Travessias (Mar 2010)
IMAGES IN THE ENGLISH COURSEBOOK: A FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS
Abstract
Considering the frequent use of coursebooks in English language classrooms, this article presents a brief comparative analysis of the images in two editions of the coursebook Headway (SOARS; SOARS, 1987; 2002). Our aim is to verify whether or not there were changes in the choice and use of the images in both books along this period of time and the probable didactic functions of such images. To develop our analysis, theoretical constructs of the Sociodiscursive Interactionism were used, for sharing the view that every textual production (written or verbal) is inserted into a socio-historical-cultural context and that such insertion determines the context of production of the text and its use by readers/listeners (BRONCKART, 1999/2003). Besides, our comparative analysis was also based on the concepts of image proposed by Joly (1996), Dondis (2003) and Neiva (2002), and in the conceptions of image in coursebooks by Oliveira and Mota (2005) and Ramos and Panozzo (2004). We conclude by stating that there were significant changes between the two coursebooks in the treatment and use of images by the series authors and designers, evidencing that higher importance was given to the images and their role in the English teaching and learning process.
