ABSTRACT
This chapter firstly explores definitions and kinds of materials adaptation and then provides a brief historical account of adaptation studies. Teachers adapt for a variety of reasons to reduce the mismatch between the materials, contexts, teacher beliefs, and learner variables. This incongruity may be exacerbated when there is a distance between materials producers and users. The global spread of English as a basic communication skill has brought about increasing demands for materials that cater for communication in a multiplicity of cultures rather than traditional materials which tend to emphasise the so-called ‘native speaker norm.’ For this reason, this chapter argues that adaptation deserves a more significant position in the literature, in education, and in teacher development. Lack of consistent positioning of adaptation in policy and a paucity of systematic support on adaptation means that teachers are left with materials that are not specifically designed for their contexts or learners with little or no official encouragement or training for adaptation. This chapter makes recommendations for practical procedures, discusses implications and challenges, and speculates on ways forward.
