Textbook interaction: A study of the language and cultural contextualisation of English learning textbooks

The impact and the role of textbooks in language learning and communication have not been paid enough attention. English textbooks have the potential to not just provide guidance for learning language but can be a platform for introducing cultural diversity and tolerance and as a medium for integrating cross-disciplinary knowledge. Building on a social learning and sociocultural theory, this research considers whether English textbooks are contextualised enough to help with students' English learning and communication. This is achieved by analysing a set of secondary English textbooks Project English used in China and discovering textbook users' real experience of learning English and using English textbooks. The results show that topics, texts, and tasks of textbooks are decontextualised in terms of authenticity, levels of communication, diversity, and representation of cultures. Moreover, more attention is given to grammatical functions of English language rather than its communicative functions. Suggestions towards a more communicative and contextualised textbook content and pedagogy are provided.