Original Research
Aligning ELT with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals: An Ecolinguistic Analysis of Coursebooks and Teacher Practices
- Abstract
- Full text
- Metrics
The present study explored the representation of themes related to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 13 (SDG 13: Climate Action) in a series of global English language teaching (ELT) textbooks. To this end, sustainability narratives in these coursebook series were analyzed, along with how language teachers interpret and adapt them. Data were collected through content analysis of the coursebooks, semi-structured interviews with ten Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers, and narrative inquiry forms. The findings reveal an uneven and fragmented treatment of environmental sustainability across the coursebooks. While World English and, to a lesser extent, Ready For B2 include episodic counter-narratives of care and resilience, American English File predominantly foregrounds consumerist discourses, and Evolve largely overlooks ecological themes despite offering strong pedagogical affordances. Teachers frequently attempted to mediate these gaps by re-storying tasks and introducing sustainability-related discussions. However, their efforts were constrained by curricular demands, exam-oriented instruction, and institutional expectations. The study demonstrates that sustainability in ELT remains peripheral rather than systematically integrated. The findings highlight the need for coursebook developers, policymakers, and teacher education programs to embed sustainability structurally within ELT materials and practices, thereby supporting the development of climate literacy beyond individual teacher practices.
Page 1 of
Download Count : 70
Visit Count : 161
Keywords
ELT Coursebooks; Ecolinguistics; Sustainability; SDG 13; Teacher Practices
Author(s) Information
Publisher’s Note
The claims, arguments, and counter-arguments made in this article are exclusively those of the contributing authors. Hence, they do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the authors’ affiliated institutions, or EUROKD as the publisher, the editors and the reviewers of the article.
Acknowledgements
Not applicable.
Funding
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
CRediT Authorship Contribution Statement
Pourya Javahery: Methodology, Data Collection, Formal Analysis, Writing - Original Draft
Faezeh Abadi: Conceptualization, Methodology
Zahra Bavandi: Data Collection, Writing-Original Draft
Mehdi Solhi: Writing - Review & Editing, Supervision
Generative AI Use Disclosure Statement
In preparing this manuscript, AI-assisted tools were used solely to refine the language (e.g., improving clarity, grammar, style, and readability). The AI was not used to generate original ideas, arguments, analyses, results, or interpretations, nor to create data, figures, or references. All scholarly content and final editorial decisions are the authors’ own, and the authors take full responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the work.
Ethics Declarations
World Medical Association (WMA) Declaration of Helsinki–Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Participants
This study adhered to the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was obtained from all participants, and confidentiality and anonymity were maintained throughout the study.
Competing Interests
The authors declare that there are no competing interests.
Data Availability
Data are not publicly available due to privacy restrictions.