Cultural Conceptualizations in EFL textbooks

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative study of two widely used EFL textbooks in the 4th year of Compulsory Secondary Education in La Rioja, Spain, examining how their reading activities influence learners' cultural cognitive processes through their vocabulary input. Employing Cultural Linguistics' framework (Sharifian, 2011), the study aims to: (i) identify the activation of cultural conceptualizations in the reading passages, (ii) assess the development of schemas and categories with the inclusion of sub-schemas and instances, and (iii) explore what cultures are enhanced by these cultural conceptualizations. Results indicate the activation of cultural schemas and categories, with schemas being more prevalent, and the inclusion of sub-schemas and instances enriching cultural meaning. The approach to addressing culture in EFL textbooks varies in each book. Our findings show that the presence of sub-schemas and instances may facilitate learners in effectively navigating intercultural encounters.

Keywords

• cultural conceptualizations
• EFL textbooks
• vocabulary
• cultural schemas
• cultural categories