What the study found
The study found a gradual decrease in environmental discourse from primary to secondary school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbooks in Punjab, Pakistan. It also found that the textbooks mainly present nature through sensory and experiential descriptions.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that textbooks and teachers are important for building students' ecological awareness, which they link to addressing environmental degradation and the climate crisis. They suggest that including environmental challenges and matching content to students' learning levels can help foster ecological awareness and environmental preservation.
What the researchers tested
The researchers analyzed 10 EFL textbooks from primary through secondary levels published by the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board. They used Stibbe’s ecolinguistics model, which examines language patterns related to environmental meaning, and Kress and Leeuwen’s social semiotics, which analyzes how images make meaning, to study both linguistic and visual representations.
What worked and what didn't
The findings indicate that beneficial discourse in the textbooks promotes environmentally friendly activities through both words and visuals. The analysis also showed that the textbooks focus mainly on sensory and experiential aspects of nature, while representation of environmental discourse becomes less frequent at higher grade levels.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not describe detailed limitations beyond the fact that the study examined 10 textbooks from one curriculum board in Punjab, Pakistan. It also does not provide quantitative measures for the decrease in environmental discourse.
Key points
- Environmental discourse decreases gradually from primary to secondary EFL textbooks.
- The textbooks mainly emphasize sensory and experiential aspects of nature.
- Beneficial discourse promotes environmentally friendly activities in both language and visuals.
- The study analyzed 10 textbooks from the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board.
- The authors say textbooks can help foster ecological awareness if environmental challenges are included.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Environmental discourse declines from primary to secondary textbooks
- Authors:
- Musarat Yasmin, Shiza Asif, Farhat Naseem, Tahira Jabeen
- Institutions:
- Al-Khair University, University of Gujrat, University of Gujrat, University of Sargodha
- Publication date:
- 2026-03-07
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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