Abstract

This study examined the usage of communicative functions stipulated in the 2015 revised national curriculum of English in domestic and abroad elementary English textbooks. To this end, communication functions used in the domestic 5th and 6th-grade elementary school English textbooks were compared. Next, one domestic 6th grade textbook and one 6th grade textbook in the United States, China, and Singapore each were selected and analyzed to compare the usage of communication functions used in the four textbooks. The results show that in the comparison of the 5th and 6th-grade textbooks, more diverse categories of communicative functions were used as the grades went up, and even within the same communicative function category, the 6th-grade textbook contained more diverse communicative functions. Additionally, in the comparison of the domestic and abroad textbooks, it turned out that in Korea’s textbook, the proportion of ‘persuading, and advising,’ ‘socializing,’ and ‘constructing discourse’ was relatively high, and that of ‘expressing knowledge, memory, and belief,’ ‘expressing one’s will,’ and ‘expressing emotions' was relatively low. In addition, Korea’s textbook showed the lowest TTR value in terms of the communication function subcategory, which suggested that it is necessary to use more diverse expressions included in the communication function when developing English textbooks. In conclusion, some implications were also presented.

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