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Research Digest: Textbook Cover Analysis from Cultural POV

Submitted by Janet Jang on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 5:00pm.

An Analysis of Textbooks from a Cultural Point of View

Ahmed, F., Narcy-Combes, M.F. (2011). An Analysis of Textbooks from a Cultural Point of View. Tesol Journal, 5, 21-37

This very interesting research study focuses on the cultural unfamiliarity between ESL learners and foreign textbook authors in Pakistan. The authors refer to a study that explains how a textbook is most "useful if learners, teachers, and textbook authors share the same cultural values." If not, they all should at least be familiar with each other's cultures. There is a cultural gap between the learners first culture (C1) and the Anglophone/target language cultures (C2). One of their research methods was a textbook cover analysis to see what cultural misunderstandings and gaps were represented. They asked Pakistani students a series of questions to see how they interpreted the textbook cover illustrations.

Screen shot 2012-01-25 at 3.33.13 PM

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