| 21st-Century Intercultural Understanding: A Comparative Analysis of Capital C/Small C Representations in Chinese and Iranian Senior High School EFL Textbooks |
| کد مقاله : 1157-ELTCONF5-FULL |
| نویسندگان |
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Masoume Ahmadi *1، Nasser Sabourianzadeh1، Pardis Dalirani2، Zahra Karami Darabi2 1Assistant Professor, Department of English Language Teaching, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran 2BA Student, Department of English Language Teaching, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran |
| چکیده مقاله |
| Intercultural understanding has become a fundamental 21st-century skill that helps people successfully negotiate cultural diversity in a globalized world. This study analyzed and compared intercultural components in the reading passages of Chinese and Iranian senior high school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbooks through cultural content analysis. To this end, the study utilized Chen's (2004), Lee's (2009), and Cortazzi and Jin's (1999) frameworks to systematically analyze the representations of the Capital 'C' (macro-cultural) and small 'c' (micro-cultural) elements across source (China & Iran), target (English-speaking countries), international (global perspective), and culture-neutral (cultural contexts with no specific source) contexts. The frequency analysis revealed a significant disparity between the two sets of textbooks, with the Chinese textbooks representing a much higher frequency of diverse cultural elements compared to their Iranian counterparts. The Chinese textbooks consistently depicted a comprehensive range of cultural elements, from micro-cultural details like Daily Life and Customs to macro-cultural insights such as History and Economy, across the four specified contexts. In contrast, the Iranian textbooks not only failed to illuminate any discernible intercultural elements but, more critically, neglected to provide acceptable macro- and micro-cultural knowledge of their cultural context. The findings underscore the need to critically reevaluate the Iranian senior high school EFL textbooks to adopt a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to cultural representations. This would guide future curriculum development endeavors to nurture a more globally aware generation of learners. |
| کلیدواژه ها |
| Intercultural understanding, EFL textbook, cultural content, capital 'C' (macro-cultural) elements, small 'c' (micro-cultural) elements |
| وضعیت: پذیرفته شده برای ارائه شفاهی |