Individualism and collectivism in Indonesian primary school EFL textbook: a quantitative content analysis

This study aims to examine the cultural values presented in Indonesian primary school English textbooks through the individualism-collectivism dimension by employing a quantitative content analysis. This study utilized individualistic and collectivistic theories as well as cognitive tendency as the main research frameworks. The results indicate that individualist values (148 occurrences) were more prevalent than collectivist values (124 occurrences). Within the individualist category, self-direction was most prominent (53.3%), followed by hedonism (27%), achievement (15.5%), and stimulation (4.2%); notably, power was entirely absent. In the collectivist category, group harmony was the most frequently represented (56%), with conformity (20%), benevolence (18%), and tradition (6%). The analysis illustrated that most sentences used the third person, with a few describing success or failure. Success was usually linked to internal factors, while failure was attributed to external causes. Images mainly featured non-human subjects or single individuals, with group images appearing less often. Both textual and visual content subtly reinforce individualist perspectives, forming a hidden curriculum that may shape students’ perspectives. These findings can inform EFL curriculum development, suggesting important questions for educators to consider as they develop and evaluate materials for use with EFL learners.