Browsing by Author "Aguirre Quiroga, Patrik"

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    "Choose the best alternative in each case": A Task Analysis of Two EFL Textbooks Used in Swedish Upper Secondary School
    (2018) Aguirre Quiroga, Patrik; Institutionen för språk och litteraturer
    Textbooks are widely used in education and they often claim to include certain content or to adopt specific approaches. In the Swedish context, EFL textbooks often claim to be designed based on the English syllabi and to cover their content. However, no centralised quality control exists today in Sweden and teachers report that they lack time to evaluate textbooks. For this reason, the tasks of two EFL textbooks are analysed in the present study in an attempt to answer the following questions: (1) what task features are represented in the textbooks, (2) what is the frequencies and percentages of different task features, (3) do the contents of the textbooks cover the content in the English 5 syllabus, and (4) do the contents of the textbooks cover their claims of what they should include? The task analysis is done by using Littlejohn’s (2011) framework in which the materials are first divided into tasks and then recorded in a task analysis sheet. The frequencies and percentages of the different task features are then calculated. The results show a mismatch between the claims made by publishers and producers of textbooks and the textbooks’ tasks since they primarily involve learners working individually with written language while tasks involving spoken language and communication are very limited. This suggests that a critical and selective approach towards the use of EFL textbooks should be taken.
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    Cultural Content in EFL textbooks
    (2017) Aguirre Quiroga, Patrik; Institutionen för språk och litteraturer
    Investigating the content of textbooks is not at all uncommon in the field of EFL research. However, in recent years, analysing the cultural content of textbooks has been of growing interest. This spike in interest could be an effect of the societies of today being increasingly globalised, which also means that intercultural encounters are happening more frequently than ever before. Culture being a part of the EFL curriculum merits concern for students’ development of intercultural competence, which is also emphasised by the CEFR (2009) and the Swedish Agency of Education (Skolverket, 2011a). Seeing that Swedish EFL teachers in an investigation (Skolverket, 2006) agreed or partially agreed with the claim of textbooks guiding their teaching too much, the impact of textbooks is relevant to explore. Thus, this literature review aims to examine (1) what cultural content exists, (2) how it is represented and (3) what possible effects the cultural content might have on learners’ intercultural competence. This review will begin by providing relevant definitions as well as background information on textbooks and the connection between culture and language. To continue, the literature on cultural content in EFL textbooks will then be examined under the following sections: cultural references and content, types and levels of cultural content and the inclusion of various cultures. Finally, major issues and findings of the studies reviewed will be discussed followed by concluding remarks including possible pedagogical implications and suggestions for future research.