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Teaching Culture in Introductory Foreign Language Textbooks

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  • © 2016

Overview

Authors:
  1. Carol A. Chapelle

    1. Iowa State University , Ames, USA

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  • Demonstrates how foreign language textbook analysis can inform future materials development
  • Reveals the texts and images that textbook producers selected from 1960 to 2010 to represent Canada and Quebec to beginning French learners
  • Offers foreign language materials developers food for thought and methods for action

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Table of contents (6 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxii
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  2. The Significance of Culture in Language Teaching

    • Carol A. Chapelle
    Pages 1-35

  3. Québec’s Cultural Narrative and French Textbooks

    • Carol A. Chapelle
    Pages 37-73

  4. Québec Content in Text

    • Carol A. Chapelle
    Pages 75-122

  5. Québec Content in Images

    • Carol A. Chapelle
    Pages 123-179

  6. A Closer Look at Language Politics

    • Carol A. Chapelle
    Pages 181-212

  7. Strengthening Cultural Content in First-Year Textbooks

    • Carol A. Chapelle
    Pages 213-247

  8. Back Matter

    Pages 249-263
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Keywords

About this book

This book demonstrates how foreign language textbook analysis can inform future materials development to improve foreign language teaching. Through chronological analysis of French textbooks in the United States, this book explores the representations of Canada and Quebec in French beginner textbooks produced from 1960 to 2010. Chapelle couples a large collection of 65 textbooks with a social-semiotic qualitative analysis of the genres, language and images that communicate Quebec's cultural narrative to learners. Findings about the amount and type of content are presented by decade to track the trends in foreign language teaching and changes in Quebec’s representation. Particular attention is given to how language politics is presented to students through text and images. This book will be of interest to scholars of Canadian Studies, Quebec Studies and Second Language Acquisition, as well as foreign language materials developers.

Reviews

“Chapelle’s work is important beyond its data and its argument that textbooks ought to include more political context in their presentation of Québécois culture and politics. Her book provides an exemplary methodology with five case studies (corresponding to five time periods) that could be used in undergraduate and graduate courses on qualitative research. … The book is also pleasant to read.” (Alexandre Couture Gagnon, American Review of Canadian Studies, Vol. 47 (3), 2017)

“Teaching Culture in Introductory Foreign Language Textbooks takes an important in-depth look at the treatment and study of québécois culture in beginning-level French textbooks. Chapelle expertly guides the reader through an understanding of the significance of culture in language teaching, appreciation for Québec’s cultural narrative, and insight into the critical importance of language politics and socio-semiotic theory. Simply-put, a must-read for future and current practitioners seeking to strengthen or improve their teaching of language and cultural narratives.” (Stacey Weber-Fève, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA)

“Few studies of language textbooks have offered the complex, historically situated account that one finds in Carol Chapelle’s book. She presents a compelling, evidence-based case for making cultural and political narratives a central aspect of beginning French textbooks, balancing critique with tangible recommendations for materials design. With its commitment to scholarly rigor and professional relevance, Teaching Culture in Introductory Foreign Language Textbooks places textbook study firmly on the agenda of applied linguistics research and practice.” (Csilla Weninger, National Institute of Education, Singapore)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Iowa State University , Ames, USA

    Carol A. Chapelle

About the author

Carol A. Chapelle is Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University.  She is editor of the Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics (2013), co-editor of the Cambridge Applied Linguistics Series, past president of the American Association for Applied Linguistics, and former editor of TESOL Quarterly.

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