Examining the Cultural Representation in Four Corners ELT Textbooks

The current study tried to analyze the representation of culture and intercultural interactions in the Four Corners textbooks. In this study only Four Corners 4 in the upper intermediate level was examined. The texts and images of the two textbooks were scrutinized both quantitatively and qualitatively. Regarding gender, all proper nouns and pronouns,as well as the pictures depicting males and females were counted to examine the extent to which a balance can befound. As to identify nationality, using the Kachru s model (1985), which divides English into three concentric circlesincluding the inner circle, the outer circle, and the expanding circle, the names and pictures related to cities and countries were counted and specified. Finally, the three categories of white, black, and yellow were used to analyze the skin color of the characters in the pictures in order to identify race. Also, as regards cultural interactions, the researcherconsidered the three indicants of physical (superficial) interactions, hybridized, and critical reflections. The resultsshowed a bias in gender in favor of males, the expanding circle countries as the main nationality, and the white people as the major characters in the Four Corners textbooks. Regarding intercultural representation, it was shown that physical aspects of culture were prevailed by the inner circle. The findings also pointed out that much more attention was paid to critical reflections than the hybrid culture, while the critical reflections themselves were not focused adequately, as it would be expected.

Keywords:

culture , intercultural interactions , textbooks , Four Corners