Categorization of writing tasks in Iranian senior high school English textbooks

Abstract

Using Littlejohn's (2011) task analysis sheet, this study examined writing tasks in Iranian ELT textbooks developed by Iran's Ministry of Education since 1979 to see whether their underlying aspects reflected universal SLA principles. Almost all of the writing tasks were found to be writing‐as‐a‐means type engaging the students with aspects of language other than the writing itself. Also, the textbooks relied heavily on mechanical writing drills to practice certain structures thereby lagging behind SLA research and practice. Moreover, interviews with one key official and one ELT material developer attested to the lack of any ELT‐specific documents for material development. It is recommended that L2 writing pedagogy in Iran and similar contexts needs to be reevaluated in the light of more recent breakthroughs in writing scholarship.

Investigating Cultural Contents of Reading Passages in the Tests Developed by English Teachers in a Senior High School

“…However, the consideration of cultural issue in reading passages of a test is crucial since unbalance proportion of cultural materials can make test takers do not understand optimally reading passagesin a test due to unfamiliarity to cultural contents included (Gass & Selinker, 2008). Culture in reading passages of the test can also influence how test takers, in this case students, see particular culture (Sherman, 2010;Aliakbari, 2004).Hence, unbalance proportion of cultural contents in the reading passages to some extent can also lead to cultural bias in a test.…”

“…The findings are relevant to Kachru and Smith (2008) stating that American and British culture are the 'favorite' culture represented in textbooks. Cultural contents in reading passages should be treated carefully since it can influence how readers see particular culture (Sherman, 2010;Aliakbari, 2004). Hence, as reading passages can also be found in a test, the cultural contents included in a test should be considered carefully.…”

“…Then, it corresponds to what Matsuda (2003) suggests regarding more inclusion of other characters beside native speakers in a reading passage. As contents of reading passages can influence points of view of readers (Sherman, 2010;Aliakbari, 2004), prominent portrayal of the international culture in reading passages of the tests can encourage teachers and students to think that English can accommodate communication not only with native speakers of English, but also with people around the world with various cultural background. This finding is not in line with Kachruand Smith (2008) stating that the target culture people, especially British and American, are usually favored in reading passages.…”

“…If cultural issues are not treated carefully in a test, to some extent some students may not be able to answer the questions since the reading is not in line with the cultural values they are familiar with. Furthermore, as cultural contents in reading passages influence how readers view the world (Aliakbari, 2004;Sherman, 2010), the washback can be related to how students view the world based on other people's culture. The prominent proportion and portrayal of particular cultures in reading passages can make students gradually confirm that those cultures are applicable.…”

التكامل الثقافي في اختبارات اللغة الانكليزية للمرحلة الاعدادية في العراق

“…Deductive content analysis is employed to work on a primary data of questions' papers of the NEs. The occurrences are classified in accordance to Aliakbari's (2004) typology in terms of source, target, international and neutral types of culture. Results indicate that the local culture predominates showing an obvious bias.…”