Ideology and Power in an Iranian High School English Textbook (Prospect 1):A Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract

The present study aims to examine the representation of ideology and power in the texts of the English language book for the first year of secondary school (Prospect 1). In this study, the theoretical framework is based on Van Dijk's socio-cognitive approach to critical discourse analysis; an approach which emphasizes the role of language in reproducing social and ideological structures. The data consists of a seventh-grade textbook that has been analyzed using a descriptive-analytical method at three levels: micro, macro, and linguistic. Data were collected through direct observation, selecting the desired text in the research, taking notes of the desired texts, and images in the English textbook. The discourse of the mentioned textbook is an ideological discourse that encompasses the authors' goals, which include providing national, cultural, and religious knowledge. Also, the representation of the Islamic system and religious attitude can be explained in such a way that the lifestyle, individual and social culture of individuals in an Islamic society, and their cultural patterns are represented in this book.  Based on the results, the texts of Prospect 1 contain themes that reflect the cultural, moral, and religious values ​​of Iranian society, and avoid direct representation of Western culture. In linguistic analysis, the high frequency of words such as "family," "respect," "duty," and "God," as well as the widespread presence of the plural pronouns "we" and the modal verbs "must," "obligate," indicate a moral-oriented and identity-oriented discourse. The findings reveal that English language teaching in the Iranian educational system has been redesigned not to transmit global culture but to strengthen local and religious identity. This research can take steps towards advancing future community studies and improving textbook writing. Moreover, educational administrators, curriculum designers, content authors, and teachers can convey desirable ideologies to students through knowledge of critical analysis methods.