Integrating Ecolinguistic Themes in English for Specific Purposes Textbooks: A Qualitative Study in Indonesia Higher Education

Abstract

This study aims to examine the presence, depth, and pedagogical implementation of ecolinguistic content in ESP textbooks at Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara, and to explore how lecturers and students perceive this integration. The study is grounded in Stibbe’s ecolinguistic framework and draws on a qualitative case-study design. Using qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis of interview data from four ESP textbooks, four lecturers, and four students as informants, the study finds that environmental topics are present but limited in scope and largely confined to isolated units. The integration remains predominantly superficial and informative, with minimal reflective or transformative tasks that promote critical ecological reasoning or interdisciplinary engagement. Environmental discourse is not systematically embedded across language skills nor operationalized into communicative practices that foster sustainability awareness. Interview findings reveal varying levels of awareness and highlight institutional and material constraints affecting implementation. Overall, this confirms that ecolinguistic integration across the four textbooks remains shallow and disconnected from learners’ disciplinary needs. The study highlights the importance of pedagogical depth as a key criterion for evaluating ecolinguistic integration and underscores the need for structurally embedded, discipline-sensitive sustainability frameworks in ESP material development.