Global Textbooks Research Articles

Agency, authority and universality in the promotion of global ELT textbook series

ABSTRACT There is at present much focus in ELT on describing and promoting teacher and learner agency. However, ELT as a professional field is concurrently characterised by an increasing orientation toward authoritative texts, particularly those imbued with authority at the transnational level. Global textbooks are a notable example, since they, along with global language testing and language policy, play an increasingly important role in determining teaching and learning practices across a range of different settings. Our focus in this paper is on how the authoritativeness of global textbooks is upheld in online promotional materials. Examining websites of three contemporary ELT textbook series, we analyse discourse strategies employed to legitimise the authoritative position of the textbooks and their publishers. We find that publishers legitimised their authority through strategic links to external forces (policy, testing), in this way foregrounding the universality of the textbooks. In contrast, the websites represented the agencies of teachers and learners only minimally, primarily as subordinate to the agency attributed to textbooks themselves. We conclude with a reflection on the need for applied critical scholarship in ELT that can offer practical alternatives and thus disrupt dominant notions of universality and the hierarchization of knowledge these are based on.

Why TESOL Textbooks Are the Way they Are: The Constraints of Writing for a Global Audience

AbstractMaterials development in TESOL has been gaining popularity as a field of study for the last few decades. TESOL materials research as an area of inquiry includes studies focusing on textbook content (e.g., grammar, cultural representation, and authenticity), consumption (use/adaptation of materials by learners and teachers), and production (design and publication) of materials (Harwood, 2014a,b). Materials production is the most neglected of these three areas of research, although it is considered vital to understand how materials are produced and shaped into textbooks that are used in almost every classroom around the world (Harwood, 2010, 2014b; Tomlinson & Masuhara, 2017:145). The present research draws upon interviews with six authors working for different international publishing houses who spoke about the various constraints associated with authoring global textbooks, which are sold around the world. The authors described constraints associated with publishers' preference for international rather than regional or local materials, tight deadlines, publisher‐led rather than author‐led models of production, the constraining influence of teacher and market representative feedback on draft materials, and constraints associated with taboo topics debarred from the materials. These formidable constraints reduce the role of authors in decision‐making, hindering attempts to create more carefully crafted products, and we suggest that textbook publishers need to reconsider their production processes as part of a drive to enhance the quality of the global textbook.

Development of an Evaluation Checklist for Localized Chinese Language Textbooks in Sri Lanka

The research analyzed the limitations of existing Chinese language textbooks in Sri Lanka and proposed a tentative checklist for evaluating localized Chinese language textbooks. The discourse on the effectiveness of global textbooks in local contexts and the need for evaluating such textbooks had seen new paradigm shifts in parallel to the transformations in new language environments. A majority of the institutes and programs teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language in Sri Lanka were using global CFL textbooks as their main study material, and their effectiveness had not yet been evaluated by researchers. The research conducted a quadruple perspective analysis, including an online survey with learners and teachers to examine the issues in existing CFL textbooks, a review of existing literature on textbook evaluation, an analysis of existing CFL textbooks in Sri Lanka, and an examination of existing language textbook evaluation criteria. The findings of the survey indicate that global textbooks have not catered to the specific language requirements of the informants. Insensitivity to the local and regional cultural content, minimal utilization of learners’ L1 repertoire, ambiguous inapt translation of vocabulary, and market-oriented presentation of teaching-learning content is found to be core issues, and high pricing and inaccessibility also are influential issues. Based on the quadruple perspective analysis, the research has developed a tentative evaluation checklist of 37 items with a specific emphasis on localization and culture sensitivity.

The cultural content and intercultural communicative competence in the global and local textbooks used in Indonesian EFL classes

A number of studies on the cultural content represented in local or global textbooks have increasingly been investigated. However, it is scanty research comparing local and global textbooks. This study aims to examine two textbooks determined by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture, a global textbook entitled English in Mind for schools implementing a new curriculum called Merdeka curriculum and a local textbook, When English Rings a Bell, for schools that have not applied it. The study employed content analysis as a research design. The results show that the global textbook provides more on target culture, but the local textbook highly emphasizes source culture and neglects international cultures. In addition, the global textbook concerns social and environmental themes, while the local textbook focuses more on religion/humanities/art and personal theme. Further, the global textbook does not accommodate adequate intercultural communicative competence, which was absent in the local textbook. The imbalanced cultural representations in those textbooks affect students’ intercultural competence. The study suggests the practical implications of providing students with sufficient references to the target, source, and international cultures to promote their intercultural competence.

Designing Local CFL Textbooks for Sri Lanka: A Conceptual Framework towards Penetrating the Hegemony and Ideology in Global Competition

Despite the dramatic growth in demand for Chinese language in Sri Lanka, fewer efforts have been taken for catering the specific necessities of Sri Lankan CFL learners towards an optimal student friendly learning environment. The hegemonic and ideological approaches of global textbooks have least addressed the socio-linguistic attributes of Sri Lankan learners. The present study examines the shortcomings of global CFL textbooks used by Sri Lankan learners from a student perspective and develops a rudimentary conceptual framework with reference to existing literature. The key informants of the study were (n=35) Chinese language students of Sri Lanka who constitute for a non-probabilistic convenience sample. It was inferred from the analysis that there is a critical requirement of incorporating local languages, their specific vocabulary and local context into CFL textbooks in Sri Lanka. It was further concluded that textbooks best be optimized for supporting translanguaging or partial immersion rather than total immersion or monolingual instructional approaches that would accommodate the socio-linguistic, socio-cultural and meta-cognitive spaces of the learners.

Exploring learner interest in relation to humanistic language teaching materials: A case from Vietnam

The study investigated the construct of learner interest in relation to humanistic activities, compared to textbook activities used in the EFL classroom. It explored the affective experiences the learners had, the value they perceived of the language activities, and the knowledge-seeking (learning) behaviours they performed in relation to the two types of materials. Two small classes of students participated in a mixed-methods QUANqual design experiment. Five activities were selected from popular EFL global textbooks and five comparable humanistic activities were developed. These two types of materials were applied in an alternating and counterbalanced manner within and between classes. The findings show that the learners experienced more diverse and positive emotions and performed more positive learning behaviours during humanistic activities compared to textbook activities. The study indicates that not only uninteresting materials but also already-interesting materials can be effectively humanised to be more interesting to learners. Implications related to the manipulation of teaching materials to promote learners’ interest are also discussed.

Who are the non-native speakers of English? A critical discourse analysis of global ELT textbooks

As the demand for English language skills among non-native speakers globally has grown steadily so too has the number of ‘global textbooks’ for ELT aimed at a world market. Concurrently, critical perspectives of the expansion of English have begun to challenge the view that native speaker contexts ‘own’ English. Based on the aforementioned, and on reflective approaches to culture, our objective is to analyze critically the representations of speakers of English as a second or foreign language offered by two global ELT textbooks, to discuss the issues of essentialization and reproduction of stereotypes about the “non-native” speakers of English and their sociocultural characteristics in the constructed image. To achieve this purpose, we apply a methodology based on a sociocognitive approach to Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (Van Dijk, 2013), the concept of sociocultural knowledge as stated by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), and critical perspectives of culture according to Holliday, Kullman, and Hyde (2004). Our findings indicate that, though the books include ‘non-native’ speakers in an attempt to address multiculturalism, their representation is generic, portraying a reified image of their sociocultural traits and presenting diversity mostly through national labels.

Neoliberalism and global textbooks: a critical ethnography of English language classrooms in Serbia

ABSTRACT While there is a growing body of scholarship on the neoliberal content of global English textbooks, the ways in which these commercial materials come to life in teaching and learning practices are still under researched. Drawing on a critical ethnographic account of two English courses for unemployed students in a private language school in Serbia, this paper examines the beliefs and actions of teachers and students in regard to English language education and the global textbooks they use. The results suggest that many views about the English language courses and their textbooks in this case study are deeply shaped by the broader socioeconomic context of neoliberalism. Furthermore, the neoliberalism featured in the textbook motivates students to learn English and to transform themselves into suitable citizens and workers for the current economic order. In this way, the global textbook becomes one of the many tools that neoliberalism uses to reproduce itself. This paper argues that the present state of affairs is not an inevitable and desirable one and calls for implementing alternative approaches to the dominant neoliberal conception of English language education.

Ideological and Hegemonic Practices in Global and Local EFL Textbooks Written for Turks and Persians

Abstract Introduction: Studies on the relationship between ideology, hegemony and textbooks in applied linguistics have been incremental in recent decades because emergence of critical theory, critical pedagogy, and critical thinking skills from the 1920s on has led scholars to develop a critical perspective towards EFL (English as a Foreign Language) textbooks taking the elements of ideology and hegemony into consideration. These two terms encompass an innumerable number of elements or compounds ranging from nationalism to religion. The importance of meta-narratives originating from the tenets of modernism or modernization has been downgraded from 1960s on because it has been postulated that the world has entered a new age called postmodernism and post-structuralism that have emphasized the role of individuals and criticized the efforts to reinforce post-colonialism, the effects of which can be seen in EFL textbooks. Therefore, it remains crucial to analyze EFL textbooks taking the main elements of ideology and hegemony into account. The aim of this study is to investigate the ideological and hegemonic practices included in globally and locally written EFL textbooks. Methods: Using a mixed method research design, ideological and hegemonic representations included in EFL textbooks were examined qualitatively through descriptive content analysis technique employed to make valid assumptions by interpreting and coding content of textual materials. For the qualitative data, based on a descriptive research design, textbook analyses, documentary analysis, were conducted. As for the inductive content analysis, both globally and locally EFL textbooks were examined. The themes were extracted with the help of the experts since this study entailed inductive content analysis. Each theme was analyzed and perused by the experts. After a rigorous analysis, each theme was compared, and in the last stage common themes were formed. Results: The findings of the present study show that ideology and hegemony of inner and expanding circle cultures are dominant in EFL textbooks. While the expanding circle culture is dominant in the locally written EFL textbooks, the inner circle culture is extensively included in the globally written ones. However, outer circle countries are excluded and marginalized. Besides, while specific ideologies such as economy and history were highly included in both globally and locally written textbooks, some of them such as law and gender were weakly detected. Discussion: This present study showed that locally written textbooks dwell more on expanding circles, whereas globally written textbooks except for national geographic textbooks, to a large extent, mention only inner circle. Correspondingly, Abdullah (2009) scrutinized the textbooks in Malaysia and concluded that their textbooks covered local cultures from expanding circles. A similar finding was detected in various textbooks in Chile also including the local culture instead of the target one (McKay, 2003). In our study, the most dominant ideological component was culture (75.87% in global textbooks and 77.80% in local textbooks) whose components contain social norms, traditions, beliefs, social values (Williamson, 2000). Surprisingly, in both locally and globally written textbooks, the ideology of culture was prevalent (75.87% in global textbooks and 77.80% in local textbooks). This component was both implicitly and explicitly presented in the textbooks analyzed in this study. Limitations: Taking the extent of the study into consideration, specific limitations already subsist in hand. Initially, choosing textbooks for the analysis of the existing ideological and hegemonic practices in the materials is a difficult task; hence, a particular and convenience selection criterion was selected. Additionally, as the scope of the study is constructed on English as a foreign or second language - a lingua franca, the selection was built on textbooks written globally and locally. Conclusion: In locally written textbooks, multiculturalism and law-related issues were barely mentioned, while few religion, politics and gender-related issues were directly mentioned. Some topics, although they were very pivotal across the globe, were never mentioned. The topics of poverty, slavery, and racism were by no means focused on in the textbooks. Thus, it can be said that some topics are underrepresented or never represented owing to the fact that these topics might be too risky. As for the ideology of language, this element was emphasized in both global and local textbooks. The element of education was moderately stressed. Another important element is sport that is prevalent in both global and local EFL textbooks.

Locally-developed vs. Global Textbooks: An Evaluation of Cultural Content in Textbooks Used in ELT in Malaysia

ABSTRACT Adopting the Common European Framework Reference in ELT led the Malaysian Ministry of Education to replace locally developed textbooks with imported (global) coursebooks. Given the Malaysian English curriculum emphasis on learners’ intercultural skills, the question that arises is whether imported coursebooks meet local learners’ needs. The current study addresses this based on an analysis of the cultural content in English Form 1, a locally developed textbook, and Pulse 2, an imported coursebook. The study employed Byram’s Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) framework to capture intercultural content and measured the spectrum of cultures (source, target and other cultures) in each book. The intercultural content and the cultural spectrum in the local textbook are found to be wider and more in keeping with ICC objectives than the imported book. Replacing a local textbook with an imported coursebook, therefore, may not necessarily be in the best interest of the country’s English language agenda.

Sequences in German grammar teaching: An analysis of Dutch, Finnish, and global textbooks

AbstractThis study investigates whether sequences in which grammar topics are presented in textbooks for German as a foreign language (henceforth GFL) match empirically determined, universal acquisition sequences. Moreover, it explores what patterns course books display regarding a set of grammar structures that are particularly interesting from an L1-perspective. From the literature we know that some grammar phenomena such as verb placement display a general acquisition pattern irrespective of the learners’ L1. In addition, we find L1-specific research such as studies on the acquisition of case assignment for Dutch learners of German. The current study considers a range of Dutch, Finnish, and global textbooks for young adolescent learners (13–15 years) at a beginner level to identify the sequence in which they introduce simple and complex verbal structures, tense, case, and pronouns. Across all these domains, the results display mainly similarities. When differences are found, these are often related to language-specific characteristics of the L1 and the typological distance between the L1 and L2 German, namely when Finns learn German pronouns and separable verbs. Overall, the analyzed teaching materials introduce the majority of the grammar issues in accord with the acquisition sequences but more L1-specific empirical research is necessary. We argue that analyses of grammar sequences in textbooks can be used as input for both SLA/FLA empirical research and theory development, especially concerning the teachability of grammar.

Grammar exercises in Dutch, Finnish and global textbooks for teaching German as a foreign language

ABSTRACTIn foreign language (FL) teaching and learning, a substantial amount of content is provided in grammar exercises supplied by textbooks. The main focus of this study concerns the selection of grammar exercise types in FL textbook series. In our analysis, we focus on Dutch, Finnish and global textbooks for beginners aged approximately 13–15 years who are learning German (A0–A2 on the CEFR scale). Furthermore, an insight into the pedagogical approaches to grammar learning favoured in these textbooks is provided. The findings show that blank-filling exercises are the most frequently used exercise type in all the textbooks, with the amount ranging from 30.8% to 59.0%. The results of the analysis also indicate that the approach to learning grammar is a mixture of the Presentation-Practice-Production approach and strongly controlled learner-centeredness. Finally, based on the results of our study, we suggest that more variation within grammar exercises is required to meet the needs of different learners and their learning styles. Above all, we conclude that there is still a gap to be bridged between the reality in FL textbooks and the ideal presented in the research literature.

L1 RUSSIAN - L2 ENGLISH STUDENTS ATTEMPTING ACADEMIC IELTS WRITING TASK 1 (PROCESS DESCRIPTION): GRAMMAR DIFFICULTIES IDENTIFIED

: A survey of 13 textbooks published in Western Europe and designed for IELTS preparation was conducted. Analysis of activities targeting functional language needed for description of a natural or manufacturing processes (Academic IELTS Writing Task 1) showed that most of these resources are centered around passive verb forms, relative clauses, and linkers, or sequencing phrases. Meanwhile, a study of 21 IELTS assignments written by Russian-speaking students at levels B1-B2 CEFR shows that the number of errors in the above structures is relatively small, and students lack grammar skills other than that. These are morphological and syntactic patterns which are largely missing in L1 Russian or which are cognitively difficult for L2 English learners at levels B1-B2. Moreover, a survey of 32 model texts, or model answers, found in the available authentic IELTS preparation sources shows that some structures inherent in authentic or nativelike texts do not occur in level B1-B2 students’ production. The linguistic and pedagogical implications of this are that 1) Academic IELTS Writing Task 1 should be subject to deeper linguistic analysis, 2) more grammar patterns should be made the focus of classroom instruction alongside the structures suggested by global textbooks; 3) there is a need for Russian-made manuals and designing IELTS related tasks.

“A Comparative Study of the Discourse Marker but in a Conversation Corpus, Korean High School English Textbooks, and Global ELT Textbooks.”

“A Comparative Study of the Discourse Marker but in a Conversation Corpus, Korean High School English Textbooks, and Global ELT Textbooks.”

“Aprendan el vosotros para hablar con los españoles en su idioma”: la identificación lingüística en Argentina como tensión entre el orgullo y la minusvaloración

This paper analyses the construction of a linguistic identity in Argentina through school textbooks. The basic assumption is that the Argentinean school continues to exhibit the 19th century imaginary of being the agency for the diffusion of knowledge and the construction of citizenship, but that today, the instruments that it employs for teaching and the laws that govern the functioning of these materials are strongly influenced by the rules of the market economy. Therefore, the Spanish language, bearer of the Hispanic heritage and a binding element of the Argentinean school of the 19th century, is no longer subject to territorial limits (and thus, to the particularities of linguistic variety) because, by moving beyond these limits, language is able to more easily adapt itself to the expansionist tendencies of the market. In the framework of linguistics politics and relying on the theories that study the role of emotions in the process of self-identification, the article analyses the coexistence of «globalized» language and dialect identification. The tension between these two aspects of language generates identifications of contrasting natures among citizens/speakers; on the one hand, linguistic practice in school is associated with belonging to the nation, while at the same time the use of global textbooks and manuals tends to inhibit the use of language featuring particular local or national elements. The analysis of regional linguistic features in a sample of textbooks (from the present and from past milestones in Argentina) evidences overlapping identities discursively generated between a de-territorialized language and a curricular pattern that promotes the appreciation of varieties.

Local Evaluation Criteria for Global Textbooks: A Case Study from Iran

The fact that ELT textbooks play a crucial role in most EFL/ESL settings around the globe may not be rebuffed. This role is noticeably pivotal in language institutes in Iran where global textbooks determine much of what happens in classrooms. It is therefore crucial to know how well a textbook plays the role it is assumed to do. When decisions are to be made about selecting a proper textbook for a specific teaching situation, the idea of textbook evaluation comes true. To conduct a worthwhile evaluation of textbooks, which are supposedly “the main teaching and learning aid” (Matthews, 1985, p.202), one needs to have some criteria against which textbooks could be evaluated. This study was an attempt to set some textbook evaluation criteria based on the ideas of teachers and students who used global textbooks in language institutes of Isfahan, Iran. To do so, the researcher conducted interviews with 15 teachers and 15 students in order to find out what they thought of the textbooks they were teaching and/or learning. The data gathered from the interviews showed the specifications teachers and students take into account when judging their textbook. Finally, based on the interviews two local questionnaires were developed.

Who teaches economics courses better?: using student–professor matched data for the principle of economics course

This study investigates the influences on student evaluation of teaching of the principle of economics course using the student–professor matched data, which combines students’ course evaluations and professors’ research performance. The results indicated that professors with better research performance, majored in applied rather than theoretical economics and using global standard textbooks received higher course evaluations than otherwise.