548
J. Jodoin and J. Singer
1.3 EFL in Japanese Higher Education
MEXT shows considerable enthusiasm for promoting English as a Foreign Language
(EFL) education. English is a compulsory subject in primary and secondary as well
as at most tertiary institutions (Chang 2011, pp. 197–198). Most Japanese university
students are required to study English at university, although the quality and form
of this education varies dramatically between institutions. The promotion of EFL in
Japanese higher education can be seen as a means to foster students who can live
and work abroad, students who are more linguistically competent in a globalizing
workplace, and, more broadly, future citizens who can represent Japan in a globalizing world. To do this, Japanese universities rely heavily on EFL textbooks that are
produced by major international publishers like Cengage, Oxford University Press,
and Pearson Longman.
According to Caravita et al. (2008, p. 99), “Textbooks represent one of the pillars
of formal education and they often represent the actual curriculum, since they may
heavily influence the content, the approach, and the teaching style.” EFL textbooks
in Japanese higher education often serve as the basis for the course curriculum, with
textbooks guiding all classroom activities. Furthermore, these textbooks determine
the sequence of topics and the topics themselves. They also indirectly contribute to a
students’ world views, attitudes, and beliefs, and may convey values, either subtly or
explicitly (Jones et al. 1999, pp. 354–355). They may be the only source of information a university student receives about environmental sustainability. Understanding
how these topics are represented in EFL textbooks and the kinds of values, themes,
and understandings presented are largely absent from current ESD literature. Therefore, as multimodal constructions of knowledge become the norm in education, the
presentation of environmental imagery and text in EFL textbooks should be better
understood.
Currently, the Japanese textbook market is saturated with textbooks that have
adopted environmental themes and topics as a platform for teaching English. For
instance, many English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbooks used in Japanese
higher education have sections or entire chapters dedicated to environmental topics
like “sustainability” or “climate change.” This presents an opportunity for textbook
writers and curriculum developers to integrate promotion of ESD competencies and
the knowledge, attitudes and behavior needed to achieve the SDGs.
1.4 Theoretical Approaches to Images and Text in Textbooks
Imagery plays a significant role in most learning contexts, whether in “image-text
relations” (Unsworth 2006) or in multimodal constructions of knowledge (Kress
2003; Weninger and Kiss 2013). The construction of knowledge is achieved through
the interplay of written language and imagery in contemporary writing, teaching,
materials creation, and assessment (Guo and Feng 2015, p. 115). There is little dis-
J. Jodoin and J. Singer
1.3 EFL in Japanese Higher Education
MEXT shows considerable enthusiasm for promoting English as a Foreign Language
(EFL) education. English is a compulsory subject in primary and secondary as well
as at most tertiary institutions (Chang 2011, pp. 197–198). Most Japanese university
students are required to study English at university, although the quality and form
of this education varies dramatically between institutions. The promotion of EFL in
Japanese higher education can be seen as a means to foster students who can live
and work abroad, students who are more linguistically competent in a globalizing
workplace, and, more broadly, future citizens who can represent Japan in a globalizing world. To do this, Japanese universities rely heavily on EFL textbooks that are
produced by major international publishers like Cengage, Oxford University Press,
and Pearson Longman.
According to Caravita et al. (2008, p. 99), “Textbooks represent one of the pillars
of formal education and they often represent the actual curriculum, since they may
heavily influence the content, the approach, and the teaching style.” EFL textbooks
in Japanese higher education often serve as the basis for the course curriculum, with
textbooks guiding all classroom activities. Furthermore, these textbooks determine
the sequence of topics and the topics themselves. They also indirectly contribute to a
students’ world views, attitudes, and beliefs, and may convey values, either subtly or
explicitly (Jones et al. 1999, pp. 354–355). They may be the only source of information a university student receives about environmental sustainability. Understanding
how these topics are represented in EFL textbooks and the kinds of values, themes,
and understandings presented are largely absent from current ESD literature. Therefore, as multimodal constructions of knowledge become the norm in education, the
presentation of environmental imagery and text in EFL textbooks should be better
understood.
Currently, the Japanese textbook market is saturated with textbooks that have
adopted environmental themes and topics as a platform for teaching English. For
instance, many English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbooks used in Japanese
higher education have sections or entire chapters dedicated to environmental topics
like “sustainability” or “climate change.” This presents an opportunity for textbook
writers and curriculum developers to integrate promotion of ESD competencies and
the knowledge, attitudes and behavior needed to achieve the SDGs.
1.4 Theoretical Approaches to Images and Text in Textbooks
Imagery plays a significant role in most learning contexts, whether in “image-text
relations” (Unsworth 2006) or in multimodal constructions of knowledge (Kress
2003; Weninger and Kiss 2013). The construction of knowledge is achieved through
the interplay of written language and imagery in contemporary writing, teaching,
materials creation, and assessment (Guo and Feng 2015, p. 115). There is little dis-