Prioritizing Criteria for Evaluating Cultural Contents in EFL Textbooks through AHP

Abstract

With the rising interest in culture and the development of intercultural approaches in language teaching, evaluating the cultural contents in EFL textbooks is becoming a great concern. The main purpose of this study is to develop a measurement model for assessing cultural contents in EFL textbooks through the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. Using AHP, the criteria influencing textbook evaluation are identified and their relative importance is weighted. The results show that among the 17 criteria, the six that rank the highest are intercultural attitude, communication, cultural knowledge, relevance, diversity and interest. These findings suggest that the goals given in textbooks related to promoting intercultural competence and topics with the potential to develop intercultural competence are highly valued. Additionally, the high ranking of the criterion measuring student participation underscores the importance of cultural activities in triggering learners’ active learning. It is hoped that the results will provide teachers with a reference for assessing cultural contents in textbooks and offer textbook writers information that will allow them to revise contents created for the development of intercultural communicative competence.