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A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF IDEOLOGICAL CONSTRUCTIONS EMBEDDED IN ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE PERSPECTIVE
Corresponding Author(s) : Tahir Afzal
Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews,
Vol. 9 No. 2 (2021): March
Abstract
Purpose of the study: The subject study aims at investigating the construction of diverse ideologies embedded within English textbooks used in Pakistani settings at the elementary level. The entire study is based on a comparative analysis of English textbooks of Punjab Textbook Board (PTB) and Oxford University Press (OUP) and employs a critical discourse lens for a comprehensive analysis.
Methodology: Based on purposeful sampling, the study hinges on insights of Critical Discourse Studies. Out of various models available in CDA, the study employs Fairclough's Three-Dimensional Model for an extensive qualitative analysis of the selected texts as it is more suited to the dynamics of the subject study. Both micro and macro dimensions of the model were employed for an enriched analysis.
Main Findings: Both textbooks aimed at infusing different cultural and ideological constructions within students. Exercise of power supplemented by a specific religious perspective was also witnessed in constructions of diverse ideologies. The current study hinted at a deliberate effort on the part of the government to preserve religious, national, political, and societal ideologies through PTB English textbooks. On the other hand, OUP English textbooks created consent among the students to accept a specific culture and its embedded ideologies.
Applications of this study: The study can be a useful resource for researchers investigating multiple ideologies in textbooks. Critical discourse examination of both textbooks entails ample advice for textbook developers, authors, and syllabus designers to consider the ideological impacts of the textbooks while devising an all-encompassing and comprehensive curriculum to avoid any conflict at later stages.
Novelty/Originality of this study: Diverse dimensions of textbook analysis have already been conducted, but examination of textbooks through a critical discourse lens is indeed a novel dimension that will not only facilitate the reader but also open up new avenues of research for textbook developers and curriculum designers. Examination of diverse ideological construction is indeed an interesting inquiry.
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- Abdollahzadeh, E., & Baniasad, S. (2010). Ideologies in the imported English textbooks: EFL learners and teachers’ awareness and attitude. Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 2(217), 1-17. Retrieved from https://elt.tabrizu.ac.ir/article_624.html
- Afzal, M. (2015). History Textbooks, Ideology, and Attitudes in Government and Elite Pakistani Schools. Ideology, and Attitudes in Government and Elite Pakistani Schools (November 9, 2015). https://doi.org/10.21 39/ssrn.2666720 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2666720
- Afzaal, M. (2020). Book review: Kennet Lynggaard, Discourse Analysis and European Union Politics (Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics), Discourse Studies, 22(5), 632-634. https://doi.org/10.117 7/1461445620921656 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445620921656
- Afzaal, M., & Xiangyi, J. (2020). Book review: Ken Hyland and Feng (Kevin) Jiang, Academic Discourse and Global Publishing: Disciplinary Persuasion in Changing Times. Discourse Studies, 22(3), 384–386. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445620905135 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445620905135
- Alimorad, Z. (2016). Cultural values represented in First Certificate Masterclass taught in Iran: uncovering the hidden curriculum. SAGE Open, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016636431 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016636431
- Ali, A., Hassan, S., & Hanan, F. (2019). Propagation of Ideologies through Textbooks: A Study of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa English Textbooks. Global Regional Review, 4(1), 55-61. https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2019(IV-I).06 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2019(IV-I).06
- Apple, W. M. (2001). Ideology and curriculum. London: Routledge Education Books. https://doi.org/1 0.2307/3339875
- Bakhtin, M. M. (1981). The dialogic imagination (C. Emerson & M. Holquist, trans.) (Cambridge University Press). https://doi.org/10.2307/2497064 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2497064
- Dar, S., & Masroor, F. (2019). Cultural Dissemination: A Case Study of English Text Books at Primary Level in Pakistan. International Journal of Innovation in Teaching and Learning (IJITL), 5(2), 33-48. Retrieved from http://irigs.iiu.edu.pk:64447/ojs/index.php/IJITL/article/view/699
- Fairclough, N. (1989). Language and power. London: Longman. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404500016316 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404500016316
- Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and social change. Cambridge: Polity Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/S 0047404500017309
- Fairclough, N. (2001). Language and power (2nd ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education.
- Fairclough, N. (2003). Analysing discourse: Textual analysis for social research. London New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203697078 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203697078
- Government of Pakistan (2006). National curriculum for English language. Grade I-XII Islamabad: Ministry of Education.
- Haberman, P., Afzaal, M., Ghaffar, A., & Alfadda, H. (2020). Various Roles in the Development of EFL Learners’ English Skills. International Journal of Instruction, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.13438a DOI: https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.13438a
- Hamidah, S. C. (2017). The Representation of Gender Ideology in Indonesian Textbooks. ISLLAC: Journal of Intensive Studies on Language, Literature, Art, and Culture, 1(1), 201-223. https://doi.org/10.179 77/um006v1i12017p201 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17977/um006v1i12017p201
- Jorgensen, M. & Phillips, L. (2002). Discourse Analysis as Theory and Method. London: Sage Publication. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781849208871 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781849208871
- Kanglong, L. and Afzaal, M. (2020). Lexical Bundles: A Corpus -driven investigation of Academic Writing Teaching to ESL Undergraduates. International Journal on Emerging Technologies, 11(5), 476– 482.
- Liu, H. (2020). Ideologies in College EFL Textbooks–A Content Analysis Based on Critical Pedagogy. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 11(6), 937-942. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1106.09 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1106.09
- McGrath, I. (2002). Materials evaluation and design for language teaching. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
- Mirhosseini, S. A. (2018). Issues of ideology in English language education worldwide: An overview. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 26(1), 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2017.1318415 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2017.1318415
- Mohammed, M.A.S. (2015). The role of English language textbooks in the reproduction of racism. International Journal of English Language and Translation Studies, 3(1), 95-108.
- Muhammad, Y., & Brett, P. (2015). Beyond binary discourses? Pakistan studies textbooks and representations of cultural, national, and global Identity. IARTEM e-Journal, 7(3), 74-101.
- Pandhiani, S. (2016). Construction of cultural values and ideology in social studies textbooks: a critical discourse analytical perspective. The Women, Research Journal, 8, 27-39.
- Rahman, T. (2002). Language, ideology and power. Karachi: Oxford University Press.
- Sajid, J. M. (2015). Ideology in text books. Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Studies, 3(6), 575-581.
- Saussure, F. D. (1960). Course in general linguistics. Bally, C. & Sechehaye, A. (London: Peter Owen Ltd). https://doi.org/10.2307/538001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/538001
- SDPI. (2002-03). The Subtle Subversion: The State of Curricula and Textbooks in Pakistan. Islamabad: Author.
- Shah, S. K., Tariq, W., & Bilal, M. (2013). Ideology in English textbooks: A case study of matric level books in Punjab. Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(11), 113-120.
- Shah, S. W. A., & Pathan, H. (2016). Representation of western culture in ‘O’ level English language textbooks. In English Language Forum (ELF) (Vol. 18).
- Simpson, J. A. (2009). The Oxford English Dictionary - CD-ROM Version 4.0: Windows/Mac Individual User Version. Oxford University Press, USA.
- Taki, S. (2008). International and local curricula: the question of ideology. Language Teaching Research, 12, 127-142. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168807084503 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168807084503
- Van Dijk, T. A. (1993). Principles of critical discourse analysis. Discourse & society, 4(2), 249-283. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926593004002006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926593004002006
- Van Dijk, T. A. (2001). Critical Discourse Analysis. In Schiffrin, D., Tannen, D. & Hamilton, H. E., The Handbook of Discourse Analysis (pp. 352-371). Oxford: Blackwell.
- Wang, D. (2016). Learning or becoming: Ideology and national identity in textbooks for international learners of Chinese. Cogent Education, 3(1), 1140361. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2016.1140361 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2016.1140361
- Wongsantativanich, M. (2019). An Analysis of Ideologies in English Textbooks for Thai Students: A Case Study on Direct Method Reader for Thai Students. Journal of Kanchanaburi Rajbhat University, 8(1), 77-90. Retrieved from https://so03.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/KRUjournal/article/view/144915/143886
- Westbury, I. (1990). Textbooks. Textbook publishers, and the quality of schooling. In D. Elliot and A. Woodward (eds), Textbooks and Schooling in the United States, 89th Yearbook, Part, 1, 1-22.
- Wodak, R., & Reisigl, M. (2001). The Semiotics of Racism. Approaches in Critical Discourse Analysis. Passagen Verlag. https://doi.org/10.4135/9780857028020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9780857028020
- Yaqoob, M. T. (2011). Ideology and worldview in textbooks: A study of cultural aspects in ELT in Pakistan (Doctoral dissertation, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan.). Retrieved from http://prr.hec.gov.pk/jspui/bitst ream/123456789/1523/1/1233S.pdf
- Yuen, K. M. (2011). The representation of foreign cultures in English textbooks. ELT Journal, 65, 458–466. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccq089 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccq089
- Zaidi, S. M. A. (2011). Polarisation of social studies textbooks in Pakistan. The Curriculum Journal, 22(1), 43-59. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585176.2011.550770 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09585176.2011.550770
References
Abdollahzadeh, E., & Baniasad, S. (2010). Ideologies in the imported English textbooks: EFL learners and teachers’ awareness and attitude. Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 2(217), 1-17. Retrieved from https://elt.tabrizu.ac.ir/article_624.html
Afzal, M. (2015). History Textbooks, Ideology, and Attitudes in Government and Elite Pakistani Schools. Ideology, and Attitudes in Government and Elite Pakistani Schools (November 9, 2015). https://doi.org/10.21 39/ssrn.2666720 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2666720
Afzaal, M. (2020). Book review: Kennet Lynggaard, Discourse Analysis and European Union Politics (Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics), Discourse Studies, 22(5), 632-634. https://doi.org/10.117 7/1461445620921656 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445620921656
Afzaal, M., & Xiangyi, J. (2020). Book review: Ken Hyland and Feng (Kevin) Jiang, Academic Discourse and Global Publishing: Disciplinary Persuasion in Changing Times. Discourse Studies, 22(3), 384–386. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445620905135 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445620905135
Alimorad, Z. (2016). Cultural values represented in First Certificate Masterclass taught in Iran: uncovering the hidden curriculum. SAGE Open, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016636431 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016636431
Ali, A., Hassan, S., & Hanan, F. (2019). Propagation of Ideologies through Textbooks: A Study of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa English Textbooks. Global Regional Review, 4(1), 55-61. https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2019(IV-I).06 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2019(IV-I).06
Apple, W. M. (2001). Ideology and curriculum. London: Routledge Education Books. https://doi.org/1 0.2307/3339875
Bakhtin, M. M. (1981). The dialogic imagination (C. Emerson & M. Holquist, trans.) (Cambridge University Press). https://doi.org/10.2307/2497064 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2497064
Dar, S., & Masroor, F. (2019). Cultural Dissemination: A Case Study of English Text Books at Primary Level in Pakistan. International Journal of Innovation in Teaching and Learning (IJITL), 5(2), 33-48. Retrieved from http://irigs.iiu.edu.pk:64447/ojs/index.php/IJITL/article/view/699
Fairclough, N. (1989). Language and power. London: Longman. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404500016316 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404500016316
Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and social change. Cambridge: Polity Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/S 0047404500017309
Fairclough, N. (2001). Language and power (2nd ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education.
Fairclough, N. (2003). Analysing discourse: Textual analysis for social research. London New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203697078 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203697078
Government of Pakistan (2006). National curriculum for English language. Grade I-XII Islamabad: Ministry of Education.
Haberman, P., Afzaal, M., Ghaffar, A., & Alfadda, H. (2020). Various Roles in the Development of EFL Learners’ English Skills. International Journal of Instruction, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.13438a DOI: https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.13438a
Hamidah, S. C. (2017). The Representation of Gender Ideology in Indonesian Textbooks. ISLLAC: Journal of Intensive Studies on Language, Literature, Art, and Culture, 1(1), 201-223. https://doi.org/10.179 77/um006v1i12017p201 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17977/um006v1i12017p201
Jorgensen, M. & Phillips, L. (2002). Discourse Analysis as Theory and Method. London: Sage Publication. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781849208871 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781849208871
Kanglong, L. and Afzaal, M. (2020). Lexical Bundles: A Corpus -driven investigation of Academic Writing Teaching to ESL Undergraduates. International Journal on Emerging Technologies, 11(5), 476– 482.
Liu, H. (2020). Ideologies in College EFL Textbooks–A Content Analysis Based on Critical Pedagogy. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 11(6), 937-942. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1106.09 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1106.09
McGrath, I. (2002). Materials evaluation and design for language teaching. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Mirhosseini, S. A. (2018). Issues of ideology in English language education worldwide: An overview. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 26(1), 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2017.1318415 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2017.1318415
Mohammed, M.A.S. (2015). The role of English language textbooks in the reproduction of racism. International Journal of English Language and Translation Studies, 3(1), 95-108.
Muhammad, Y., & Brett, P. (2015). Beyond binary discourses? Pakistan studies textbooks and representations of cultural, national, and global Identity. IARTEM e-Journal, 7(3), 74-101.
Pandhiani, S. (2016). Construction of cultural values and ideology in social studies textbooks: a critical discourse analytical perspective. The Women, Research Journal, 8, 27-39.
Rahman, T. (2002). Language, ideology and power. Karachi: Oxford University Press.
Sajid, J. M. (2015). Ideology in text books. Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Studies, 3(6), 575-581.
Saussure, F. D. (1960). Course in general linguistics. Bally, C. & Sechehaye, A. (London: Peter Owen Ltd). https://doi.org/10.2307/538001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/538001
SDPI. (2002-03). The Subtle Subversion: The State of Curricula and Textbooks in Pakistan. Islamabad: Author.
Shah, S. K., Tariq, W., & Bilal, M. (2013). Ideology in English textbooks: A case study of matric level books in Punjab. Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(11), 113-120.
Shah, S. W. A., & Pathan, H. (2016). Representation of western culture in ‘O’ level English language textbooks. In English Language Forum (ELF) (Vol. 18).
Simpson, J. A. (2009). The Oxford English Dictionary - CD-ROM Version 4.0: Windows/Mac Individual User Version. Oxford University Press, USA.
Taki, S. (2008). International and local curricula: the question of ideology. Language Teaching Research, 12, 127-142. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168807084503 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168807084503
Van Dijk, T. A. (1993). Principles of critical discourse analysis. Discourse & society, 4(2), 249-283. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926593004002006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926593004002006
Van Dijk, T. A. (2001). Critical Discourse Analysis. In Schiffrin, D., Tannen, D. & Hamilton, H. E., The Handbook of Discourse Analysis (pp. 352-371). Oxford: Blackwell.
Wang, D. (2016). Learning or becoming: Ideology and national identity in textbooks for international learners of Chinese. Cogent Education, 3(1), 1140361. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2016.1140361 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2016.1140361
Wongsantativanich, M. (2019). An Analysis of Ideologies in English Textbooks for Thai Students: A Case Study on Direct Method Reader for Thai Students. Journal of Kanchanaburi Rajbhat University, 8(1), 77-90. Retrieved from https://so03.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/KRUjournal/article/view/144915/143886
Westbury, I. (1990). Textbooks. Textbook publishers, and the quality of schooling. In D. Elliot and A. Woodward (eds), Textbooks and Schooling in the United States, 89th Yearbook, Part, 1, 1-22.
Wodak, R., & Reisigl, M. (2001). The Semiotics of Racism. Approaches in Critical Discourse Analysis. Passagen Verlag. https://doi.org/10.4135/9780857028020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9780857028020
Yaqoob, M. T. (2011). Ideology and worldview in textbooks: A study of cultural aspects in ELT in Pakistan (Doctoral dissertation, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan.). Retrieved from http://prr.hec.gov.pk/jspui/bitst ream/123456789/1523/1/1233S.pdf
Yuen, K. M. (2011). The representation of foreign cultures in English textbooks. ELT Journal, 65, 458–466. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccq089 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccq089
Zaidi, S. M. A. (2011). Polarisation of social studies textbooks in Pakistan. The Curriculum Journal, 22(1), 43-59. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585176.2011.550770 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09585176.2011.550770