A comparative study of images in Taiwanese\'s and Vietnamese\'s primary English textbooks

• Main Author: Nguyen Thi Thuy Loan
• Other Authors: Yun-Ping Ge
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2019
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/7drkbb

碩士 === 國立東華大學 === 教育與潛能開發學系 === 107 === English textbooks play a crucially important role in language education in Taiwan and Vietnam. Visual images in English textbooks motivate younger learners. Images are not merely neutral reproductions of reality, but may also convey purpose of editing publishers by character’s actions, behaviors, the way to represent texts and images. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the visual images used in English textbooks of two countries for the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. The theoretical framework of the study follows the theory “Grammar of visual design” of Kress and Van Leeuwen (2006) according to three main dimensions: Ideational meanings, Interpersonal meanings and compositional meanings. Visual content analysis is used as the research methodology of this study. Data analyzed resource are two sets of Taiwanese English textbooks and one set of Vietnamese English textbooks namely Kang-Hsuan: Follow me, Hess: Story.com and Vietnam Educational publishing house: Tieng Anh, 18 English textbooks are analyzed totally. Totally 884 images are taken out from eighteen English books English textbooks. The results show the similarities and differences of visual images among nations. The similar factors of them are both two countries employ much space in representing Analytical and Speech processes. Represented participants are looked from the Frontal sides and Offer images which seem to reveal that participants invite readers to listen and to watch them rather than to address the viewers. The differences of two countries are clearly demonstrated through participants, things and circumstances which illustrate traditional and international information of each country, image structures and layouts of Vietnamese and Taiwanese are totally different. The results also reveal that intentions of publishers and culture ideologies of countries are found through image designs of English textbooks.