A Distorted Image Of The Global Village: Revisiting Kachru’s Model In International EFL Textbooks

Most locally and internationally produced language learning materials are informed by the common illusion that English belongs to native speakers. Gaining insights from critical pedagogy, and informed by Kachru’s concentric model, this study examined whether countries from inner, outer, and expanding circles were equally presented in international EFL textbooks or not. To answer the question, six elementary-to-advanced-level EFL textbook series, entitled Attitude, Cutting Edge, Headway, Interchange, Straightforward, and Top Notch, were analyzed, covering a total of ۳۱ volumes with over ۳۷۰۰ pages. It was the explicit printing of the name of a country that was taken into account as the quantitative indication. The names were therefore extracted from all linguistic modules, including vocabulary and pronunciation, as well as illustrations incorporating pictures and maps. It is worth mentioning that the frequency of each country was the aggregation of the frequency of cities, states and the country itself. The frequencies were then tabulated, indicating that language learners studying these materials were extremely exposed to the names of countries from the Inner Circle, specifically the US and Britain, which account for over one third, i.e., ۳۵.۶۴%, of the total frequency. Such a polarized disclosure founded a logical base for the author to conclude that not globalization but a type of Ameritainization (Americanization and Britainization) was publicized by the EFL textbook industry. Thus, a quadratic model was proposed, with the Epicenter, Centralized, Decentralized, and Marginalized circles, to represent the degree of inclusion and exclusion of different nations in the international language learning course books.

کلیدواژه ها:

Kachru’s model ، language learning materials ، critical language pedagogy