Awareness of Linguistic Diversity in Dutch Secondary Schools: An Analysis of the Stepping Stones Textbooks
Summary
Despite previous research of English Language Teaching (ELT), gaps remain in the research of ELT textbooks. This study explores the extent to which the Stepping Stones series offers Dutch secondary school students English language diversity. Stepping Stones 2 VMBO bk and Stepping Stones 2 VWO, along with their supplemental audio material, were analyzed. Interviews with teachers who use the textbooks and an online survey of teachers’ initiatives for discussing linguistic diversity were conducted to broaden the scope of the analysis by providing insight into practical exposure to English diversity independent of the textbooks. The results indicated that while an effort is made in Stepping Stones to include linguistic diversity in both textbooks, it is more common in the pre-university (VWO) version, thus limiting the linguistic diversity awareness of pre-vocational (VMBO) students. This research concludes that while the Stepping Stones textbooks do not offer an equal amount of linguistic diversity between VMBO and VWO textbooks, the exposure of the students to the different varieties of World Englishes is provided by the teacher, often only at the request of the students.