Cultural Psychology

Cultural Psychology

Evaluation and Psychological Analysis of Students' Perceptions of Culturally Adapted English Language Teaching Textbooks: The Case of the MERIT Series

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mohammad Shahin Taghaddomi 1
Amir Ali Mazandarani 2
Molana Aryanpour 3
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Language Studies, Research Institute for Human Sciences Development (SAMT), Tehran, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Behavioral Sciences, Research Institute for Human Sciences Development (SAMT), Tehran, Iran
3 Master of Arts, Department of English Language Teaching, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
10.30487/jcp.2025.510199.1785
Abstract
Few studies have examined learners’ perceptions of the cultural elements in adapted textbooks, often focusing on mainstream series. The present study investigated learners’ perceptions of the Merit series, a recently introduced culturally adapted English language teaching textbook employed on a smaller scale. A multi-method approach was used to examine the participants’ evaluations of the cultural aspects of the series, as well as their experiences and perceptions of using it. Twenty-four participants took part in both quantitative and qualitative phases. The quantitative data were collected using a Textbook Cultural Evaluation Questionnaire and analyzed using within-subjects analysis of variance and dependent t-test. The results showed that the participants evaluated “contextualization of content” higher than the “engagement and feedback” and “inclusiveness and diversity” subscales. The qualitative data were collected using a qualitative survey and analyzed using thematic analysis with latent coding, focusing on psychological aspects. The analyses led to the identification of six themes, including 1) enhancing learning by relying on cultural schemas, 2) multimedia learning of culture, 3) utilizing learners’ socio-cultural identity, 4) teaching intercultural competence, 5) textbook as a contextualized entity, and 6) evoking positive emotion in learners to engage them with cultural content, which were, in turn, categorized into three superordinate themes: cultural understanding, cognitive-affective engagement, and contextualization of content. Finally, the findings were discussed using cognitive and social psychology theories and their theoretical and practical implications were discussed.
Keywords
Perception
Textbook
Cultural adaptation
English language teaching
Cultural understanding
Cognitive-affective engagement
Contextualization of content

Subjects

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Cultural Psychology
Volume 8, Issue 2
June 2025
Pages 89-115

  • Receive Date 03 March 2025
  • Revise Date 17 March 2025
  • Accept Date 09 April 2025