EFL Coursebooks Research Articles

Promoting Multicultural Learning: An Investigation of Race Representation in Turkish Secondary School EFL Coursebooks

Promoting Multicultural Learning: An Investigation of Race Representation in Turkish Secondary School EFL Coursebooks

Evaluating The Effectiveness of Efl Coursebooks at Kurdistan Universities

Evaluating The Effectiveness of Efl Coursebooks at Kurdistan Universities

Aspects of Vocabulary KnowleDGE in Year 6 and 7 EFL COURSEBOOKs

This article presents a content analysis of vocabulary activities in selected lower-secondary coursebooks used in the Czech Republic in Years 6 and 7. The analysis is based on I. S. P. Nation’s classification of aspects of word knowledge that learners should acquire to master vocabulary knowledge. Accordingly, the aim is to discover which aspects of vocabulary knowledge are covered in the selected coursebooks. Levels 1 and 2 of Project Explore and Your Space are analysed, and vocabulary activities are classified based on the primary goal of each activity. The aspect of grammatical functions and that of form and meaning are covered most, whereas the aspect of concept and referents is not covered in Years 6 and 7 at all, and the aspect of constraints on use is not covered in Year 6. The present research can benefit the authors of coursebooks and other teaching materials and the teachers who use selected coursebooks.

Conceptual-analytical framework for exploring culture in EFL coursebooks: Analysis of teaching materials from a multimodal perspective

Employing literature on coursebook analysis and evaluation and informed by the research on multimodality in language teaching materials, this study proposed a conceptual-analytical framework for exploring how cultural meaning is conveyed in foreign language teaching materials through the way in which text, task, and image combine in a learning activity. Through the application of the proposed framework, we explored cultural representations found in texts, students' meaning-making opportunities guided by tasks as well as alignments and potential contradictions between verbal and visual messages by analysing images. In doing this, we attempted to evaluate the potential of language teaching materials to cater for diverse groups of learners within a given socio-cultural context. In our investigation, we drew on two types of coursebook evaluation - micro-evaluation and macro-evaluation - which were supplemented by the deductive content analysis. We illustrate how the proposed framework might help teachers evaluate the effectiveness of coursebooks’ use of multiple representations to support student learning and meaning-making.

İngiliz Dili Öğretimi Ders Kitaplarındaki Dinleme Materyallerini Odi-Farkındalıklı Bakış Açısıyla Uyarlamak: Yunanca Ve İtalyanca Sınıflarından Yansımalar

This contribution, drawing on the ELF-awareness perspective (Sifakis, 2019), emphasises the need for ELT materials adaptation within the latest ELF and WEs literature and research. Focusing on listening, it showcases adaptations of existing materials in EFL coursebooks used in Italy and Greece and presents data collected through student lesson-evaluations and teacher interviews. The adaptations comprise: a) replacement of prefabricated listening inputs with authentic spoken discourse encountered outside the classroom situation, b) design of follow-up tasks stimulating students’ involvement in authentic interactions, and c) inclusion of reflective questions that can trigger teachers’ and learners’ awareness regarding language use, learning and instructional practices. Findings, indicating that the attempted modifications were successful, provide insights in enhancing our understanding of ELF-awareness integration in ELT.

Cultural Presentation in Turkish Secondary EFL Coursebooks

Abstract
 The inclusion of cultural content in textbooks has become one of the important issues in language education. In this context, the analysis of English textbooks is necessary to measure whether they are qualified enough to represent local and multicultural elements as well as the target culture. This study aimed to analyze the representation of the contents in four English textbooks used in secondary education in Turkiye. It has been observed the two books prepared in Turkiye and the two books prepared outside Turkiye are different in terms of cultural representation.

Critical Cultural Awareness in the Intercultural Reading Contents of the EFL Course Books

This study investigates how intercultural reading texts can foster critical cultural awareness in EFL course books and how critical cultural awareness of learners is reflected. The study is administered in a qualitative research method by analyzing triangulation data from four different EFL course books. The data are analyzed using the content analysis approach after examining the general distribution of Intercultural (IC) reading texts and activities based on Sobkowiak's framework. There are contrastive distributions among four EFL coursebooks. One of the noticeable points in this study is that the EFL coursebook focused on reading skills demonstrates the higher distribution of 'Interpreting visual and verbal cultural representations,' which were mainly focused on native English-speaking cultures. On the contrary, the other EFL coursebook for reading skills focuses on 'reflecting on values, beliefs, and behaviors 'with various cultural elements. Based on these different results from the study, critical implications are made concerning participants' Critical Cultural Awareness (CCA).

Cultural Groups of Words in EFL Coursebooks and Pedagogical Implications

Vocabulary seems to be a high mountain to climb for language learners. Cultural words are among the enormous range of vocabulary on diverse topics. As far as this study is concerned, the structure and meaning of cultural groups of words in selected EFL course books are explained and analyzed; after that, pedagogical implications are recommended for learning these words. The key research methods include describing and analyzing the structure and meaning of cultural words in EFL coursebooks. Findings revealed that cultural words in selected EFL coursebooks possessed several distinctive features of structure and meaning. At the end of the study, several pedagogical implications in online English teaching and learning were proposed.

Cultural Contents on New Step-Up: Reading and Writing for University Students

EFL coursebooks still become an essential teaching medium for teachers and a primary learning source for students. This research aims at identifying the kinds of source culture and themes of culture in the reading texts, reading exercises, and writing exercises. The method used in this research was qualitative with content analysis. The textbook contains 14 chapters, divided into two subject materials. There were seven units for reading materials and seven units for writing materials. The analysis found that the international target culture and small “c” culture was dominantly presented in the reading texts. Another result showed that the small “c” culture was dominantly presented in the reading exercises. The last result revealed that the cultural contents were used in each unit of the writing exercises. Based on the research findings, it is suggested that the reading passages and reading exercises in the textbook should be developed more in terms of kinds of source culture and themes of culture. Also, English materials developers, especially the authors should include more source culture particularly in reading passages and reading exercises. Finally, it can be inferred that the textbook can be used as one of the learning sources in Islamic University.

EFL coursebooks and the pluricentricity of English

The present study is part of a complex research project, which investigates the role of the pluricentricity of English in the Hungarian educational system in general. Within that framework, the focus of this study is on two EFL coursebook series that are widely used in Hungary, covering the full range of CEFR levels from A1 to C1. As the literature unanimously advocates the representation of pluricentricity primarily in the field of the receptive skills, this paper examines three areas in the coursebooks in question: (1) vocabulary, (2) reading comprehension, and (3) listening comprehension. The most fundamental finding is that pluricentricity plays a rather marginal role in these coursebooks, which is completely in line with previous research findings. However, as the two coursebook series were published by different publishers, and one of them is considerably more pluricentricity-oriented than the other, this suggests that a greater openness to pluricentricity is indeed possible to achieve, given an appropriate degree of openness to linguistic variability. Although the differences between the varieties are manifest at all levels of the language, the coursebooks studied concentrate almost exclusively on vocabulary, in some cases accompanied by pronunciation patterns. This study provides textbook authors and publishers with concrete, scientifically grounded recommendations, which, if implemented, will bring language teaching and real-life language use closer together, thus potentially making the language learning process more successful.

Gender Representation in Secondary and High School EFL Coursebooks

This study investigates representation of male and female characters in the reading texts of English language coursebooks in the Turkish secondary and high school context. In order to examine the gender representation in reading texts, Hallidayan transitivity analysis was used; texts were analysed to to investigate representation of female and male characters as agents and the assignment of experiential processes to these characters. The findings show that as the students move up in their formal education and as the reading texts become more advanced and lengthier, the number of male agents increase radically. In addition, the agents in the most common two processes used in the reading texts are found to be predominantly male, while the remaining three processes identified were distributed between male and female agents more evenly. However, it is also found that there was still a general trend to assign agency to male characters in lengthier and more advanced texts of later years overall. The findings have implications for teachers as well as coursebook writers.

Representations of source culture and target one in EFL coursebooks (on the basis of content analysis of “English File”)

As an international language, English has gained more importance in international contexts to convey cultural messages. Hence, being proficient in the English language does not only require learners to be competent in the forms and functions of the language, but they also need to consider sociocultural values. In this regard, it is significant to be aware of the differences and similarities between the source culture and target cultures to build cultural awareness and have intercultural communicative competence. Being one of the most used teaching materials, coursebooks play a crucial role to develop intercultural communicative competence by introducing various cultures. Due to the importance of coursebooks in terms of representation of cultures, this study aims to examine the frequency of appearances of source culture, target culture, and international target cultures in reading texts of “English File Elementary” and “English File Pre-Intermediate” prepared by Latham-Koenig, Oxenden, Lambert, and Seligson (2019) and identify the topics through Byram’s criteria (1993). Employing content analysis method and mixed-methods, the study revealed that the representation of source culture is highly neglected while the target culture is frequently represented in the reading texts. Also, it was concluded that concepts and activities related to social life in various cultures is the most introduced topic in the reading texts. Keywords: intercultural communicative competence; coursebook content analisys; cultural representation; Byram’s criteria for coursebook evaluation; source culture; target culture.

Evaluating Global EFL Coursebooks in the Iranian Context: A Multiliteracies Approach

Global EFL coursebooks are used in numerous educational contexts throughout the world based on the assumption that they are the optimal source of English educational input. Their widespread use calls for a systematic analysis of these coursebooks using a framework that can reveal their defining characteristics. One such framework is the knowledge process framework, which is based on the multiliteracies pedagogy. The present study deployed this framework in an attempt to analyze seven widely taught coursebooks in the Iranian context. The findings revealed that knowledge processes of analyzing functionally and applying appropriately were more frequent in the analyzed coursebooks and the other knowledge processes were present in lower numbers. Based on the findings of the study, EFL teachers in the Iranian context are encouraged to include more activities with the knowledge processes of analyzing critically and applying creatively to address the absence of these knowledge processes while teaching the global coursebooks.

Speaking Subskills in EFL Coursebooks

The primary goal of most EFL students is to achieve fluency in the target language and become autonomous speakers who can react naturally in most situations. To achieve this, mastery of speaking subskills is crucial. The paper aims to identify how well specific subskills, i.e. negotiation of meaning and agenda management, are represented and developed in EFL coursebooks. Twenty coursebooks approved by the Slovene Ministry of Education, Science and Sport for 3rd and 4th year grammar school students are reviewed.
 The number of all recorded subskills in the reviewed coursebooks suggests that less than a third are covered in each coursebook. Skills in negotiation of meaning are better represented than skills in agenda management in terms of the number of occurrences, the location within the unit and variety of skills. However, there are no significant differences among the remaining teaching elements. The study also indicates that most activities do not contain practice of meaning/form and pronunciation of target phrases. Although communicative activities are mostly present, they lack authenticity and are thus not sufficiently motivating for the target group.
 The results of the study can serve as a recommendation for secondary school teachers as to the type of speaking subskills, their presence in English coursebooks as well as the detail with which they are covered. Practical teaching advice is given on how the lack of variety in the selected subskills, as well as the quality of related activities can be resolved.

Representations of the English as a Lingua Franca Framework: Identifying ELF-aware Activities in Portuguese and Turkish Coursebooks

The international role of English has made it the most taught foreign language in the world. As a result, standard native varieties have thrived as models within the field of English language teaching, particularly Standard British English and Standard American English, and alongside, the cultures associated with them. Although the majority of English language learners are part of Kachru’s Expanding Circle, teaching materials have continued to focus on native speaker models, neglecting many of the times other examples of successful communication among non-native speakers. Bearing this in mind, it is critical that teaching materials take on a more ELF-aware perspective, where intercultural communicative competence and intercultural awareness are fomented. In view of this, a comparative analysis was conducted between coursebooks in Portugal and Turkey. A locally published (LP) and an internationally published (IP) coursebook of the first year of secondary education from each country was analyzed. The aim of this analysis was twofold: to identify the similarities and differences between (1) Portuguese and Turkish EFL coursebooks and (2) LP and IP coursebooks in Portugal and Turkey, as far as an ELF-aware approach is concerned. After comparing the coursebooks and verifying that much can still be done for a more ELF-aware pedagogy, various implications are put forth for the sake of a more critical approach towards materials development.

GENDER REPRESENTATIONS IN HIGH SCHOOL EFL COURSEBOOKS: AN INVESTIGATION OF JOB AND ADJECTIVE ATTRIBUTIONS

Gender-biased representations in coursebooks have the potential to affect learners and teacher in terms of their attitudes, mindsets, and values. Considering the crucial importance of the coursebooks in Turkish educational context, the present study aims to shed light on the distribution of the gender roles in the coursebooks by examining job and adjective attributions. Within the scope of this aim, the data of the study consist of high school EFL coursebooks and workbooks published by the Turkish Ministry of National Education. In the data analysis procedure, a frequency count was done to identify a number of roles attributed to female and male characters. In this respect, the frequencies of jobs and adjective attributions of male and female characters were determined by counting the tokens. In the following step, jobs and adjectives attributed to female and male characters are classified and compared. As a result of the analysis, female and male characters in the coursebooks differ from each other in terms of both the number and variety of jobs attributed to them in spite of some similar jobs (e.g., teacher, doctor, architect) and adjectives (e.g., famous, thoughtful, successful) attributed to both genders. The possible reasons underlying the aforementioned differences are discussed and explained in detail by taking the Turkish educational and social setting into consideration

Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills: Towards a Rethinking of EFL Coursebooks in Moroccan High Schools

<em>The ever-growing realm of education underlines the need for a reconsideration of learning materials. The present study aimed to investigate the extent to which EFL textbooks in Morocco help learners build skills in accordance with the twenty first century learning expectations. It attempted to assess the effectiveness of Ticket to English textbook series in terms of how well they foster critical thinking and problem solving among learners. The study adopted content analysis as the primary research method for data analysis and interpretation. The analysis was undertaken to define the types and levels of questions addressed in reading comprehension tasks and to examine instances of higher order thinking skills. The case study evaluated the questions in the light of the Bloom's Revisited Taxonomy of learning objectives. Results from the content analysis of questions show that most of the questions targeted the three lower-level categories of the taxonomy. The results obtained testify that the examined textbooks do not effectively enable learners to be autonomous lifelong critical thinkers, hence the need for a reconsideration of EFL textbooks in Moroccan high schools. The paper eventually suggests some ways in which these skills could be promoted effectively in future textbooks with the aim of empowering students to thrive in an evolving world.</em>

Comparative analysis of idiom selection and sequencing 5 in Estonian basic school EFL coursebooks

The article investigates the selection and sequencing of the idioms encountered in two locally-produced and international coursebook series currently employed in Estonian basic schools. It is hypothesized that there exists a positive correlation between idioms’ difficulty and coursebooks’ language proficiency level. The hypothesis is tested through a statistical analysis of the idioms found which are categorized in terms of their analysability into three categories where category 1 includes analysable semi-literal idioms, category 2 comprises analysable semi-transparent idioms, and category 3 encompasses non-analysable opaque idioms, and then analysed through an online language corpus (British National Corpus). The results of the study reveal that the coursebook authors under discussion have disregarded idioms’ frequency as a criterion for selection or sequencing, whereas the factor utilized to some extent is the degree of analysability. esitamisjarjestuse ja valikukriteeriumide vordlev analuus Eesti pohikoolides kasutatavates inglise keele Artikkel analuusib vordlevalt idioomide valikut ja esitamisjarjestust Eesti pohikoolides kasutatavates inglise keele oppekomplektides “I Love English” ja “Upstream”. Uurimuse kaigus pustitatakse hupotees, et idioomide keerukusastme tousu ja oppekomplektide keeleoskustaseme vahel eksisteerib statistiliselt oluline seos. Lahtudes eelnevatest idioomide tupoloogiatest (Grant, Bauer 2004, Nunberg jt 1994) jaotatakse idioomid antud uurimuses kolme kategooriasse oma keerukusastme poolest: labipaistvad otsetahenduses keelenditega idioomid, labipaistvad otsetahenduses keelenditeta idioomid ja labipaistmatud idioomid. Idioomide osakaalu muutumist opikuseeriates uuritakse korrelatsioonikoefitsiendi abil BNC segakorpuse pohjal. Opikutes kasutatud idioomide esinemissagedust vaadeldakse eraldi. Uurimusest selgub, et labipaistvad otsetahenduses keelenditega idioomid ja labipaistvad otsetahenduses keelenditeta idioomid korreleeruvad tugevasti opikute keeleoskustasemega, kuigi labipaistmatute idioomide korrelatsioon on minimaalne. Voib taheldada, et ehkki molema opikuseeria autorid on arvestanud idioomide keerukusastet ja esitamisjarjestust opikute koostamisel, on idioomide valik neis puudulik. Samuti pole antud opikutes kasutatud idioomide esinemissagedust kones ja kirjas nende valiku- ega esitamisjarjestuse kriteeriumina.

Investigating EFL Coursebook Research in Turkey: Trends in Graduate Theses of the 2001-2013 Period

The transformation of coursebook publishing into an industrial giant has brought about variety, choice, and difficulty of decision making. As coursebook selection profoundly influences the quality of foreign language instruction in Turkey, it is essential to investigate what kind of instruments are used, which method is followed, what criteria are sought and how relevant parties are affected by its results. Therefore, 54 graduate theses evaluating EFL coursebooks in the 2001-2013 period were taken from the CoHE Thesis Center. The documentary data were subjected to content analysis by using the thesis categorisation form for describing research trends, determining shared evaluative criteria and variable patterns, and providing recommendations for the future. It was revealed that: (i) studies dealing with EFL coursebook evaluations accelerated after MoNE’s program changes, (ii) while not even half were designed with mixed methods research, qualitative theses concentrated on document analysis of coursebooks, (iii) teacher and student views were surveyed by means of similar Likert scales adapted from previous checklists, (iv) other sample groups like parents, administrators, authors, and publishers were either underrepresented or not represented at all, (v) correlational descriptive studies frequently compared teacher and student views against similar categorical variables, (vi) the need for deeper, experimental, and innovative research was completely overlooked and multivariate analyses were never employed, (vii) despite their variety, local coursebooks received more focus but were met with user disapproval due to persistent deficiencies in design, content, methodology, and skills, (viii) whereas global coursebooks were appreciated for their communicative methodology, integrated skills instruction, authenticity, and cultural content, and (ix) instead of exploratory research, they tended to recommend replications with larger or different populations and on different coursebooks.

Key concepts in applied linguistics Key issues in EFL coursebooks

Key concepts in applied linguistics Key issues in EFL coursebooks