An Audial Skills-based Investigation of the ELT coursebook from an ELF Perspective

Abstract

Abstract The current status of English as a lingua franca (ELF) not only has changed the dynamics of communication in international business, cultural and economic arenas but also has led some implications for English language teaching (ELT). With the emergence of ELF and the widespread ELF interactions among the people from a different linguistic L1 background in various contexts, ELT materials need to be reconceptualized, reassessed and modified (McGrath 2013, Siqueira 2015). In order to find out whether the audial skills-based tasks in the ELT coursebook cover the view of English as a lingua franca or not, the following research questions were addressed throughout the study: (1) To what extent do the listening and video tasks in the selected coursebook expose learners to interactions among non-native/nonnative and non-native/native speakers of English? (2) To what extent do the listening and video tasks in the selected coursebook expose learners to the non-native role models of English? And lastly, (3) How do the listening and video tasks in the selected coursebook approach culture? This current study applied a descriptive content analysis and all data were driven from the coursebook “English File” upper-intermediate students’ book, third edition by Oxford University Press. The results of the research reveal that the coursebook represents only one non-native role model in audial skills-based tasks, and there are just a few tentative attempts to refer to native/non-native interactions. Additionally, it seems that the coursebook adopts an essentialist view in terms of representing the cultural elements. In the light of the results, the study suggests some pedagogical considerations for language teachers and material designers in the sense that materials should be modified carefully in order to create an interculture awareness among the students.

Keywords

• ELF
• ELT materials
• Coursebook Evaluation
• intercultural awareness

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