Multicultural Education in English Teacher’s Books for Young Learners

More and more European children are being taught foreign languages at a young age. Early language education is an intercultural process from the very beginning. There are plenty of teaching and learning materials (ELT) used worldwide, with English language materials varying to a considerable degree. The common tendency is to incorporate cultural content in ELT materials to enrich linguistic content. This paper focuses on teacher’s books and their multi(inter)cultural elements. The aim is to identify the most important aspects linked with teaching culture offered in English teacher’s book for young learners (YL). The following questions are explored: How is cultural content incorporated in English teacher’s books for young learners? What cultural aspects are included in English teacher’s books for young learners? What instructions are provided for teaching cultural content to young learners? The project involves an analysis of selected teachers’ books currently used in teaching English to YLs in Polish primary schools. The project involves the evaluation studies based on a set of universal and content-specific criteria. The most important criteria are linked with the cultural elements found in ELT materials. It is hoped that the results from the project will enrich the process of designing materials for early language education.