Multicultural content in English language teaching textbooks: The case of the Vision and Top Notch series (original) (raw)
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Cultural content has become an important issue after the advent of intercultural communicative approach (ICC) in language teaching field. The current study analyzed cultural content of three mainstream intermediate level EFL textbooks. This study was carried out using and Lee's (2009) suggested themes for detecting big "C" and little "c" culture aspects. Big C represents series of statistics and facts such as art, geography, history, education, festivals, and customs of the target speech community; small c represents norms, beliefs, sociocultural variables such as age, sex, and social position ). This study also analyzed the cultural categories including target culture, source culture and international culture based on Cortazzi and Jin's (1999) category and another category i.e. neutral culture based on category. This was a qualitative-quantitative study and chi-square test was applied in it. It was found that generally both little "c" and big "C" are present in the textbooks. However, in all the three textbooks little "c" has gained higher frequency than big "C". It was also revealed that the percentage of little "c" in Top Notch is more than other books and little "c" percentage in Four Corners is the least.
An intercultural analysis of English language textbooks in Iran: The case of English Prospect Series
Apples – Journal of Applied Language Studies, 2018
With the rise of English as an international language and the close association between language and culture, attaining intercultural competence has become necessary in English language teaching enterprise. Intercultural competence, as one of the components of communicative competence, is defined as the ability to interact with people from differing cultures using a foreign language (Byram, 1997). Meanwhile, textbooks are the main sources of input for many L2 learners in most EFL settings like Iran. As such, the present study aimed at examining the newly developed ELT textbooks used in Iranian junior high schools in terms of the representation of cultural points in them and also the extent to which the textbooks can develop intercultural competence in the learners. The sample was the three textbooks including English Prospect 1, 2, and 3. Content analysis of the lessons was done adapting a framework used by Hillard (2014). Results of the analyses revealed that the range of cultural ...
International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 2019
Integrating culture in ELT, particularly in EFL textbooks, has recently gained greater importance and attention based on both the sociocultural theory that portraits learning as a social action, and the conception that culture and language are unavoidably attached. It has also come to be more important because English is an international language and a lingua Franca in the twentyfirst era of globalization. Accordingly, new orientations in ELT have arisen such as improving the intercultural competence. Since 2012, Iraq have adopted "English for Iraq" (EFI) series of textbooks which seem to lack orientations towards intercultural competence. This paper aims at finding out how the intercultural materials of EFI textbook are presented and whether they develop the Iraqi learners' intercultural competence. Based on an adapted version of Byram's (1997) model, a descriptive content analysis is utilized to examine the texts and visuals in the three textbooks used in intermediate schools. Findings indicate that intercultural elements in the textbooks show sharp differences in their frequency of occurrences portraying an imbalanced intercultural presentation with a knowledge-oriented majority of mainly fact-stating materials. As such, the authors found that these textbooks do not improve the Iraqi EFL learners' intercultural competence. The paper has educational implications in concern of reconsidering culture integration in the Iraqi EFL textbooks so as to cope with the recent trends and objectives in ELT to promote the students' empathy, tolerance, and respect of otherness.
The purpose of this study is to discover the perceptions of language instructors who teach English at the School of Foreign Languages, Gazi University, about textbooks' content in terms of ICC. The present study is based on the analysis of language instructors' perspectives gathered through a questionnaire in 2012-2013 academic year. The data were obtained by conducting 'Teaching Materials Evaluation Guide' with 20 items. As a result of the present research, it was found that language instructors think textbook series of English for Life is not sufficient to enhance language learners' intercultural competence through its content. Concerning the components of Intercultural Communicative Competence, the results of sections which are related with attitudes, knowledge and intercultural awareness indicate that language instructors believe sub-dimensions of ICC are not included in the units of the textbooks. Özet Bu çalışma Gazi Üniversitesi, Yabancı Diller Yüksekokulunda İngilizce öğreten dil okutmanlarının Kültürlerarası İletişimsel Yeterlilik açısından ders kitabı içeriği konusunda bakış açılarını araştırmıştır. Çalışma 2012-2013 akademik yılında dil okutmanlarından anket ile alınan bakış açılarının analizine dayanmaktadır. Çalışmaya ilişkin veriler, 20 maddelik 'Öğretim Materyalleri Değerlendirme Rehberi' ile elde edilmiştir. Çalışmanın sonucunda, 'English for Life' isimli ders kitabını öğretim materyali olarak kullanan okutmanlara göre ders kitabının içeriğinin öğrencilerin Kültürlerarası İletişimsel yeterliliklerini artıracak yeterlilikte olmadığını düşündükleri bulunmuştur. Kültürlerarası İletişimsel Yeterliliğin bileşenlerinden tutum, bilgi ve kültürlerarası farkındalık ile ilgili olan bölümlerin sonuçları dil okutmanlarının Kültürlerarası İletişimsel Yeterliliğin alt dallarının ders kitabı içeriğinde sunulmadığını düşündüklerini göstermektedir.
International Journal of Language Studies, 2025
Following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran revised its English language education strategy, customising English Language Teaching (ELT) resources to better align with local contexts. This study examines cultural representation in locally-developed (Eight, The ILI, and Merit) and internationally-published English language textbooks (World English, Top Notch, and Four Corners). Employing a mixed-methods design and frameworks by Moran (2001), Chao (2011), and Dahmardeh & Kim (2020), 58 textbooks were purposively sampled. Quantitative content analysis assessed the frequency and types of cultural elements, while qualitative thematic analysis provided deeper insights into the cultural dimensions represented. Findings indicate that locally-developed textbooks incorporate more local cultural perspectives, whereas international textbooks emphasise cultural products. Both types equally represent cultural practices and persons. The study underscores the importance of incorporating diverse cultural elements in ELT textbooks to promote intercultural competence, offering practical recommendations for educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers.
Journal of Language and Literature Studies, 2021
In intercultural and transcultural communication contexts within multilingual education, English learners should be able to communicate and interact with other people who have a different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. For this reason, intercultural content should be incorporated in EFL textbooks to promote learners' intercultural competencies and communication skills. The contents are designed to contain Anglo-American and British cultural dimensions and learners' home and foreign cultures. It is to prepare learners to become global citizens. The principal aim of this study is to investigate how teachers apply English textbooks to promote learners' intercultural competencies and intercultural communicative skills within multilingual education. It is a qualitative study consisting of three main data gathering methods: semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and group discussions. Given the research data focusing on teachers' English textbook practices, researchers play a role within multiple realities. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and group discussion to gather the research data. This article showed that intercultural representations incorporated in EFL textbooks are used as useful resources for helping learners develop their intercultural competences and communication skills. Also, the ways teachers carry out their teaching in the classes are measured. This study shows that the teachers employ EFL textbooks effectively with utilizing potential teaching materials containing cultural values to promote learners' intercultural competences and communicative skills within multilingual education. This study also suggests that English teachers need reinforcement in multilingual education.
Inclusion of intercultural Education Criteria in Iranian Official English Textbooks
Journal of Education and Practice, 2014
The present study, with the concern for inclusion of the intercultural dimensions in the process of language learning and teaching, looked at the content of the some official English textbooks designed and authored by Ministry of Education in Iran to find out whether the cultural dimensions of English speaking world have been included in official high school English textbooks. The study is a qualitative study in nature, based on content analysis. It examined the subject of each lesson and the content of different parts included in each units to find the representation of intercultural studies. The results of the study revealed the lack of intercultural perspective inclusion within official English textbooks in Iran.
Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews
Purpose of the study: This study aims to build the capacity of a learner as a "global citizen," language teaching needs to focus on building the 5 C's of Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities along with language proficiency. The present study analyzes English language textbook contents taught at the secondary school level in Pakistan's postcolonial and multilingual context. Methodology: Identity and otherization are used as key heuristic tools to analyze the ideological texture of the focal texts and their influence on adolescent learners' emerging identities. Main Findings: Data analysis in the current article shows that texts in the textbook promote strong in-group identities. Exercises and activities for students focus on lexico-syntactical aspects of the texts. The communicative and intercultural skills of the students are not stimulated in the textbook. Applications of this study: This study can be useful for improving English ...