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Issues in Educational Research, 2019, Vol 29(4), 1016-1038.
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Critical content analysis of English textbooks used in the Iranian education system: Focusing on ELF features

Ahmad Asakereh, Nouroddin Yousofi and Hiwa Weisi
Razi University, Iran

This study examines the listening and speaking activities of ELT textbooks adopted in Iranian junior and senior high schools, namely the Prospect and Vision series, with reference to English as a lingua franca (ELF) features. To do so, the researchers analysed the textbooks' activities against ELF criteria adopted from Caleffi's study (2016). The results of the critical content analysis revealed that the textbooks do not provide sufficient exposure to a variety of situational contexts, characters, and cultural elements, and do not provide sufficient opportunities for English teachers to implement the socio-linguistic and socio-cultural realities of the English language in their English classes. This seems to have resulted in unrealistic and unauthentic presentations of English in the textbook series. The findings can encourage national and international ELT textbook designers to eschew a fixed and monolithic approach to the English language and make more extensive use of ELF-informed materials in ELT textbooks.
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Authors: Ahmad Asakereh is a PhD candidate in applied linguistics at Razi university, Kermanshah, Iran. His areas of interest include teaching English language skills, English as an international language, English as a lingua franca, and critical pedagogy. He is the author of several articles in his areas of interest and has presented both in and outside the country.
Email: a.asakereh62@yahoo.com

NouroddinYousofi holds a PhD in applied linguistics and is an assistant professor in the Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Persian Literature and Humanities, Razi University of Kermanshah, Iran. His research interests are in language-related studies, including language teaching and learning and translation. He has presented and published more than 50 articles in his areas of interest.
Email: nyousofi@yahoo.com

Hiwa Weisi (correspondoing author) is an assistant professor in applied linguistics at Razi University of Kermanshah, Iran. He is the author of three books in language studies and sociolinguistics, has translated three books into Persian, and has three more under review. His main research interests include sociolinguistics, discourse analysis and research engagement in higher education. He has presented and published many papers in his areas of interest in national and international conferences and journals, and has supervised a number of PhD and MA theses.
Email: hiwaweisi@gmail.com

Please cite as: Asakereh, A., Yousofi, N. & Weisi, H. (2019). Critical content analysis of English textbooks used in the Iranian education system: Focusing on ELF features. Issues in Educational Research, 29(4), 1016-1038. http://www.iier.org.au/iier29/asakereh.pdf


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