The treatment of environmental literacy in the ELT textbooks in Vietnam

Abstract

Through the application of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and visual image analysis, this study evaluated 15 English Language Teaching (ELT) textbooks utilized in Vietnam, seeking to explore the extent to which environmental literacy (EL) content is incorporated. The analysis indicates that the knowledge component appears 29 times, Affect 25 times, and Behavior 10 times. It was observed that the Behavior aspect of EL is the least represented among the three. The range of knowledge component lacks integration, with the content predominantly anthropocentric, exhibiting a superficial approach to environmentalism. The textbooks employ abstraction and anonymization methods, sidestepping direct identification of the culprits behind environmental degradation. Instead, less influential groups namely farmers, students, tourists, and truck drivers are unfairly held accountable. The Affect component is overly simplified, failing to nurture a sense of care and empathy for the natural world. While some eco-friendly behaviors and the suggestion to write a complaint letter to a truck company are presented as realistic, there exists a distorted portrayal where littering in water is inaccurately identified as the primary factor in fish mortality, overlooking the impact of chemical pollutants. The ELT materials seem to align with the interests of factory owners and the Vietnamese government, displaying a neoliberal stance that technological advancements can address environmental challenges, while also emphasizing economic gains and consumerism through references to tourism.

Keywords

• Environmental education
• Vietnamese English textbooks
• environmental literacy
• critical discourse analysis
• visual image analysis
• Sustainability Education