cultural representation in english language textbooks: a comparative study of local and international editions

Following the islamic revolution in 1979, iran revised its english language education strategy, customising english language teaching (elt) resources to better align with local contexts. this study examines cultural representation in locally-developed (eight, the ili, and merit) and internationally-published english language textbooks (world english, top notch, and four corners). employing a mixed-methods design and frameworks by moran (2001), chao (2011), and dahmardeh & kim (2020), 58 textbooks were purposively sampled. quantitative content analysis assessed the frequency and types of cultural elements, while qualitative thematic analysis provided deeper insights into the cultural dimensions represented. findings indicate that locally-developed textbooks incorporate more local cultural perspectives, whereas international textbooks emphasise cultural products. both types equally represent cultural practices and persons. the study underscores the importance of incorporating diverse cultural elements in elt textbooks to promote intercultural competence, offering practical recommendations for educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers.