Pluralism and diversity in the (inter)cultural content of EFL textbooks in Andalusian bilingual schools

Abstract

Pluralism and diversity in the (inter)cultural content of EFL textbooks in Andalusian bilingual schools. The teaching of (inter)cultural content in L2 classrooms has acquired an increasingly prominent role, as shown by the ‘Bilingual Schools’ program within the ‘Multilingualism Promotion Program’ (2005) in Andalusia (Spain). This study examines whether the (inter)cultural content introduced in a set of 10 EFL textbooks is pluralist and diversified. Specifically, the selected textbooks were published between 2006 and 2012 and are being used in bilingual public schools at the required secondary education level in Andalusia. It is concluded that the (inter)cultural content found in these textbooks concerning the English-speaking world tends to be selective and homogeneous and that these required teaching materials in use in the Bilingual Schools program do not promote the development of (inter)cultural pluralism or diversity.