چکیده:
The purpose of the current study was to investigate culture representation in ACT series, a recently developed EFL textbook by Iran Language Institute, with a focus on the visuals. Two models were taken into account for content analysis: Cortazzi and Jin (1990) to investigate the type of culture (i.e., source, target, & international) and Adaskou, Britten, and Fahsi (1999) to investigate the dimension of culture (aesthetic & sociological). Analysis of 1581 visuals indicated that textbook developers have placed a high value on presenting international and source cultures while target culture has received comparatively little attention to fulfill the mission for which the series was developed. Additionally, as of the two dimensions of culture, visuals representing the sociological dimension of culture outnumbered those manifesting the aesthetic dimension. To conclude, it can be claimed that ACT series can be beneficial in promoting intercultural awareness among its audience and providing the learners with an opportunity to communicate their cultural and national identity with other bilingual speakers of English. The study ends with some future lines of research for the interested researcher.
خلاصه ماشینی:
Hashemi*** Assistant Professor, Kharazmi University Abstract The purpose of the current study was to investigate culture representation in ACT series, a recently developed EFL textbook by Iran Language Institute, with a focus on the visuals.
Scholars and researchers have thus adopted various analytical approaches to analyze and evaluate national and international ELT materials around the world (Adaskou, Britten & Fahsi, 1990; Appleby, 2018; Awayed & Bishara, 2015; Baleghizadeh & Jamali Motahed 2010; Lee, 2009, 2014; McKay, 2003; Perfecto & Paterno, 2018; Sidhu, Kaur, Fook, 2018) and in Iran (Cheng & Biglar Beigi, 2012; Tajeddin & Teirmournezhad, 2014; Taki, 2008; Sadeghi & Sepahi, 2017).
Considering the significance of EFL textbooks in promoting cultural values, a good number of researchers have explored various dimensions of culturality in EFL materials (Adaskou, Britten & Fahsi, 1990; Appleby, 2018; Awayed & Bishara, 2015; Baleghizadeh & Jamali Motahed, 2010; Cheng & Biglar Beigi, 2012; Lee 2009, 2014; McKay, 2003; Perfecto & Paterno, 2018; Sadeghi & Sepahi, 2017; Sidhu, Kaur, & Fook, 2018; Tajeddin & Teirmournezhad, 2014; Taki, 2008).
Considering ACT as a new generation of EFL series in Iran adopting a multicultural approach to materials development in order to minimize the impact of Anglo-Saxon western culture and taking into account the necessity of fostering intercultural competence and the contribution of textbooks, visuals in particular, analysis of these books can be of help.