Abstract:

English language instruction has many important components but the essential constituents of many ESL/EFL classrooms and programs are the textbooks that are often taught by language instructors and used by learners. Textbooks typically contain texts accompanied by pictures. However, the question arises as to the contribution of these pictures to support learning. The contribution of pictures to learning, sometimes, seems to be taken for granted by those who produce the resources. Some research findings indicate that pictures may not always be as effective as their widespread use would seem to suggest. Further, there is a lack of principled guidance for the design, choice, and use of pictures that are intended to complement texts. Thus, this study aimed at analyzing the illustrations included in the Iranian Junior High school English textbooks in order to find out whether or not they may facilitate students’ learning. Throughout the study, the effectiveness of the illustrations was examined with references to relevant theoretical background, and content analysis of prescribed English textbooks. In order to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the illustrations and ultimately how well they suit the desired and attainable goals of the EFL curriculum, a series of textbook evaluation questionnaires were created and administered to the instructors and students. The results of the study showed that some textbooks’ illustrations do not facilitate learning. In fact, some illustrations were found to be incomplete or even incorrect; others were compared to the alternative conceptions held by students and others included analogies that might lead to alternative conceptions. Thus, it could be implied that teacher educators need to prepare teachers to look critically at school textbooks so that they become aware of the powers and limitations of textbook illustrations and find ways of overcoming their inconvenience, when there is no other choice.

Keywords:

Content Analysis, Illustration, School EFL Text books.