Teaching and Learning English as an International Language (EIL): Examining the Global Orientation of Readings in Upper Secondary English Textbooks in Austria

Abstract

As English is used around the world for cross-cultural communication purposes, English language teaching (ELT) materials need to capture a global, multicultural perspective that reflects its status as an international language. In order for English learners to prepare for cross-cultural interactions, school textbooks must move from the traditional EFL-oriented ideology to that of an EIL-oriented one. The aim of the study is to investigate the global orientation of English in a plurilingual European context with Austrian ELT textbooks of the final year of academic high school. The method for this qualitative analysis is content analysis, examining the reading passages in chapters of three textbooks: Into English 4, English in Context 7 & 8, and Prime Time 8. The categories of the units are analyzed schematically in an adapted framework based on Cortazzi and Jin's (1999) model of source culture materials, target culture materials and international target culture materials, in addition to two other categories - global culture (Matsuda & Friedrich, 2011) and interactional culture (Nhan & Yutdhana, 2009). The purpose of this theses is to raise awareness of the cultural contents present in ELT materials from a global perspective, which can help guide teachers in their pedagogy and selection of appropriate materials that more adequately reflect national and international standards for ELT in relation to the EIL, thus supporting English learners' cross-cultural communication skills.