A Critical Discourse Analysis into Vision English Textbooks Series: The Case of Ideological Analysis

By using critical discourse analysis (CDA) proposed by Fairclough (1989), as a research method, this article examines three dimensions of meaning; i.e. contents, subject positions and social relations in conversation parts of Vision English textbooks from the first grade of high school to the third grade of high school in Iran educational system and also reveals hidden ideologies in these textbooks. To this end, the theory and procedures of critical discourse analysis were applied. Regarding contents, the results clearly demonstrated that the number of items regarding social topics were most frequent ,which tended to represent the idea of nationalism. The analysis regarding subject positions revealed the ideology of sexual inequality in these textbooks and how the material developers perhaps unconsciously are trying to internalize such idea by use of unconscious methods into the conscious of learners. The analysis regarding social relations showed that the material developers consciously or unconsciously are seeking a way with which it will be possible to internalize the idea of men supremacy and priority in the society in the mind of learner.

Keywords:

critical discourse analysis , ideology , textbooks , sexual inequality , nationalism