抄録
This paper discusses how the developments of applied linguistics have affected the developments of English language teaching (ELT) materials. After giving a brief review of the history of applied linguistics and ELT in Japan, I will critically examine the discourses of ‘good’ and/or ‘politically correct’ ELT materials at different periods of time in relation to the following issues.
1. ELT materials as a window to the world.
2. Moral and cultural values represented in ELT materials
3. The issue of ‘authenticity’.
Materials play an important role in learning a foreign language in classrooms. In secondary schools, authorized textbooks are the major source of information for the learners, whereas in universities, a wider range of materials, including but not limited to commercially available textbooks, are selected by each institution, or sometimes by each instructor. In either case, moral and cultural values represented in ELT materials play significant roles in learners’ beliefs about English. Therefore, teachers have to continuously assess what the learners can learn from the materials in the specific contexts of learning they are in, and more importantly how the teachers can optimize the effectiveness of the materials in their classrooms.
