Language Teaching Textbooks Research Articles

The Promotion of Intercultural Understanding in English Language Teaching Textbooks A Content Analysis

The paper centres around the idea that second language learning is an intercultural process. The global role of English as a primary means of intercultural communication has highlighted the need to develop intercultural competences in language learners. Based on these premises, this study will explore the extent to which intercultural aspects are incorporated in course materials and textbooks. A content analysis of 4 textbooks will be conducted. The preliminary results will highlight the limited coverage of intercultural content in most of the textbooks analysed and the need to promote intercultural knowledge and understanding in the language classroom.

Reconciling opposites to reach compromise during ELT textbook development

Though reports of pedagogic materials production point to the range of compromises authors make when writing language teaching textbooks, many accounts are retrospective in nature. This study sought to expand the research perspective by interrogating writing episodes via qualitative content analysis to discover how two expert ELT (English language teaching) textbook writers managed compromises during ongoing coursebook development. The authors’ data sets – primarily composed of think-aloud protocols and transcripts of pre- and post-concurrent verbalization interviews – revealed that they applied pragmatic judgement when contemplating the incorporation of textually authentic material and reconciled continuity and variety when developing unit frameworks and content, all with textbook audiences, contexts, and purposes in mind. Further, one of the authors reached compromise with project partners to integrate monologue and dialog texts into his book, while the other squared pedagogic imperatives with publishing realities by skillfully navigating textbook length, design, and deadline parameters during her project. By reconciling ostensible opposites to reach compromise, the authors balanced complexities to see their books through to completion. This research may inspire neophyte textbook writers’ efforts as they examine the architecture of writing sessions and prompt teachers to weigh authorial choices and balances during ELT textbook evaluation.

‘Ignoring the elephant in the room’: (Under-)representation of impoliteness phenomenon in popular ELT textbooks

One of the underrepresented aspects of pragmatic competence development is perceiving and responding to impoliteness acts. The present study reports on a quantitative and qualitative investigation of two international English language teaching (ELT) textbook series published by Oxford and Cambridge University Press; it focuses on the books highly popular among a thriving representative sample of learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) across four language proficiency levels and explores their coverage and treatment of impoliteness acts and their responses. Drawing on stringent models and taxonomies, the findings reveal that this unpleasant side of language is ignored and misrepresented in the textbooks, particularly at lower proficiency levels. We draw on our own and others’ previous incivility studies and argue for the inclusion of impoliteness especially from earlier stages of language learning owing to its saliency in authentic interactions. The study concludes with implications and suggestions for language learners, instructors, textbook writers, and researchers.

An Investigation into English Language Teaching Textbooks Used at Medical Sciences Universities: Implications for Educational Justice

An Investigation into English Language Teaching Textbooks Used at Medical Sciences Universities: Implications for Educational Justice

Developing an English Language Teaching Textbook in a Thai University: Classroom Language Teachers as Writers

Developing an English Language Teaching Textbook in a Thai University: Classroom Language Teachers as Writers

Analysis of Indonesian Ideo-Cultural Representation in Elt Textbook: Gramscian Hegemony Perspective

The focus of this study is an analysis of Indonesian ideo-cultural representation, and the relation to hegemony practice, in English Language Teaching (ELT) textbook for 7 th grade of Junior High School; Bahasa Inggris, When English Rings the Bell . Ideo-cultural aspects and ELT have become an interdependency relationship that cultural awareness must include in the communicative competences. Otherwise, learners may feel vulnerable and powerless in real-life encounters with native speakers, and this feeling might decrease their investment in second language learning. The purpose of this study is to describe the cultural content represented in Bahasa Inggris, When English Rings the Bell, and to explain the discursive and hegemony practice in the Bahasa Inggris, When English Rings the Bell. This study is a descriptive qualitative study. It describes the four cultural dimensions proposed by Moran (2001) and Yuen (2011): Product, Practice, Perspective, Person, and cultural types proposed by Cortazzi and Jin (1999): S ource, Target, International found in the book. This study also analyzes the hegemony practice proposed by Gramsci (1971) utilizing the Critical Discourse Analysis framework proposed by Fairclough (1995). From the analysis conducted in this study, it finds that there is a considerable imbalance in the contents distribution for each content category. From the analysis conducted, it also finds that the discourse built in this book focused on national discourse. The discourse can be read from the references presented in the book that presents many names, places, cultural artifacts that represent Indonesian values.

A Comparative and Mutual Learning Analysis of the Localization of Second Language Teaching textbook in Macao from the Perspective of Third Space Theory

Macao has been producing and publishing comprehensive localized teaching materials in Portuguese and Chinese (Putonghua) since the 1980s. Based on the third space theory, the researcher explores the commonalities and differences in the cultural genre penetration and spatial presentation of Portuguese and Chinese teaching materials in Macao, and attempts to explore the paths of third space creation and mutual appreciation of Portuguese and Chinese localized teaching materials in Macao. Researcher selected Portuguese-language textbooks <em>Passo a passo...EM PORTUGUÊS</em> (IPOR, 2010) and <em>Português Global </em>(Instituto Politécnico de Macau, 2011), while the Chinese language textbooks <em>Putonghua Textbook</em> (Gabinete da Educação e Assuntos da Juventude, 2010) and A Course in International Chinese (Macao Polytechnic Institute, 2020) as typical samples to analyse and interpret. The results of the study show that: 1) the localised textbooks as a whole present a turn towards ethnorelativism and multiculturalism in the third space model by guiding the initial reshaping of a passive worldview and the horizontal juxtaposition of multicultural facts; 2) the role of the textbooks towards the third space model: The selection of material is presented through the overlap of two cultural spaces and the combination of the everyday and the situational, positioning the role of the "teacher's guide" . The selection of materials promotes the role of "pedagogical collaborator" by actively stepping out of the constraints of the first space, correcting the stereotypes of the second space and drawing a third cultural picture. 3) Based on the commonality of spatial presentation, <em>Passo</em> highlights the natural transition between the two cultures through the co-presentation and alternation of characters and scenes in the first and second spaces. <em>A Course in International Chinese</em> 's use of topic contemporaneity to guide learners to actively explore the advantages of negotiation between spaces is evident. <em>Portuguese Global</em> guides learners to explore the "cultural interface" and construct a third identity by creating two spatially permeable pathways of "intercultural interlocutors" and "intercultural content". <em>Putonghua Textbook </em>are constructed in an immersive first space element with conversational discourse, practice of local features, and life situations questions, which is worthy of study in other textbooks. To sum up, exploring the localized creation of third spaces in different language materials in the same region can further explore the value of writing materials for mutual learning and appreciation.

The Analysis of Foreign Language Teaching Textbook Tasks

The Analysis of Foreign Language Teaching Textbook Tasks

Collective remembering of Confucianism in Chinese language textbooks

This study focuses on the collective remembering of an ancient system of meaning, examining content and changes in the construction of Confucianism in Chinese textbooks. The data consists of 84 editions of Chinese language teaching textbooks published by the People’s Education Press from 1949 to 2019. Content analysis shows that Confucianism is and was barely represented in this corpus. Thematic analysis shows that: (i) Only Confucius and Mencius were recognized as Confucian masters. (ii) Representations of Confucianism in the textbooks come from The Analects, Mencius, The Book of Rites, and The Book of Poetry, all of which are more than 2000 years old. (iii) Except for the 1970s, Confucianism was represented in a positive or at least neutral way. (iv) Confucianism is represented in a distant, abstract, decontextualized, and apolitical way, disconnected from students’ daily life. This gives insight into how a core representation stripped of its peripheral elements can lose meaning, and lose its normative influence on behavior. Contributions to collective memory, and implications for how to edit Chinese language textbooks to be more engaging are discussed.

YEDİ İKLİM TÜRKÇE A1 KİTABI İLE SEJONG HANGUGO KORECE 1A-1B KİTAPLARININ TEMA VE KELİMELER AÇISINDAN KARŞILAŞTIRILMASI

İnsanlar, geçmişten günümüze kadar çeşitli sebeplerle kendi dillerinin dışında farklı diller öğrenme ihtiyacı duymuşlar ve yeni bir dil öğrenmek-öğretmek için de ders kitaplarından yararlanmışlardır. Bu nedenle de çeşitli kurum ve kuruluşlar da dil öğretimiyle ilgili olarak seviyelere göre ders kitapları hazırlamaktadır. Ancak bu kitaplar hazırlanırken dikkat edilmesi gereken en önemli hususların başında temaların ve bu temalara uygun kelimelerin tespit edilmesi gelmektedir.&#x0D; Son yıllarda Türkiye ve Güney Kore hem siyasi hem de ticari alanda büyük gelişme kaydeden iki devlettir. Buna bağlı olarak dünyada hem Türk kültürü hem de Kore kültürü merak edilmektedir. Bu nedenle iki kültürü yakından tanıyabilmek ve öğrenebilmek için insanlar; Kore ve Türk dizilerini izlenmekte, şarkılarını dinlemektedirler. Ayrıca Türk ve Kore kültürüne ilgi duyan insanlar Türkçe ve Korece öğrenmek için dil öğreten kurum ve kuruluşlara başvurmaktadırlar. &#x0D; Yunus Emre Enstitüsü; Türk tarihini, kültürünü, sanatını yurt dışında 58 kültür merkezi aracılığıyla tanıtmakta ve bu merkezlerde Türkçe öğretmektedir. Kore Hükümeti Kültür, Spor ve Turizm Bakanlığı tarafından desteklenen Kral Sejong Enstitüsü de 60 ülkedeki 180 enstitüsünde Yunus Emre Enstitüsü gibi Kore kültürünü tanıtmanın yanı sıra Korece öğretmektedir. Bu çalışmada her iki ülke enstitüsünün dil öğretimi için A1 seviyesinde hazırladıkları ders kitaplarındaki temalar ve kelimeler incelenip karşılaştırılacaktır. Yedi İklim Türkçe Öğretimi A1 kitabı ile Sejong Hangugo Korece Öğretimi 1A-1B kitapları karşılaştırılarak bundan sonra kitap hazırlayacaklara yardımcı olmak amaçlanmaktadır.

Criteria of a Good ELT Textbook: Malaysian Teachers' Perception

The use of internationally and locally published English Language Teaching (ELT) textbooks is crucial to aiding in teaching and learning. However, choosing the right textbook or developing one has been known to be a challenging task. Various frameworks have, therefore, been proposed by different researchers to outline the criteria that should be taken into consideration in the process of developing, selecting, and evaluating ELT textbooks. These criteria would be the main focus of this study to improve language programmes in Malaysia. This study aims to determine the criteria that make a good ELT textbook based on the perception of seven ESL secondary school teachers in Malaysia. Face-to-face interviews have been administered to collect data, which are analysed through thematic analysis. The findings of this study have revealed eleven criteria that are deemed crucial for a good ELT textbook, which include Culture and Cultural Introduction. These eleven criteria should be taken into consideration for the selection and evaluation of ELT textbooks, as well as to develop or to supplement the existing frameworks, primarily in the teaching of English as a second language in Malaysia.

Qualities of a Good English Language Teacher from the Perspectives of Textbook Authors in the Field of Language Teaching, Teachers, and Learners

Researchers in the field of language teaching have long been fascinated by the qualities of good teachers. Such qualities have rarely been approached qualitatively from different angles in a single study. Thus, this research aimed to unearth the qualities in question by employing a qualitative multimethod approach. To this end, 23 randomly selected standard language teaching textbooks were analyzed by two coders using qualitative content analysis. The judiciously adopted codes from the analysis were employed to design and carry out semi-structured interviews with nine effective language teachers as well as ten good learners nominated via purposeful sampling. The data gleaned from the semi-interviews were once again analyzed through qualitative content analysis. The collective initial coding of the three datasets resulted in thirteen themes: knowledge of pedagogy, rapport, critical thinking, empathy, rhetoric, knowledge of subject matter, enthusiasm, respect, humor, consciousness, fairness, authenticity, and physical attributes. Conducting a second-level coding, we uncovered two broad themes, namely personality and professionalism with the former being significantly weightier collectively. The application of Chi-Square at this point showed that the associations between the three datasets were meaningful. The findings of the semi-structured interviews of participant teachers and students corroborated those of authors in the field of language teaching. Also, rapport and pedagogy were respectively viewed as the most salient attributes associated with good language teachers by the interviewed informants. The study holds clear implications for interested researchers, language teachers, and teacher educators.

Analyzing a language-driven content-based language teaching textbook using sociocultural theory

The Asian EFL (English as a foreign language) classroom is famous for its reliance on textbooks to prepare students for high-stakes examinations. It is therefore of importance to ensure the quality of EFL textbooks for quality learning and teaching. While much previous research has been done about pre-use, in-use, and post-use textbook evaluation, there has not been any study about how sociocultural theory may be used as an analytical tool to evaluate EFL textbooks at these different stages of evaluation. The teaching philosophies of different teachers can be rooted in different learning theories, such as constructivism and sociocultural theory. Teachers, thus, need to be sensitive to their own beliefs in terms of learning theories to choose textbooks in a theoretically principled way. This study aims at demonstrating how a Hong Kong high school language-driven content-based language teaching (CBLT) textbook can be analysed in terms of sociocultural theory. The study is guided by the following research question: What are the principles from sociocultural theory which echo the overall design of a Hong Kong CBLT textbook? CBLT is increasingly popular worldwide, especially in Southeast Asia; yet, there are few CBLT textbooks for the English subject in the Asian market. A required textbook of a Hong Kong high school was closely analyzed, with thematic analysis used for analysis. The results of this study show that this textbook exhibits many features of sociocultural theory, such as use of cognitive tools to help promote high-order thinking and use of collaborative talk and then private talk to promote internalization.

The role of culture in foreign language teaching textbooks: an evaluation of New Headway series from an intercultural perspective

ABSTRACT Textbooks used in foreign language instruction cannot be simply separated from cultural contexts because the mere study of the abstract system of language does not equip learners with the required knowledge, skill, and attitudes to interact effectively and meaningfully in real situations. This is the premise of the intercultural approach that aims at developing learners’ awareness of cultural issues. In the present study, the role of culture in foreign language instruction in terms of the cultural content of Oxford’s New Headway (4th ed.) was investigated. A number of 80 EFL teachers responded to an intercultural communicative competence checklist . Also, five teachers participated in a series of retrospective group interviews and discussed their opinions regarding the cultural content of the textbooks. The analysis of the participants’ responses on the checklist and the interviews indicated that textbooks in this series have inadequacies and biases when it comes to the presentation and development of intercultural knowledge, attitude, and awareness. These aspects are exemplified and discussed, and the implications of the study for teachers and textbook designers are noted.

Um olhar semiótico sobre livros didáticos para o ensino de língua materna no Brasil e na França

Este artigo tem por objetivo apresentar uma análise linguístico-discursiva a partir do cotejo de dois livros didáticos para o ensino de língua materna: Fleurs d’Encre 3ᵉ, para o ensino de Língua Francesa, e Português Linguagens 9º ano, para o ensino de Língua Portuguesa. Examinam-se, pelo quadro teórico-metodológico proposto pela semiótica discursiva francesa, os procedimentos de instauração de pessoas e tempos no enunciado, bem como os procedimentos de tematização e figurativização dos discursos em questão.

The Structure and Function of Lexical Bundles in Communicative Saudi High School EFL Textbooks

Current English Language Teaching (ELT) textbooks have largely adopted the communicative approach by using authentic materials to foster EFL students’ communicative competence. However, the communicative status of Saudi high school English textbooks has been underexplored. One way to assess the authenticity of Saudi EFL textbooks is by considering their use of a frequent linguistic item known as lexical bundles. Thus, the present study investigated whether the lexical bundles in communicative Saudi high school textbooks are representative of conversational English. This comparative corpus study used a lexical bundle approach to compare the ten most frequent lexical bundles in the textbooks to those in an English reference corpus. Results show that three and four-word lexical bundles are less frequent in the textbooks compared to the reference corpus and that there is considerable variation in the structural and functional patterns of the bundles in the two corpora. Pedagogical implications are discussed in light of the findings.

Representation of inner, outer and expanding circle varieties and cultures in global ELT textbooks

The rise of world Englishes has challenged the emphasis on native-speaker accents and cultures in English language teaching. This study aimed to investigate the representation of world Englishes and cultures in three global language teaching textbooks, namely Interchange, English Result, and American English File. The textbooks were subjected to content analysis regarding their reference to Inner, Outer, and Expanding Circles’ varieties and their associated cultural contents. Kachru (The alchemy of English: The spread functions and models of non-native Englishes. Oxford: Pergamon, 1986) notion of Concentric Circles, and the categorization proposed by Pfister and Borzelli (Unterrichtspraxis 10:102–108, 1977) functioned as a framework to see which aspects of each culture (social, personal, religion/arts/humanities, political systems and institutions, and environmental concerns) were addressed in these textbooks. Findings revealed that most of the references to the three circles and cultural elements embodied in the textbooks were toward Inner Circle countries in American English File. Furthermore, in Interchange and English Result series, reference to Outer and Expanding Circles’ varieties and cultural elements were comparatively more evident. However, all the three textbook series mostly represented Inner-Circle accents. These findings have implications for materials developers to adopt an EIL-aware approach and to avoid the sole representation of native speakers’ linguistic norms and cultures in ELT textbooks.

Neoliberalism in ELT textbooks: an analysis of locally developed and imported textbooks used in Malaysia

ABSTRACT Neoliberal ideologies, evidenced in locally developed and internationally published imported English Language Teaching (ELT) textbooks, are compared in the context of Malaysia, an outer circle country. Historically, locally developed ELT textbooks have been used to teach English but recently imported books have been prescribed following the adoption of the Common European Framework Reference (CEFR). This move has met with criticisms from many who are concerned with the culture and ideologies reproduced in imported texts. The current study addresses this concern through the thematic content analysis of locally developed and imported textbooks used in Malaysian classrooms. It is found that the neoliberal values demonstrated in imported textbooks outweigh those in locally published ones. This necessitates a critical reading of imported ELT textbooks by local educational authorities before they are prescribed for use. This is particularly important in outer- and expanding-circle countries where local cultural values and beliefs may be different from the Western, neoliberal values reproduced in imported materials.

Neoliberal governmentality in global English textbooks

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the growing body of literature critically analysing the relation between neoliberalism and the global English Language Teaching (ELT) textbook with a new perspective. In this study, neoliberalism is regarded not only as an economic policy paradigm, but especially in a Foucauldian way, as a form of governmentality, with its emphasis on the responsibilisation of the self and the creation of a certain kind of subjectivity, related to the entrepreneurial-consumerist concept of society. The paper examines two best-selling global UK-produced English language textbooks. I develop a qualitative content analysis to explore in which way and to what extent these textbooks reflect, legitimate and reproduce neoliberal governmentality. The findings of the analysis suggest that the global ELT textbook not only presents a particular neoliberal worldview as common sense, but also encourages students to implement techniques of self-government to become entrepreneurial individuals and responsible consumers. In light of that, the paper concludes by arguing that the global ELT textbook may be regarded as a tool to extend and support the expansion of neoliberal governmentality in today’s society.

Learning Orthographic Cognates and Non‐Cognates in the Classroom: Does Awareness of Cross‐Linguistic Similarity Matter?

AbstractSome second language (L2) acquisition researchers have suggested that learners should be made aware of cross‐linguistic similarity for them to benefit from cognateness. To test this assumption, we ran two longitudinal classroom quasi‐experiments with Polish learners of English. We chose 30 Polish‐English cognates, 30 false cognates, and 30 non‐cognates matched on L2 frequency and concreteness and embedded them in exercises typical of English language teaching textbooks. Participants learned the words with their teachers in their classes at school. We manipulated the experimental group's awareness of orthographic cross‐linguistic similarity in awareness‐raising workshops. The results revealed that the participants had a higher chance of knowing cognates than other word types before the study. However, they acquired cognates embedded in exercises at the same rate as other word types. Also, the awareness‐raising manipulation, regardless of its intensity, had no additional effect on their acquisition of cognates and false cognates, indicating that awareness of cognateness did not boost learning cognates.