On Cultural Diversity in the BBC Learning English Podcast Series: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Shahami, Seyede Saeedeh; Tahriri, Abdorreza

doi:10.22080/iselt.2026.30267.1139

On Cultural Diversity in the BBC Learning English Podcast Series: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of English Language and Literature, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

10.22080/iselt.2026.30267.1139

Abstract

The significant role of culture is undeniable in both discourse and the acquisition of a second or foreign language. With the rise of digital technology, it is increasingly crucial to explore digital educational resources such as podcasts. Grounded in a CDA perspective, this study explores how culture and cultural diversity are constructed and represented in the podcast series "6 Minute English" by BBC Learning English. Drawing on Yuen (2011) cultural representation framework and the multimodal analytical toolkit by Ledin and Machin (2020), the study investigates how the podcast’s discourses and accompanying images negotiate cultural elements and diversity in this digital education context. Quantitative content analysis and qualitative multimodal analysis were used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that the podcast episodes analyzed predominantly featured the Product and Person dimensions of culture. Thus, it can be concluded that while tangible cultural aspects are foregrounded in the "6 Minute English" podcast, abstract cultural Practices and Perspectives receive comparatively less attention, a pattern that prompts reflection on inclusivity in language learning materials. Additionally, the analysis of the podcast images demonstrated that the accompanying visuals were used in conjunction with the podcast content to further highlight the message and potentially enhance its effectiveness.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by the Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages at the University of Mazandaran. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license.

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