A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Traditional Texts in Chinese and Turkish Mother Tongue Textbooks: Implications for Comparative Education

Abstract

Mother tongue education plays a vital role in preserving cultural heritage and transmitting values across generations. Textbooks serve as primary vehicles for delivering not only linguistic competencies but also cultural awareness and national identity. This study compares cultural elements and traditional texts in sixth-grade Chinese and Turkish language mother tongue textbooks, exploring how two distinct civilizations transmit cultural values and traditions through educational materials. Comparative textbook analysis offers insights into how different nations balance universal values with the construction of national identity, reveals pedagogical approaches to cultural transmission, and provides valuable data for educational reforms in both countries. Employing qualitative document analysis within a comparative education framework, this study examined official sixth-grade textbooks from China (People's Education Press, two volumes) and Türkiye (Ministry of National Education, two volumes). Traditional texts were identified, categorized, and analysed across three dimensions: traditional characters, concrete traditional elements, and cultural values. Both countries emphasise solidarity, compassion, family values, and social cooperation through traditional texts. However, notable differences emerged: Chinese texts reflect Confucian philosophy, ancestral reverence, and harmony with nature, employing artistic and indirect pedagogical styles. In contrast, Turkish texts adopt direct instructional approaches, incorporating humour and focusing on individualized character development. Chinese texts exhibit a unified artistic language, whereas Turkish texts display variation according to genre. These findings reveal how different educational philosophies shape forms of cultural transmission.