Social Semiotic Analysis of Textbooks and Cultures of Learners in EFL context Cultures of Learners in EFL context

Textbooks have been considered as essential tools in language classrooms as they mediate learners to acquire knowledge through language and norm representations. However, in a classroom where English is taken as a foreign language (EFL), there exist some issues for language teachers to take into account when implementing textbooks into classroom practices. This paper presents an analysis of textbooks and cultures of learners in EFL context. The selection of the textbooks deployed seven textbooks published by western-oriented presses and was based on their use in EFL classroom practices. The textbooks have been implemented with learners in all levels. The concept of Social Semiotic was taken to analyze the textbooks by employing three domains namely text, images, and tasks. The results revealed mismatches between textbooks and learners’ cultures as the texts provided repetitive language patterns and unfamiliar lexical presentations. While, the images symbolized attitudes and cultures which partly excluded the learners from the lessons. Lastly, the tasks contained dominating discourse that anticipated the learners to assume the vicarious experiences. This paper also provides the discussion and implications for applying textbooks into classrooms.