Global Englishes Paradigm of EFL Textbook for Indonesian Learners in

Indonesian Context

By YL Sunardiono

Nowadays, we have been facing the globalization era. There is a common consensus that
English is the most widely spoken and strong language in the modern world (the first global lingua
franca). Most studies on international language policies focus on English's impact (Seidlhofer,
2011; Wee, 2013; Phillipson, 2018). People throughout the world face multiple versions of English
and communicate in English with persons from diverse language backgrounds in this world of
globalization. The amount of students, communicators and practitioners of English has risen
significantly as the language has expanded and established as a global language. As a consequence,
language teachers must educate their students in Global Englishes (GE) to prepare them to
participate in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) communication in a variety of circumstances
(Sung, 2013). GE is an omnibus term encompassing all types of English from a World Englished
(WE) perspective while also acknowledging the adaptability and complexity of language use in a
broader context. The Global Englishes (GE) paradigm views that English doesn’t have any more
general meaning in the domain of its native speakers. Regarding English Language Teaching
(ELT), language materials such as textbooks are among the most critical success factors of
language education (Widodo, Fang & Elyas, 2022). Textbooks are the visual core of each ELT
program in English language education (Sheldon, 1988). Richards (2002) argued that textbooks
might contain the principal material of lessons and the type of language exercise in which students
engage. Together with the information offered by teachers, textbooks are vital sources of language
contact for learners. In addition, textbooks give a map of world English. Hutchinson and Torres
(1994) claimed that textbooks could serve as intermediary roles and possible agents for change
throughout educational innovation. Based on the pivotal roles of the textbook and globalization
context, I strongly propose that the GE paradigm is the most appropriate for developing an English
textbook for Indonesian Learners in the Indonesian context. There are two reasonable arguments
for my respective statement.

First, the use of English textbooks for Indonesian learners should consider the geopolitical
context in the age of globalization. Following Kachru’s (1982) Three Concentric Circles Theory,
the use of English is contextualized in the three circles, namely the inner circle, outer circle, and
expanding process. Indonesia is in the expanding circle where English has no official role but has
essential functions in some areas such as business or education (Wang, 2013). This theory
describes English's spread, acquisition pattern, and social role in varied cultural contexts.
Indonesia is a multicultural nation where the learners’ mother tongue is not English. Wang (2013)
argued that the concept of GE stems from the realization that a non-native English speaker will
have more opportunities to converse in English with another non-native speaker than with a native
speaker. Further, using the Kachru’s model of English categorization, Wang (2013) founds that
the amount of persons speaking English as a second language in the outer circle (around 150-300
million) and as a foreign language in the increasing process (roughly 100-1000 million) contrasts
with the number of native speakers in the inner circle (about 320-380 million). Globalization does
not imply uniformity but rather mutual richness and multilingualism. In my personal experience
of more than ten years of working experience at the national school with multicultural learners,
most of the students are likely more engaged in instructional practices by using GE-oriented
textbooks rather than the native- speakerism approach. Indeed, these facts indicate that English
textbooks for Indonesian learners should address and meet the global phenomenon by infusing the
GE-oriented language pedagogy into textbook-based instruction.

Second, the learning context matters since the learning are permanently embedded in
cultural understanding. The implementation of English is affected by the cultural context.
Therefore, the GE paradigm is more compatible with Indonesian culture rather than the native-
speakerism mindset. It will be meaningful learning if the content of the textbooks addresses the
learner’s cultural context. Belief systems and tradition generate the usage of English as a
worldwide lingua franca in today's period of super-diversity (Hopkyn, 2020) because every
English speaker has a distinct cultural bag loaded with diverse personal and sociocultural
identities. According to critical pedagogy, learning involves a person's entire personal history,
which is affected by almost everything in their surroundings, particularly their own cultural
customs and social behaviors (Canagarajah, 1999). Diverse cultural dimensions, such as persons
as cultural beings, knowledge and beliefs (values), cultural practices/behaviors, and cultural
artifacts, should be addressed in language resources (Setyono & Widodo, 2019). Due to the
multicultural dimension in the Indonesian context, the GE paradigm is likely more relevant to
Indonesian learners’ backgrounds since it is widely known that native- speakerism takes root in
Western culture that sometimes does not fit Indonesian culture entirely. A previous study found
that a learning environment that values the students’ cultures and languages, that allows students
to engage in activities where they can show their expertise, and that capitalizes on the students’
linguistic and cultural experiences will foster academic success” (Mermann-Jozwiak & Sullivan,
2005, p. 273). For instance, the learners carry out project-based learning by adopting the topic of
carbon footprints as a dimension of a sustainable lifestyle. This topic is a worldwide issue that
meets and could be tailored by the local wisdom in Surabaya City since there is the regulation of
the Surabaya district regarding the prohibition of the use of plastic bags in the modern and
traditional market.

Despite the benefits of the GE paradigm in a worldwide context, Philipson (2015) stated
that GE is more of an agenda than a reality. The construction of learning material is never
politically neutral; contrary, it is philosophically infused and influenced by competing agendas,
objectives, and interests (Gray, 2010; Widodo, 2016). The ideology of GE or English as a unifying
language in many countries, especially in Europe, helps to solidify language hierarchization
processes. English is a neo- imperial language that strengthens the empire. Capitalists’ vested
interests. Both GE paradigm and native- speakerism scholar has a hidden agenda to promote their
ideology. Even though the empirical evidence found that intercultural communication is prioritized
in the EFL curriculum in several Asian countries (e.g., Israel, Iran, China, and Korea), prior
research has found an academic disparity between curricular objectives and intercultural substance
reflected in ELT textbooks (Kusumaningputri and Widodo 2018 as cited by Setyono and Widodo,
2019). Adopting the critical pedagogy, many research findings are more likely to uncover that
cultural hegemony is a hidden agenda in EFL textbooks. Although the textbook has extensively
included local culture in the form of the eight aspects by using Byram’s instrument and also
presents other cultures, such as target language culture and global culture, to foster intercultural
conversation skills, Ariawan (2020) found that primordialism and nationalism monopolize the
cultural dimensions with 28.05% of overall components. Despite the Indonesian textbook endorsed
by the Ministry of Education and Culture (MONEC) containing more multicultural issues, cultural
resources from specific world sections, such as Asia, are undervalued (Setyono and Widodo,
2019). In addition, English teachers and textbook users are likely unaware of multicultural
diversity.
 The previous studies’ findings (Xin & Qian, 2012; Setyono & Widodo, 2019; Ariawan,
2020) found that the cultural dimension, specifically the multicultural aspect is unavoidable in
English teaching since the EFL textbook is not in a vacuum. The learners’ and teachers’ context
matters. The EFL textbook is permanently embedded in context. The context is learners and
teachers who use the textbook in instructional practices. The teachers and learners should be aware
of the reality that the books may be biased when depicting specific cultural artifacts. These visual
and verbal elements of both the GE-oriented and native-speakerism-oriented textbooks could be
used to maintain the unfair existing power hierarchies. It might lead to cultural hegemony or
hegemonic practices. Pedagogically the curriculum and instruction of the English language have
to develop the students’ awareness of cultural equality and equitability. Genuine education must
cultivate an intercultural understanding to appreciate the local wisdom and address the global
culture from a balanced and holistic perspective. To conclude, the GE-oriented and native-
speakerism-oriented textbooks could coexist in a balanced way as approaches to learning in
English language education for Indonesian learners in the Indonesian context.

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