This study investigated geographical portrayals as a hidden curriculum within English language teaching (ELT) materials. In addition to examining the influence of American and British cultural hegemony, this study explored how learners’own places of origin were represented. Although international inclusivity fosters interculturalism, representing learners ’local contexts is essential because doing so sustains learning motivation. In total, 33 vocational high school English learning texts and magazines published in Taiwan were subjected to critical content analysis grounded in hidden curriculum theory. Results confirmed a persistent bias toward American and British contexts alongside a preference for the Global North, Europe, and stereotypical tourist destinations. Furthermore, the materials exhibited urbanormativity, consistently favoring urban centers while rendering rural Taiwanese people and places invisible. This research advances the field by documenting a hidden geographical curriculum that presents a skewed worldview at odds with the goals of interculturalism. The findings provide a framework for teachers to identify and address hidden biases. Further research on this topic should prioritize investigating how this specific hidden curriculum affects student identity and learning outcomes.
【中文摘要】
本研究探討臺灣英語教材中隱含的地理學潛在課程。除關注英美文化霸權的影響，本研究進一步分析教材如何呈現學習者所處的地理環境與生活空間。研究以潛在課程理論為基礎，採批判內容分析法，分析臺灣出版之33本技術型高中英語教科書與英語學習雜誌。本研究認為，雖然教材的國際化有助跨文化理解，但適度呈現學習者的地方情境，亦是維持學習動機的重要因素。結果顯示，教材內容明顯偏重美國與英國的文化與地理，並高度偏向歐洲及全球北方地區，且多以熱門觀光景點為地理表徵。此外，臺灣的內容明顯呈現出城市中心主義，而鄉村及其居民則甚少提及。此現象顯示教材的地理潛在課程建構出偏斜的世界圖像，與跨文化教育追求的多元理解相衝突。研究提供辨識與處理教材中隱藏偏見的分析架構。未來應進一步探討地理潛在課程如何影響學生的身分認同及學習成效。
