A content analysis of current English language teaching materials at a private Colombian university through the lenses of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Abstract

English has become a medium for intercultural communication, providing access to science, education, technology, business, and information. In education, it serves not only as a communicative tool but as a means to raise awareness of global challenges. Consequently, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have received increasing attention in educational research and policy worldwide, including in Colombia. However, limited attention has been paid to how SDG-related themes are represented in English language teaching (ELT) materials, particularly in higher education contexts. This study analyzes the presence and promotion of the 2030 Agenda in English courses at a private Colombian university, examining materials from both a Foreign Languages Teacher Education Program (FLTEP) and a Language Center (LC), and exploring the views of English embedded in these materials (Cates, 2022). Through a mixed-methods content analysis of 828 materials, including class presentations, texts, and audiovisual and digital resources collected during the first semester of 2024, the findings highlight the need to move beyond narrowly linguistic approaches toward more critical, action-oriented materials that promote English as a tool for intercultural dialogue and social engagement. While there is a growing awareness of global issues in this context, the limited explicit integration of the SDGs across courses suggests that institutional support and teachers' agency are still needed to strengthen this alignment.