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This chapter introduces the central concern of the book: how global poverty is represented and taught in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms in Germany. Beginning with the familiar story of Robin Hood, it highlights how poverty is often framed in moralistic and individualized terms, a pattern that persists across school textbooks. Such portrayals, while culturally resonant, obscure the structural complexity of poverty and risk reducing it to a simplistic matter of charity and justice. The chapter argues that this framing reflects a broader educational pattern with implications that extend beyond Germany. Against the backdrop of education for sustainable development (ESD) and global citizenship education (GCE), the introduction situates poverty as a persistent, multidimensional issue that demands critical engagement within language education. It outlines the dual role of EFL textbooks as tools for linguistic development and as shapers of students’ worldviews, demonstrating why their treatment of poverty carries significant ideological weight. The research questions and mixed-methods approach are presented, combining textbook analysis with teacher interviews. Finally, the chapter provides an overview of the book’s structure, positioning the study within wider debates on sustainability education and making the case for more nuanced, research-informed approaches to global poverty education.

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Introduction

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  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Roger Dale Jones

摘要

This chapter introduces the central concern of the book: how global poverty is represented and taught in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms in Germany. Beginning with the familiar story of Robin Hood, it highlights how poverty is often framed in moralistic and individualized terms, a pattern that persists across school textbooks. Such portrayals, while culturally resonant, obscure the structural complexity of poverty and risk reducing it to a simplistic matter of charity and justice. The chapter argues that this framing reflects a broader educational pattern with implications that extend beyond Germany. Against the backdrop of education for sustainable development (ESD) and global citizenship education (GCE), the introduction situates poverty as a persistent, multidimensional issue that demands critical engagement within language education. It outlines the dual role of EFL textbooks as tools for linguistic development and as shapers of students’ worldviews, demonstrating why their treatment of poverty carries significant ideological weight. The research questions and mixed-methods approach are presented, combining textbook analysis with teacher interviews. Finally, the chapter provides an overview of the book’s structure, positioning the study within wider debates on sustainability education and making the case for more nuanced, research-informed approaches to global poverty education.