REPRESENTATION OF IDEOLOGIES AND WORLDVIEWS IN TEXTBOOKS: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING BOOKS OF PUNJAB TEXTBOOK BOARD

Abstract

This study critically analyzes the worldviews, ideologies, and major themes embedded in the Punjab Textbook Board’s Grade 9 English textbook, viewing it as a cultural and moral document rather than a neutral linguistic resource. The analysis investigates how the text constructs moral, civic, and intellectual orientations that shape learners’ understanding of self, society, and the world. The purpose is to uncover the underlying religious, nationalist, modernist, and romantic-humanistic worldviews, and the ideological patterns, moral-ethical, civic-national, social-justice, and awareness-responsibility, that guide meaning and value formation. Adopting qualitative content analysis and the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework, the study synthesizes insights from recent scholarship to interpret textual narratives, themes, and linguistic choices. Findings reveal that the textbook integrates faith, patriotism, responsibility, and reflection to promote moral character, unity, and social harmony while cultivating awareness and empathy. However, its ideological cohesion sometimes limits pluralistic and critical engagement, positioning students as recipients rather than interrogators of values. The research contributes to broader debates on curriculum ideology and character education by showing how textbooks shape not only literacy but worldview and citizenship. It underscores the importance of critical literacy pedagogy that encourages reflection, dialogue, and ethical reasoning. Curriculum developers and teachers are urged to balance value transmission with critical inquiry to prepare learners as morally responsible, reflective, and socially aware global citizens.