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Cited by 185EFL/ESL Teaching and LearningLinguistic Education and PedagogyLinguistics and Language Analysis

Exploring the hidden agenda in the representation of culture in international and localised ELT textbooks

Tajeddin, Zia, Teimournezhad, Shohreh·2015·The Language Learning Journal
DOI 10.1080/09571736.2013.869942
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Abstract

The rise of English as an international language (EIL) has challenged the focus on native-speaker culture in second language teaching and learning. Exposing learners to a single culture is no longer considered sufficient as intercultural language teaching and understanding gains momentum. The aim of this study was to investigate the representation of culture in dialogues and reading passages in international and localised textbooks used in Iran where localisation is favoured by language education policymakers in their macro-planning. The categorisations proposed by Cortazzi and Jin and Adaskou, Britten and Fahsi were used to conduct a content analysis to see which ‘cultures’ – those associated with the first language, those associated with the target language (TL), or other cultures – and which aspects of each culture (sociological or aesthetic) were addressed in these textbooks. The analysis revealed that most of the cultural elements embodied in the localised textbooks were culturally neutral in that they did not clearly refer to any particular culture and only a few were based on the TL and other cultures. Furthermore, in the localised textbook corpus, first language/local culture did not feature at all, while sociological values were highlighted more than the aesthetic aspects of culture. In contrast, the main focus in the international textbooks was on intercultural elements, two-thirds of which were in the aesthetic category. TL cultural elements were comparatively more evident in the international textbooks while very few representations were culturally neutral.

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  • Language in a textbook is not simply a linguistic system but contains and expresses aspects of culture.

    “Language in a textbook is not simply a linguistic system but contains and expresses aspects of culture - the same agenda, but with a cultural focus, may be pursued in ELT materials.”

    From The Global ELT coursebook: A case of Cinderella's slipper? (2022) · cites this paper as Tajeddin & Teimournezhad, 2015

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Authors
Tajeddin, Z., & Teimournezhad, S.
Affiliations
  • Allameh Tabataba'i University (IR)
  • Sharif University of Technology (IR)
Corresponding author
Tajeddin, Zia
ORCID
Tajeddin, Zia
Venue
The Language Learning Journal
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2014-01-22
Volume
43
Issue
2
Pages
180-193
ISSN
  • 0957-1736 (ISSN-L)
  • 1753-2167
DOI
10.1080/09571736.2013.869942
OpenAlex
W2095307261
Cited by
185
References
54
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 50 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2013: 1
FWCI
18.82
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Language Learning Journal (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Linguistic Education and Pedagogy
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Linguistics and Language Analysis
Keywords
cultural representation, English as a global language, intercultural language teaching, English textbooks, Iran, target culture, cultural neutrality, socio-cultural values, aesthetic value, hidden agendas, textbook analysis

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