Austrian secondary school textbooks favor British English over other varieties

A master’s thesis by Jill Carleen Morrissey Steinwender, completed at the Alpen‑Adria‑Universität Klagenfurt in April 2026, analyses English‑language textbooks used in Austrian secondary schools. The study compares the representation of different English varieties and finds a strong dominance of British English, while other legitimate varieties appear only sparingly and often implicitly.

The author argues that this imbalance does not reflect contemporary communication patterns. "The findings indicate that English is not a single standard language but comprises multiple legitimate varieties," the thesis concludes, recommending that Austrian textbooks adopt a more balanced and explicit presentation of English varieties to better prepare learners for authentic interactions.