Content analysis of students english textbooks and curricula from the chilean ministry of education in relation to vocabulary acquisition and language planning

Abstract

Current research has established that vocabulary learning is essential in the process of Second Language Acquisition (SLA). Since vocabulary learning is an extremely variable practice, choosing the right method to teach it is important so as to achieve proficiency in the target language. In this sense, the Language Planning and Policies (LPP) of different countries lay a fundamental role when establishing language policies and the creation of curricula and textbooks for teachers and students. Following this, the present study focuses on the analysis of the English textbooks from 1st to 4th year of high school, designed for public schools, as well as the curricula from the Chilean Ministry of Education. The aim of this study was to verify if the curricula creation follows what the current academic literature establishes regarding vocabulary acquisition techniques and whether what was presented in the curricula corresponds to what is taught to high school students in their English textbooks. The results show that the teaching of English vocabulary in public education does not entirely follow the major guidelines that have been explored in the literature about vocabulary teaching and learning by different authors, rather, it takes some notions from it, which are not fully developed. Additionally, the Chilean Ministry of Education does not seem to have a clear explicit public policy in regards to English education in the country.