Cultural Content Analysis of Iranian ELT Coursebooks: A Comparison of Vision I & II with English for Pre-University students I & II

International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research

مقاله 7، دوره 7، شماره 27، اسفند 2019، صفحه 107-124   

نوع مقاله: Research Papers

نویسندگان

Zhale Saeedi¹؛ Mohsen Shahrokhi^{* 2}

¹English Department, Shahreza Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahreza, Iran

²Department of English, Shahreza Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahreza, Iran

چکیده

This study was conducted to evaluate the cultural contents and cultural elements represented in Vision (I & II) and Pre-University English (I & II). This study also aimed at determining if there were significant differences between these series in terms of cultural content and cultural element representation. To this end, the two ELT coursebook series were selected and analyzed based on Cortazzi and Jin’s (1999) framework and the framework proposed by Adaskou, Britten, and Fahsi (1990). The results revealed that there were significant differences between these two series in terms of cultural contents and cultural elements. While the Vision series contained more L1 and Neutral-cultural contents, Pre-University series showed tendency to contain L2 and L1 cultural contents. With respect to the cultural elements, both series contained more esthetic and semantic cultural elements. This study has implications for EFL curriculum designing in Iran and can make Iranian EFL instructors familiar with the importance of culture as an indispensable part of language.

کلیدواژه‌ها

Iranian ELT coursebooks؛ cultural contents؛ Cultural Elements

مراجع

            Adaskou, K., Britten, D., & Fahsi, B. (1990). Design decisions on the cultural content of a secondary English course for Morocco. ELT Journal, 44, 3-10.                                                

            Aliakbari, M. (2004). The place of culture in the Iranian ELT textbooks in high school level. In 9th Pan-Pacific Association of Applied Linguistics Conference, Namseoul University, Korea. Retrieved (Vol. 21, No. 09, p. 2008).                                                                                      

            Aliakbari, M., & Jamalvandi, B. (2012). Realization of culture in English textbooks in Chinese high school level. Pan-Pacific Association of Applied Linguistics, 16(2), 89-10.         

            Brown, H. (2012). Principles of language learning and teaching. New York: Longman.

            Byram, M., Gribkova, B., & Starkey, H. (2002). Developing the intercultural dimension in language teaching. A practical introduction for teachers. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.

            Chapelle, C. A. (2016). The Significance of Culture in Language Teaching. In Teaching Culture in Introductory Foreign Language Textbooks (pp. 1-35). Palgrave Macmillan, London.    

            Cortazzi, M., & Jin, L. (1999). Cultural mirrors: Materials and methods in the EFL classroom. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Culture in second language teaching (pp. 196-219). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

            Dehbozorgi, M., Amalsaleh, E., & Kafipour, R. (2014). Exploring Cultural Content of Three Prominent EFL Textbooks in Iran (A Case Study of American English Files, Top Notch and Four Corners). Acta Didactica Napocensia, 7(1), 69-81.

            Emmitt, M., Pollock, J., & Komesaroff, L. R. (2006). Language and learning: An introduction for teaching. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.                                                                     

            Gao, F. (2006). Language is culture: On intercultural communication. Journal of Language and Linguistics, 5(1),58-67.     

            Liu, S., & Laohawiriyanon, C. (2013). Students’ Attitudes towards Cultural Learning in the English Classroom: A Case Study of Non-English Major Students in a Chinese University. International Journal of English Language Education, 1(3),28-42.

            Mahmood, M. A., Asghar, Z. M., & Hussain, Z. (2012). Cultural representation in ESL textbooks in Pakistan: A case study of “Step Ahead 1”. Journal of Education and Practice, 3(9), 35-42.

            McKay, S. (2003). Teaching English as an international language: The Chilean context. ELT journal, 57(2), 139-148.  

            Rajabi, S., & Ketabi, S. (2012). Aspects of cultural elements in prominent English textbooks for EFL setting. Theory and practice in language studies, 2(4), 705.                                                            

            Rashidi, N., & Meihami, H. (2016). Hidden curriculum: An analysis of cultural content of the ELT textbooks in inner, outer, and expanding circle countries. Cogent Education, 3(1), 1212455.                                                                       

            Tajeddin, Z., & Teimournezhad, S. (2014). Exploring the hidden agenda in the representation of culture in international and localised ELT textbooks. The Language Learning Journal, 43(2), 1–14.

            Victor, M. (1999). Learning English in Gabon: The question of cultural content. Language Culture and Curriculum, 12(1), 23-30.