Volume 4,Issue 4
Tracing Multimodal Shifts in Chinese English Textbooks: From Text-Heavy to Image-Driven Design
This study examines how multimodal resources in Chinese primary school English textbooks (1983–present) have evolved alongside curriculum reforms and sociopolitical change. Based on a purpose-built corpus and a mixed-methods approach, the findings show a shift from text-heavy to image-rich layouts, with image–text relations moving toward projection and interdependence. Visuals changed from close-up “demand” gazes to medium and long-shot “offer” gazes. Ideologically, textbooks progressed from patriotism (1983) to globalization and multiculturalism (2001), and more recently to cultural confidence and national identity (2023). Early semi-digital icons (e.g., cassette, headphones) marked initial digitalization, while today’s e-textbooks represent a full digital turn. Overall, textbooks act not only as teaching tools but also as cultural artifacts, reflecting globalization–localization dynamics and offering insights for design and multimodal literacy.
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