Representations of Culture in ESL Textbooks for Young Learners

Abstract: In both LGR 11 and LGR 22 (Skolverket, 2019; Skolverket, 2022) Skolverket prescribes that those students within the English subject should be given opportunities to learn about the culture in different English-speaking areas. The researcher therefore investigated the extent to which the culture of different English-speaking countries is represented in ESL textbooks.  The goal with this research study was to reveal which countries that receive the most and least attention in ESL textbooks. The purpose of this was to give English teachers an idea of which countries they need to spend the most, and least, time on when it comes to finding or creating new teaching materials.  To find answers to the research question, the researcher followed a Critical Content Analysis model designed by Short (2019). The textbooks that were analyzed were all intended for students in grade 4, and the researcher used checklist to collect data. The study has a mixed-method approach (qualitative and quantitative) but is to the largest degree a qualitative study.  The results shows that the culture of USA and Great Britain were represented to a large degree, while New Zealand and South Africa were mentioned to a minor degree. This means that it might be a good idea for teachers to focus their creating and searching for new teaching materials to certain countries if they want to treat English-speaking countries in their teaching in a balanced manner. This also means that the textbooks do not give students equal opportunities to learn about all the countries in which the English language is used. The study thus confirms what previous research in the field of "ELL textbooks" has shown. Namely that ELL textbooks show the culture of English-speaking countries in an unbalanced manner.