Abstract

In 2024, the Education Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) updated the Primary Education Curriculum Guide. It positions “national identity” as the top of the seven learning goals. Against this background, the presentation of national consciousness in English textbooks has emerged as a critical dimension in fostering national identity among adolescents in Hong Kong. This research draws on Zhao Dan and Shen Qi’s analytical framework of national cognition, national identity and national responsibility, combines the cultural regional classification theory of Cortazzi and Jin and Moran’s five elements of culture to examine the manifestations of national consciousness in Primary Longman Express 2nd Edition 6A, a mainstream primary English textbook in Hong Kong, through a content analysis method. The research focuses on three core dimensions: the geographical and temporal distribution of cultural presentation (national cognition), cultural identity and identity recognition in virtual language communities (national identity), and the values penetration (national responsibility). The research finds that the selected textbook exhibits the following features. In terms of cultural presentation, the content of culture forms a relatively balanced pattern, and using first-person narratives enhances students’ sense of immersion and national identity. In the construction of language community identity, Chinese English users account for 43.48%, covering multiple social roles. For values penetration, the textbook frequently conveys patriotic feelings and collectivist values. The research also points out that the textbook has room for improvement and puts forward targeted suggestions. This research expands the regional dimension of the research on national consciousness in foreign language education, providing a theoretical and empirical basis for the optimization of English textbooks in the Hong Kong SAR under “one country, two systems”.

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