A review of some current literature on cultural contents in ELT textbooks

Abstract

This review explores current literature on the representation of culture in ELT textbooks. The importance of applying an intercultural approach (IC) on the basis of the principles of English as an international language (EIL), to English language pedagogy and materials, has over the last few decades become a prominent topic of discussion within the language teaching research community. Since textbooks often comprise a major part in language teaching, it is interesting to investigate whether their cultural contents match current research on IC and EIL. The aim of this review is to explore whether there is a gap between current ELT research on EIL and IC, and applications thereof, in modern ELT textbooks. Within this aim, two research questions are posed: (1) is bias regarding region/country, character nationality and language variety present in the cultural content of ELT textbooks? (2) Is bias regarding race, gender and socioeconomic status present in the cultural content of ELT textbooks? In attempting to answer these questions, the present report will provide the reader with an introduction and a background section where some central terms and themes related to the topic are outlined. To this follows a review of seven studies investigating cultural bias in ELT textbooks, and their conformity to current research on IC and EIL. In the discussion, their findings are compared with the research outlined in the background. Furthermore, suggestions on further research regarding enhancement of IC and EIL in ELT materials and pedagogy will be provided.