THE REPRESENTATION OF LANGUAGE IDEOLOGY AND MORAL VALUE IN “BRIGHT AN ENGLISH” BY NUR ZAIDA AND “INTERACTIVE ENGLISH” BY KENNETH W. AMENT, ETALL

ahmad Gundar; Gustaman Saragih; Supadi

doi:10.30998/w76tr253

Authors

ahmad Gundar UNINDRA PGRI Author
Gustaman Saragih Author
Supadi Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30998/w76tr253

Keywords:

Language Ideology, Moral Values, English Textbooks, critical discourse analysis, Islamic Boarding School

Abstract

This research is aimed to assess the representation of language ideology and moral values in two English textbooks for junior high school students in Indonesia, namely Bright an English by Nur Zaida and Interactive English by Kenneth W. Ament et al. Using a qualitative approach grounded in Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study analyzes selected texts, dialogues, and learning activities to examine how English is ideologically positioned and how moral values are constructed. The findings show that Bright an English strongly emphasizes English as a language of global communication and social mobility, with representations of the status of English in social life accounting for 78.26% (36 occurrences) of the total language ideology data, followed by values associated with using English (8.69%, 4 occurrences), identity linked to English proficiency (8.69%, 4 occurrences), and hierarchical representations between English and other languages (4.36%, 2 occurrences). Moral values in Bright an English are mostly embedded implicitly within general and secular narratives. In contrast, Interactive English integrates moral values more explicitly through communicative tasks emphasizing honesty, respect, cooperation, and responsibility; however, it similarly reflects a dominant ideology that associates English proficiency with modernity and positive social identity. Despite their pedagogical strengths, both textbooks provide limited representation of multilingual identities and boarding school-based moral perspectives. The study concludes that critical mediation and contextual adaptation are necessary to align English textbook use with the moral, cultural, and linguistic needs of Islamic boarding school contexts.

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