1. THE PURPOSE OF IMAGES IN ELT TEXTBOOKS
REVISITED
CAMERON ROMNEY
Doshisha University
Faculty of Global Communications
Assistant Professor
July 2, 2016
The 14th Asia TEFL International Conference
11th FEELTA International Conference
The Far Eastern Federal University
Vladivostok, Russia

2. AGENDA
• Background (previous studies)
• Current Study
• Discussion and Implications

3. BACKGROUND

4. HILL (2003)
General survey of images in ELT texts
• color vs. black & white
• illustration vs. photographs
• people, places, things, actions, etc.

5. HILL (2003)
• surveyed 2 textbooks
• binary coding:
• ‘of use’ or decorative

6. HILL (2003)
Use Decorative Total
Images 185 226 411
Percent 45% 55% 100%

7. ROMNEY & BELL (2011)
Survey of images in Business English texts
• expanding on Hill (2003)
• purpose of images
• binary coding

8. ROMNEY & BELL (2011)
• instructional or decorative
• surveyed 15 textbooks

9. Instructional Decorative Total
Images 610 1655 2265
Percent 27% 73% 100%
ROMNEY & BELL (2011)
felt there was a third category

10. ROMNEY(2012)
Survey of images in General English texts
• expanding on Hill (2003)
• and Romney & Bell (2011)
• surveyed 3 textbooks

11. ROMNEY (2012)
• used Levin’s (1981) typology
• decorative, reiterative, representative,
organizational, interpretive, transformative

12. ROMNEY(2012)
Decoration Reiteration Representation Organization Interpretation Transformation Total
Images 308 372 764 100 101 0 1640
Percent 18% 23% 47% 6% 6% 0% 100%

13. ROMNEY(2012)
Decoration Reiteration Representation Organization Interpretation Transformation Total
Images 308 372 764 100 101 0 1640
Percent 18% 23% 47% 6% 6% 0% 100%
82%
some images had ‘passive’ purpose

14. Re-did the 2011 survey
• applied Levin, et al.’s (1987) typology
• to 1655 decorative images ONLY
ROMNEY & BELL (2014)

15. ROMNEY & BELL (2014)
Dec Rep Org Int Trans Total
Images 577 888 134 56 0 1655
Percent 35% 54% 8% 3% 0% 100%

16. ROMNEY & BELL (2014)
Dec Rep Org Int Trans Total
Images 577 888 134 56 0 1655
Percent 35% 54% 8% 3% 0% 100%
39%

17. JONES (n.d.)
• proposes three categories
• decorative, supporting and central

18. CURRENT STUDY

19. CURRENT STUDY
• three general English (4-skills) textbooks
• intermediate level (CEFR B1)
• published in 2015

20. CURRENT STUDY
Images removed. Please see:
Doff,A.,Thaine, C., Putchta, H, & Lewis-Jones, P. (2015). Empower B1+.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, cover.
Saslow, J, & Ascher,A. (2015). Top Notch 2, 3rd ed.White Plains, NY:
Pearson, cover.
Johannsen, K. L., & Chase, R.T. (2015). World English 3, 2nd ed. Boston,
MA: National Geographic Learning, cover.

21. CURRENT STUDY
• three categories
• four roles

22. CURRENT STUDY
Three Categories
Decorative Supportive Instructional
weakly
supportive
strongly
supportivedecorative instructional
Four Roles

23. Are there instructions to the student to do something with the image?
YES
INSTRUCTIONAL
NO
Does the image support learning?
NO
DECORATIVE
YES
STRONG SUPPORTIVE
WEAK
SUPPORTIVE
METHODOLOGY
INDIRECTLY
SOME WHAT

24. EXAMPLES
Images Removed. Please see:
Doff,A.,Thaine, C., Putchta, H, & Lewis-Jones, P. (2015). Empower B1+.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 71.

25. EXAMPLES
Images Removed. Please see:
Saslow, J, & Ascher,A. (2015). Top Notch 2, 3rd ed.White Plains, NY:
Pearson, p. 101

26. EXAMPLES
Images Removed. Please see:
Saslow, J, & Ascher,A. (2015). Top Notch 2, 3rd ed.White Plains, NY:
Pearson, p. 32.

27. EXAMPLES
Images Removed. Please see:
Saslow, J, & Ascher,A. (2015). Top Notch 2, 3rd ed.White Plains, NY:
Pearson, p. 65.

28. EXAMPLES
Images Removed. Please see:
Johannsen, K. L., & Chase, R.T. (2015). World English 3, 2nd ed. Boston,
MA: National Geographic Learning, p. 97.

29. RESULTS
Deco Weak Strong Instruct Total
Empower
B1+
0 58 81 220 359
Top
Notch 2
5 77 298 89 469
World
English 3
3 37 89 67 196

30. RESULTS
Deco Weak Strong Instruct Total
Total 8 172 468 376 1024
Percentage <1% 17% 46% 37% 100%

31. DISCUSSION
AND
IMPLICATIONS

32. RESULTS
Deco Weak Strong Instruct Total
Total 8 172 468 376 1024
Percentage <1% 17% 46% 37% 100%

33. RESULTS
Deco Weak Strong Instruct Total
Total 8 172 468 376 1024
Percentage <1% 17% 46% 37% 100%
63%

34. RESULTS
Deco Weak Strong Instruct Total
Total 8 172 468 376 1024
Percentage <1% 17% 46% 37% 100%
83%

35. INSTRUCTIONAL
Hill
Romney &
Bell (2011)
Romney
(2012)
Romney &
Bell (2014) Current
Instuctional 185* 610 n/a 610 372
Percentage 45% 27% n/a 27% 36%

36. DECORATIVE
Hill
(2003)
Romney &
Bell (2011)
Romney
(2012)
Romney &
Bell (2014) Current
Decorative 226 1655 308 577 8
Percentage 55% 73% 18% 25% <1%

37. DATE OF PUBLICATION
Hill
(2003)
Romney
& Bell (2011)
Romney
(2012)
Current
(2016)
Copyright
Date
1998(2)
2001(2)
2002(4)
2003
2004
2005
2006(2)
2007
2009(3)
2005
2007
2010
2015(3)
Decorative 55% 73% & 25% 18% <1%

38. THANK YOU