Abstract:
Identity options available in secondary school textbooks may play an important
role in stimulating or inhibiting the learners’ success. They are particularly significant in the
multi-ethnic Kazakhstani context with a large number of minorities and their cross-cultural
communication in the society.This paper investigates identity options provided in second
language textbooks for Kazakhstani secondary-school students. The identities of imagined
learners, imagined interlocutors, and hidden identities that are not included were analyzed in the
texts. The study resultsconclude that the textbooks’ sets of identity options are likely stimulate or
impede language learning. Findings from this study may contribute to the evaluation of current
teaching methodology and materials and inform future textbook development with regard to
identity representations and identity construction.
