Global issues in a series of EFL textbooks and implications for end-users to promote peace education through teaching english

ABSTRACT

English has long been accepted as lingua franca (ELF) to share values, beliefs and opinions. ELF can be interrelated with the paradigms of Global Englishes Language Teaching (GELT), English as an International Language (EIL) and English as Medium of Instruction (EMI). Textbooks should present content covering global issues (GIs), leading to a better understanding of the spread of English and its connection with globalization where peace education (PE) should be built on. English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teachers usually feel under pressure to follow textbooks in English prep-programs in Turkey. Therefore, the extent that EFL textbooks offer GIs is crucial for developing learners’ understanding of PE beyond national boundaries. Although relevant literature has well documented the place of GIs in language teaching and paucity of research on PE in language education, EFL textbooks have remained under-researched. For this reason, a comprehensive checklist of GIs was used to examine a five-level series of coursebooks (A1-C1). Data analysis showed that three lower-level coursebooks employed less GIs than those with higher-levels. Issues ranged from environment to health, whilst specific content for PE appeared moderately. Several implications are made for a meaningful match of GIs and GELT, EIL, EMI and EFL teaching with Language of Peace Approach.

KEYWORDS:

• English as a foreign language
• English prep-program
• language of peace approach
• global issues
• peace education
• textbook analysis

Acknowledgments

This paper was presented as an oral presentation in the 11^th International ELT Research Conference with the theme of Localising Global Issues in ELT in Çanakkale between 03 and 5 September 2020 by the authors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yunus Emre Akbana

Yunus Emre Akbana is an Assistant Professor of English Language Teaching at Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University. His research interests include integrating global issues in English language teaching and developing instructional designs informed of Education 4.0.

Aysun Yavuz

Aysun Yavuz is a Professor of English Language Teaching at Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University. Her research interests include professional development of teachers and teacher education pedagogy.