to Second Language Research, 

London-NewYorlcLongman, 1991: 154-167. 

McKay, S. L. Teaching English Overseas: An Introduction, Oxford: Oxford 
University Press, 1992. 

Nababan, P.W.I. "English as a Foreign Language in Indonesia". A paper presented 
at the 41 st TEFUN Seminar, Padang (Indonesia): IKIP Padang, 1993. 

Phillips, S. Young Learners .. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. 

Scott, W. A. and L.H. Ytreberg, L H. Teaching English to Children. Harlow. Essex: 
Longman Group UK Limited. 1990. 

Sheldon. L. E. "Evaluating ELTTextbooks and Materials". In ELTJoumalVol. 42. 
No.4. 1988: 237-246 

Widdowson, H. G Aspect o/Language Teaching, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 
1990. 

Tangyong, A. F.llmu Pengetahuan Alam, Jak~: Departemen P &K 

Williams, D. "Developing Criteria for Textbook Evaluation", InELT Joumal. Vol. 37, 
No.3, 1983: 251-255. 



No 

1 
2 

3 
4 

5 
6 
7 

8 

9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 

Y. E. Budiyana, The Use O/Illdonesiall Texrbooks 123 

APPENDIX 

ELT Primary Textbooks sold in Gramedia, Kharisma, Merbabu 
Bookstores, and used in language schools in Semarang 

Title Authors Publisher 

Primary Vocabulary Practice 1· 6 Chan Sun King Binarupa & Preston 
English Enrichment Exercise 1· 6 Loa Tek Binarupa & Preston 

Yang Lim Lee Weng 
Primary English Assessment 1-6 Wan Mun Ching (edit) Binarupa & Preston 
Preston Primary Composition Evelyne Len Binarupa & Preston 
Practice 1-6 
Preston Assessment Papers 1-6 Linda Loa Binarupa & Preston 
Longman English Course J.Hobbs Longman 
Reach Out Catherime M. Frazer Prentice Hall 

Julie Oeterville 
MayTai 

Step Out Catherime M. Frazer Prentice Hall 
Julie Oeferville 
MayTai 

W.O.W Rob Nolasco Oxford Univ. Press 
Get Ready Felicity Hopkins Oxford Univ. Press 
Mengenal Bahasa Inggris 1-3 Th. Nung Atasana Gramedia 
Get Ready Drs. Marias (ed) Erlangga 
Start with English 1-3 Himawan Erlangga 
Integrated English for Children 1-3 Y. Mei Setyanto Kanisius 


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