Professors' Perspectives on the Cultural Content of Textbooks for Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language in a Higher Education Institution / Perspectivas De Los Profesores Sobre El Contenido Cultural De Los Libros De Texto Para La Enseñanza Del Español Como Lengua Extranjera En Una Institución De Educación Superior

Abstract

This research analyzes the perspectives of Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE) professors at Uniagustiniana regarding the cultural content of Basic-level textbooks, with a focus on understanding the importance of including idiomatic expressions from Bogotá. The study is based on the identification of a tendency in educational materials to prioritize Peninsular Spanish while limiting the representation of Latin American varieties. The research used a phenomenological approach and used surveys, interviews, and classroom observations as data collection instruments. The findings show that, even when textbooks play an important role in organizing content, they present limitations in the inclusion of cultural elements and idiomatic expressions related to the Bogotá context. Additionally, professors claim that there is a need to incorporate more contextualized content that reflects real language use, since skipping these elements can affect learners’ communicative competence and cultural understanding in real life contexts.