CONFRONTING CULTURE IN LOCAL AND GLOBAL ENGLISH COURSEBOOKS: STUDENT TEACHERS’ PREFERENCES IN MATERIALS ADAPTATION

Year 2017, , 277 - 300, 03.05.2017

Meliha R. Şimşek

https://doi.org/10.17244/eku.310224

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Much of textbook research in ELT concentrates on
materials evaluation and analyses of (cultural) content, whereas existing
studies on textbook consumption seem preoccupied with in-service teachers’
self-reported beliefs and practices. It still remains underexplored how student
teachers respond to culturally-inappropriate materials. Especially when they
are mandated to follow local coursebooks as in Turkey, teacher mediation of
texts becomes critical. Therefore, 58 pre-service English teachers in an urban
university were surveyed to elicit their attitudes towards gendered and
alienating texts from local and global English coursebooks, and identify their
culturally-responsive preferences and rationales for materials adaptation.
Their word associations were examined to determine prototypical views of
culture. The content analysis revealed that whether local or global, over 50%
of the participants preferred to use the texts unchanged or delete them
altogether, while chances of fixing the materials dropped steeply in the face
of foreign culture influence. The few adapters appreciated their potential for
raising gender- and cultural-awareness, and increasing classroom interaction. The
overwhelming majority (74%) conceptualised culture as the embodiment of daily
activities, current state of being and common way of thinking within a
community, and seemed concerned about the appropriacy and comprehensibility of
cultural content.

Keywords

Cultural awareness, cultural content, English coursebooks, materials adaptation

YEREL VE KÜRESEL İNGİLİZCE DERS KİTAPLARINDA KÜLTÜRLE KARŞILAŞMA: ÖĞRETMEN ADAYLARININ MALZEME UYARLAMADAKİ SEÇİMLERİ

Abstract

İngilizce öğretimi alanındaki ders kitabı araştırmalarının çoğunluğu,
malzeme değerlendirme ile (kültürel) içerik çözümlemelerine odaklanırken, ders
kitabı kullanımıyla ilgili mevcut çalışmalar hizmetiçi öğretmenlerin
özbildirimli inançları ve uygulamaları ile meşgul görünmektedir. Öğretmen
adaylarının kültürel açıdan uygun olmayan malzemelere nasıl tepki verdiği ise
yeterince araştırılmamış bir konu olarak kalmıştır. Özellikle Türkiye’deki gibi
yerel ders kitaplarının kullanımı zorunlu tutulduğunda, öğretmenin metinlerdeki
aracılığı kritik önem arz etmektedir. Bu nedenle, yerel ve küresel İngilizce
ders kitaplarındaki cinsiyetçi ve yabancılaştırıcı metinlere karşı tutumlarını
ortaya çıkarmak ve malzeme uyarlamada kültürel açıdan duyarlı seçimleri ile
gerekçelerini belirlemek amacıyla, kentsel bir üniversitedeki 58 İngilizce
öğretmeni adayına anket uygulanmıştır. Ayrıca prototipik kültür görüşlerini
betimlemek için öğretmen adaylarının sözcük çağrışımları incelenmiştir. İçerik
analizinin sonuçlarına göre, katılımcılarının %50’sinden fazlası, yerel veya
küresel farketmeksizin, metinleri değiştirmeden kullanmayı veya tümden
kaldırmayı seçerken, malzemeleri düzeltme şansları yabancı kültürün etkisi
karşısında birden düşmüştür. Az sayıdaki uyarlayıcılar ise metinlerdeki cinsi
ve kültürel farkındalık yaratma, sınıfiçi etkileşimi artırma potansiyeline
değer vermiştir. Ezici çoğunluk (%74), kültürü bir topluluktaki gündelik etkinliklerin,
güncel yaşayış ve ortak düşünme biçiminin oluşumu olarak kavramlaştırmış ve
kültürel içeriğin uygunluğu ile anlaşılırlığı konusunda kaygılı görünmüştür.

Keywords

İngilizce ders kitapları, kültürel farkındalık, kültürel içerik, malzeme uyarlama

References

• Adamowski, E. (1991). What does teaching culture mean? In J. Sivell & L. Curtis (Eds.), TESOL’90: Reading into the future (pp. 64-75). Toronto: TESL Ontario.
• Adaskou, K., Britten, D., & Fahsi, B. (1990). Design decisions on the cultural content of a secondary English course for Morocco. ELT Journal, 44(1), 3-10. DOI: 10.1093/elt/44.1.3
• Alptekin, C. (1993). Target-language culture in EFL materials. ELT Journal, 47(2), 136-143. DOI: 10.1093/elt/47.2.136
• Alptekin, C. (2002). Towards intercultural communicative competence in ELT. ELT Journal, 56(1), 57-64. DOI: 10.1093/elt/56.1.57
• Banegas, D. L. (2011). Teaching more than English in secondary education. ELT Journal, 65(1), 80-82. DOI: 10.1093/elt/ccq016
• Bayyurt, Y. (2006). Non-native English language teachers’ perspectives on culture in English as foreign language classrooms. Teacher Development, 10(2), 233-247. DOI: 10.1080/13664530600773366
• Berg, B. L. (2001). Qualitative research methods for social sciences. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
• Botelho, M. (2003). Multiple intelligences theory in English language teaching: An analysis of current textbooks, materials and teachers’ perceptions (Unpublished master’s thesis). Ohio University, Ohio. Retrieved on January 23, 2016 from: https://etd.ohiolink.edu/
• Byram, M., & Risager, K. (1999). Language teachers, politics and cultures. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
• Canagarajah, A. S. (1993). Critical ethnography of a Sri Lankan classroom: Ambiguities in opposition to reproduction through ESOL. TESOL Quarterly, 27(4), 601–626. DOI: 10.2307/3587398
• Canniveng, C., & Martinez, M. (2007). Materials development and teacher training. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Developing materials for language teaching (pp. 479-489). New York: Continuum.
• Ciambrone, D. (2004). Anonymity. In M. S. Lewis-Beck, A. Bryman & T. F. Liao (Eds.), The Sage encyclopedia of social science research methods (pp. 18-19). California: Sage Publications.
• Council of Higher Education. (2007). Eğitim fakültesi öğretmen yetiştirme lisans programları [Undergraduate programs for teacher education]. Retrieved on May 18, 2016 from: http://www.yok.gov.tr/web/guest/icerik/-/journal_content/56_INSTANCE_rEHF8BIsfYRx/10279/49875
• Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education. London: Routledge.
• Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. California: Sage Publications.
• Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Boston: Pearson.
• Cunningsworth, A. (1995). Choosing your coursebook. Oxford: Heinemann.
• Çakır, İ. (2010). The frequency of culture-specific elements in the ELT coursebooks at elementary schools in Turkey. Novitas-ROYAL, 4(2), 182-189.
• Çelik, S., & Erbay, Ş. (2013). Cultural perspectives of Turkish ELT coursebooks: Do standardized teaching texts incorporate intercultural features? Education & Science, 38(167), 336-351.
• Çoban, Z. (2001). Experienced and novice English language teachers’ use of textbook adaptation strategies at Gazi University (Unpublished master’s thesis). Bilkent University, Ankara. Retrieved on January 20, 2016 from: http://www.thesis.bilkent.edu.tr/0001837.pdf
• Davcheva, L., & Sercu, L. (2005). Culture in foreign language teaching materials. In M. Byram & A. Phipps (Eds.), Foreign language teachers and intercultural competence: An international investigation (pp. 90-109). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
• Dunford, N. (2004). How do teachers interpret the need for the adaptation and supplementation of coursebooks, with specific reference to data collected by questionnaire from Shane English schools Japan? (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Nottingham, Nottingham.
• Durmaz, E. H. (2013). Forward English student's book 8. Ankara: A Yayınları.
• Forman, R. (2014). How local teachers respond to the culture and language of a global English as a foreign language textbook. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 27(1), 72-88. DOI: 10.1080/07908318.2013.868473
• Garcia, M. C. M. (2005). International and intercultural issues in English teaching textbooks: The case of Spain. Intercultural Education, 16(1), 57-68. DOI: 10.1080/14636310500061831
• Garton, S., & Graves, K. (2014a). Materials in ELT: Current issues. In S. Garton & K. Graves (Eds.), International perspectives on materials in ELT (pp. 1-15). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Garton, S., & Graves, K. (2014b). Identifying a research agenda for language teaching materials. The Modern Language Journal, 98(2), 654-657. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4781.2014.12094.x
• Graves, K. (2000). Designing language courses: A guide for teachers. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.
• Gray, J. (2000). The ELT coursebook as cultural artefact: How teachers censor and adapt. ELT Journal, 54(3), 274-283. DOI: 10.1093/elt/54.3.274
• Gray, J. (2002). The global coursebook in English language teaching. In D. Block & D. Cameron (Eds.), Globalization and language teaching (pp. 151-167). London: Routledge.
• Gray, J. (2010). The construction of English. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Grossman, P., & Thompson, C. (2008). Learning from curriculum materials: Scaffolds for new teachers? Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 2014-2026. DOI: 10.1016/j.tate.2008.05.002
• Guerrettaz, A. M., & Johnston, B. (2013). Materials in the classroom ecology. The Modern Language Journal, 97(3), 779-796. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4781.2013.12027.x
• Guerrettaz, A. M., & Johnston, B. (2014). A response: The concept of the classroom ecology and the roles of teachers in materials use. The Modern Language Journal, 98(2), 671-672. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4781.2014.12094.x
• Hartman, P. L., & Judd, E. L. (1978). Sexism and TESOL materials. TESOL Quarterly, 12(4), 383-393. DOI: 10.2307/3586137
• Harwood, N. (2014). Content, consumption, and production: Three levels of textbook research. In N. Harwood (Ed.), English language teaching textbooks (pp. 1-41). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Hesse-Biber, S. N., & Leavy, P. (2008). Handbook of emergent methods. New York: Guilford Press.
• Horsley, M. (2007). Textbooks, teaching and learning materials and teacher education. In M. Horsley & J. McCall (Eds.), Ninth international conference on textbooks and educational media (pp. 249-260). Hogskolen: IARTEM.
• Hutchinson, E. G. (1996). What do teachers and learners actually do with textbooks? Teacher and learner use of a fisheries-based ELT textbook in the Philippines (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Lancaster University, Lancaster. Retrieved April 21, 2016 from: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.337343
• Hutchinson, T., & Torres, E. (1994). The textbook as agent of change. ELT Journal, 48(4), 315-328. DOI: 10.1093/elt/48.4.315
• Hyde, M. (1994). The teaching of English in Morocco: The place of culture. ELT Journal, 48(4), 295-305. DOI: 10.1093/elt/48.4.295
• Islam, C., & Mares, C. (2007). Adapting classroom materials. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Developing materials for language teaching (pp. 86-100). London: Bloomsbury Academic.
• Kızılaslan, İ. (2010). Student teachers’ perceptions of gendered texts in English language textbooks. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2(2), 3528-3531. DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.546
• Kramsch, C. (2010). Context and culture in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Krippendorp, K. (2004). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology. California: Sage Publications.
• Larsen-Freeman, D. (2014). It’s about time. The Modern Language Journal, 98(2), 665-666. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4781.2014.12094.x
• Le, M. T. (2011). The reception of new language materials: A case study evaluation of an EFL textbook in Vietnamese high schools (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Macquarie University, Sydney.
• Lee, R. N. F., & Bathmaker, A. (2007). The use of English textbooks for teaching English to vocational students in Singapore secondary schools. RELC Journal, 38(3), 350-374. DOI: 10.1177/0033688207085852
• Lessard-Clouston, M. (1996). Chinese teachers’ views of culture in their EFL learning and teaching. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 9(3), 197-223. DOI: 10.1080/07908319609525231
• Littlejohn, A. (2011). The analysis of language teaching materials: Inside the Trojan horse. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Materials development in language teaching (pp. 179-211). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Luk, J. (2012). Teachers’ ambivalence in integrating culture with EFL teaching in Hong Kong. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 25(3), 249-264. DOI: 10.1080/07908318.2012.716849
• McDonough, J., & Shaw, C. (2003). Materials and methods in ELT. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.
• McGrath, I. (2002). Materials evaluation and design for language teaching. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
• McGrath, I. (2013). Teaching materials and the roles of EFL/ESL teachers. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
• Medgyes, P. (1994). The non-native teacher. London: Macmillan.
• Melliti, M. (2013). Global content in global coursebooks: The way issues of inappropriacy, inclusivity and connectedness are treated in Headway intermediate. Sage Open, 3(4), 1-12. DOI: 10.1177/2158244013507265
• Menkabu, A., & Harwood, N. (2014). Teachers’ conceptualization and use of the textbook on a medical English course. In N. Harwood (Ed.), English language teaching textbooks (pp. 145-177). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Miles, B. M., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis. California: Sage Publications. Moulton, J. (1997). How do teachers use textbooks? A review of the research literature. Washington, DC: SD Publication Series.
• Pelly, C. P., & Allison, D. (2000). Investigating the views of teachers on assessment of English language learning in the Singapore education system. Hong Kong Journal of Applied Linguistics, 5(1), 81-107.
• Porreca, K. L. (1984). Sexism in current ESL textbooks. TESOL Quarterly, 18(4), 705-724. DOI: 10.2307/3586584
• Prodromou, L. (1999). How to be a boring teacher. English Teaching Professional, 12, 16-18.
• Prodromou, L. (2002). The great ELT textbook debate. Modern English Teacher, 11(4), 25-33.
• Pulverness, A. (2007). Materials for cultural awareness. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Developing materials for language teaching (pp. 426-438). New York: Continuum.
• Ravelonanahary, M. (2007). The use of textbooks and educational media: The Malagasy experience. In M. Horsley & J. McCall (Eds.), Ninth international conference on textbooks and educational media (pp. 166-175). Hogskolen: IARTEM.
• Reimann, A. (2009). A critical analysis of cultural content in EFL materials. Utsunomiya University Journal of the Faculty of International Studies, 28(8), 85-101.
• Richards, J. C. (1998). Beyond training: Perspectives on language teacher education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Richards, J. C. (2001a). Curriculum development in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Richards, J. C. (2001b). The role of textbooks in a language program. RELC Guidelines, 23(2), 12-16.
• Richards, J., & Mahoney, D. (1996). Teachers and textbooks: A survey of beliefs and practices. Perspectives: Working Papers, 8(1), 40-61.
• Sampson, N. (2009). Teaching materials and the autonomous language teacher: A study of tertiary English teachers in Hong Kong (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Retrieved April 21, 2016 from: http://hdl.handle.net/10722/56640
• Saraceni, C. (2007). Adapting courses: A critical view. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Developing materials for language teaching (pp. 72-85). New York: Continuum.
• Savova, L. (2009). Textbook use as part of the ESOL classroom ecosystem: Teaching the students, not the book. In L. Savova (Ed.), Using textbooks effectively (pp. 1-7). Washington, DC: TESOL.
• Shawer, S. F., Gilmore, D., & Joseph, S. B. (2009). Learner-driven EFL curriculum development at the classroom level. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 20(2), 125-143.
• Shawer, S. F. (2010). Classroom-level curriculum development: EFL teachers as curriculum-developers, curriculum-makers and curriculum-transmitters. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26, 173-184. DOI: 10.1016/j.tate.2009.03.015
• Shin, J., Eslami, Z. R., & Chen, W. (2011). Presentation of local and international culture in current international English-language teaching textbooks. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 24(3), 253-268. DOI: 10.1080/07908318.2011.614694
• Silverman, D. (2010). Doing qualitative research: A practical handbook. London: Sage Publications.
• Silverman, D., & Marvasti, A. (2008). Doing qualitative research: A comprehensive guide. California: Sage Publications.
• Skierso, A. (1991). Textbook selection and evaluation. In M. Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign language (pp. 432-453). Boston: Heinle & Heinle.
• Soars, J., & Soars, L. (2012). New Headway pre-intermediate student's book (4th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Song, H. (2013). Deconstruction of cultural dominance in Korean EFL textbooks. Intercultural Education, 24(4), 382-390. DOI: 10.1080/14675986.2013.809248
• Studolsky, S. (1989). Is teaching really by the book? In P. W. Jackson & S. Haroutunian-Gordon (Eds.), From Socrates to software: The teacher as text and the text as teacher (pp. 159-1849). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Sunderland, J., Cowley, M., Rahim, F. A., Leontzakou, C., & Shattuck, J. (2001). From bias ‘in the text’ to ‘teacher talk around the text’: An exploration of teacher discourse and gendered foreign language textbook texts. Linguistics and Education, 11(3), 251-286. DOI: 10.1016/S0898-5898(00)00034-6
• Tomalin, B., & Stempleski, S. (1994). Cultural awareness. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Tomlinson, B. (2001). Materials development. In D. Nunan & R. Carter (Eds.), The Cambridge guide to teaching English to speakers of other languages (pp. 66-71). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Tomlinson, B., & Masuhara, H. (2010). Published research on materials development for language learning. In B. Tomlinson & H. Masuhara (Eds.), Research for materials development in language learning (pp. 1-18). London: Continuum.
• Tomlinson, B. (2011). Comments on part c. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Materials development in language teaching (pp. 296-300). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Tomlinson, B. (2012). Materials development for language learning and teaching. Language Teaching, 45(2), 143-179. DOI: 10.1017/S0261444811000528
• Tsobanoglou, S. (2008). What can we learn by researching the use of textbooks and other support materials by teachers and learners? (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Nottingham, Nottingham.
• Tsui, A. B. M. (2003). Understanding expertise in teaching: Case studies in ESL teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Wandel, R. (2003). Teaching India in the EFL-classroom: A cultural or an intercultural approach? In M. Byram & P. Grundy (Eds.), Context and culture in language teaching and learning (pp. 72-80). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
• Woods, D. (1996). Teacher cognition in language teaching: Beliefs, decision-making and classroom practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Woodward, A. (1993). Introduction: Learning from textbooks. In B. K. Britton, A. Woodward & M. Binkley (Eds.), Learning from textbooks: Theory and practice, (pp. vii-x). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Yan, C. (2007). Investigating English teachers’ materials adaptation. Humanising Language Teaching, 9(4). Retrieved May 20, 2016 from: http://www.hltmag.co.uk/jul07/mart01.htm
• Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2011). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri. Ankara: Seçkin Yayıncılık.
• Zacharias, N. T. (2005). Teachers’ beliefs about internationally-published materials: A survey of tertiary English teachers in Indonesia. RELC Journal, 36(1), 23-37. DOI: 10.1177/0033688205053480