Cultural awareness reflected in pre-service English teachers developed-teaching modules: the analysis of cultural representation

The development of culturally responsive teaching materials is an important step in educating pre-service English teachers to address the requirements of various student populations. This study investigates the construction of cultural representations in pre-service English teachers’ developed teaching modules and their cultural awareness. A descriptive qualitative design was used to examine 14 pre-service English teachers’ developed teaching modules by reviewing three dimensions of cultural representation: selection of cultural content, source orientation, and framing. The findings show that the modules mainly represent culture through local cultural products, particularly traditional culinary, using descriptive and recognition-oriented activities. These patterns indicate that cultural awareness is primarily expressed as cultural recognition and familiarity, with only limited traces of interpretation and no evidence of critical engagement with cultural meaning. The findings indicate that the teaching modules position culture mainly as recognizable information rather than a site for deeper intercultural interpretation or critical reflection. This study implies that pre-service English teachers need a stronger support in designing culturally rich teaching materials that go beyond recognition and description toward interpretation and critical engagement with cultural meaning.