Analyzing texts in a high school textbook critically from the perspective of cultural understanding

2012 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22720231
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Foreign language education
• Research Institution: Nagaoka National College of Technology
• Principal Investigator: TANAKA Mayumi 長岡工業高等専門学校, 一般教育科, 准教授 (50469582)
• Project Period (FY): 2010 – 2012
• Keywords: 英語教育 / 教科書研究 / 異文化理解 / 批判的談話分析 / クリティカル・リーディング

Research Abstract

In this study cultural texts in a high school textbook used in Japan were analyzed critically using Critical Discourse Analysis. Questions and activities for critical reading were developed based on the results of the analyses and provided to students in the process of action research. Also investigated were the ways in which teachers dealt with culture in English textbooks and students read them. The findings show practical implications for developing a pedagogy for critical reading.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Symposium on ELT Coursebooks: Past, Present and Possible (2013)
  • Author(s): Richard Smith, John Gray, Diana Freeman, Alice Wanjira Kiai, Mayumi Tanaka, Dario Banegas
  • Journal Title: IATEFL 2012 Glasgow Conference Selections Pages: 74-77
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Critical Discourse Analysis of a Government Approved Textbook: Aiming for its Application to English Language Teaching (2010)
  • Author(s): Mayumi Tanaka
  • Journal Title: Proceedings of JASFL Volume: Vol.4 Pages: 13-28
• [Presentation] Dealing with Constructed Cultural 'Reality' in Japanese HighSchool Coursebooks (2012)
  • Author(s): Mayumi Tanaka
  • Organizer: International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language Conference Glasgow 2012
  • Place of Presentation: The Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre(Glasgow, UK)
  • Year and Date: 2012-03-21
• [Presentation] Japanese Students' Responses to Critical Reading of Culture (2011)
  • Author(s): Mayumi Tanaka
  • Organizer: 1st InterdisciplinaryLinguistics Conference
  • Place of Presentation: Queen's University (Belfast, UK)
  • Year and Date: 2011-10-14
• [Presentation] Developing a Pedagogy for Critical Teaching of Culture (2011)
  • Author(s): Mayumi Tanaka
  • Organizer: 14th Warwick International Postgraduate Conference in Applied Linguistics
  • Place of Presentation: The University ofWarwick (Coventry, UK)
  • Year and Date: 2011-06-29
• [Presentation] Using CDA to Read Cultural Representations (2010)
  • Author(s): Mayumi Tanaka
  • Organizer: 全国語学教 育学会(JALT)
  • Place of Presentation: 愛知 県産業労働センター
  • Year and Date: 2010-11-20
• [Presentation] Comic Book Culture in the Japanese and Global Contexts: Critical Discourse Analysis for itsApplication to English Language Teaching (2010)
  • Author(s): Mayumi Tanaka
  • Organizer: The British Association for Applied Linguistics
  • Place of Presentation: The University of Aberdeen (Aberdeen, UK)
  • Year and Date: 2010-09-11