000069124 an evaluation of the advanced 10th grade english language testbook for studenrs at chuong my a high schol

000069124 an evaluation of the advanced 10th grade english language testbook for studenrs at chuong my a high schol

B a c k g r o u n d t o t h e s t u d y

English has long been a compulsory subject in most Vietnamese schools, and English textbooks play a key role in teaching and learning this foreign language To date, a wide range of English textbooks has been introduced and adopted into the curricula of Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training.

As society evolves, the demand for English as a means of communication grows, and the textbooks used in schools increasingly fail to reflect real-world contexts and student needs Litz (2001) argues that since the 1970s there has been a shift toward making learners the focus of language instruction, and textbooks should be viewed as resources that help achieve aims and objectives defined by learner needs As a result, many traditional textbooks have become outdated and are being replaced by more current editions that better support communicative competence.

Vietnam, guided by societal needs and development, the Ministry of Education and Training approved new textbook sets for grades 6 through 12 in 2006 The senior high school English curriculum comprises English 10, 11, and 12, and unlike junior high, senior high offers two English textbook tracks: Basic English for Natural Sciences and non-professional students, and Advanced English for Social Sciences and Humanities Students in the Natural Sciences track may still study the Basic English book, since Advanced English is not compulsory Both tracks are designed to align with the junior high English curriculum Today, the Basic English set is widely used in high schools across Vietnam, while the Advanced English set remains an optional choice at some schools.

Chuong My A High School (CMA) is the largest school in Chuong My district, admitting about 700 tenth-grade students each year Over the past five years, after the Ministry of Education and Training allowed two new kinds of 10th-grade English textbooks, CMA has annually selected two classes from among 15 to 18 classes to study the English 10 (Advanced) textbook Admission to these classes requires students to have initial marks above 5 in English, Math, and Literature on the Quality Examination at the start of the school year CMA has been using the English 10 (Advanced) textbook.

English 10 (Advanced) is piloted as an experimental program with only two class cohorts per school year According to CMA leaders, more study time and more frequent assessments help students’ English improve The Education Ministry curriculum requires Advanced English students to study four 45-minute periods per week, compared with three for the basic program; Advanced students are also assessed in eight tests, one more than their basic-program peers This setup aims to elevate students’ English to a level where it can dominate other subjects and support success on the university entrance exam In reality, most students in these classes still tend to choose Mathematics, Literature, and English for university admissions, and after five years of teaching this textbook, the share admitted to Vietnamese universities with an English specialty has risen Yet this improvement cannot be attributed solely to English 10 (Advanced) since students must also study English 11 and 12 before the important exam; nonetheless, the observed trend underlines CMA’s belief in the program.

Advanced Textbooks begin with English 10 To create favorable teaching and learning conditions for this textbook series, CMA administers an elimination test at the end of the school year Students who fail to pass the elimination test do not advance to the next class and will not study the English Advanced Textbook.

As CMA teachers, evaluators are reluctant to remove students from their current class because of the difficulties they may face when moved to a new class This view is shared by other teachers at the school All teachers have consistently wished the best possible learning outcomes for their students.

Gathering teacher and student feedback about the textbook is a key task for evaluators assessing its usability and effectiveness in CMA classrooms There are many ideas about how this textbook should be used in teaching, with CMA teachers noting that it can be too difficult for some students, that certain reading passages are long and contain numerous new words, and that some topics fail to engage learners, all of which hinder instruction and learning Students also report that they do not want to study excessive English each week, cite insufficient time to complete all textbook tasks, and complain about the amount of time spent looking up vocabulary, further impacting learning efficiency Consequently, the suitability of teaching English 10 (Advanced) at CMA is called into question, guiding considerations for curriculum adaptation and instructional strategies.

In September 2010, the headmaster of CMA convened a meeting of the school’s foreign language teachers to decide whether to continue teaching the current textbook after five years in use The CMA English teachers offered divergent opinions: some opposed continuing to teach with that book, while others supported its continued use Faced with this division and noting that no formal evaluation of the textbook’s suitability had yet been conducted, the researcher recommended an evaluation The study aims to identify the advantages and limitations of the English 10 (Advanced) textbook as used at CMA.

C M A ; t o consider w h e th e r C M A should continue to u se th is textbook o r not, and i f it can be used, w hat should be changed to improve its effectiveness

A i m s o f t h e s t u d y

The study aim s at evaluating the textbook English 10 (Advance) by Tu Anh, et al

In 2006, a study was conducted with 10th-grade students at Chuong My A High School to determine whether the current textbook should continue to be used in teaching The research evaluates the textbook’s effectiveness, relevance, and alignment with the curriculum, and aims to decide if its continued use is appropriate The study seeks to answer a central question about the textbook’s ongoing suitability for Grade 10 instruction, informing decisions on curriculum materials and teaching practices.

- To w hat extent is the textbook English 10 (Advanced) appropriate to students at

Chuong M y A h igh school in term s o f claim s, content and m ethodology o f the textbook?

In evaluation o f content and m ethodology o f the textbook, the study w ould be carried out in term s o f the level o f difficulty and necessity o f the textbook to the students at

C M A However, the criteria for the evaluation o f the textbook can not be left apart from the regulation o f the curriculum set by MOKT for high schools.

S c o p e o f t h e s t u d y

This study evaluates the suitability of the textbook English 10 (Advanced) by examining its claims, content, and methodology It notes that English 10 (Advanced) was compiled in the spirit of educational renovation, designed to align with contemporary reform goals and modern instructional practices.

MOET sets the syllabus for every high school, but the course aims are often not taken into account; however, in some circumstances, they are used as clarifications for the subjects of study.

In th e light o f previous researchers, the evaluator o f the study w ould like to consider the textbook English 10 (Advanced) in two stages as the model suggested by

M cD onough and Shaw (1993) Firstly, the textbook is considered as an overall evaluation to find out w hether the textbook is potentially appropriate to the students at

At CMA High School, although numerous criteria are proposed for evaluating teaching materials, time constraints limit the study to six key criteria: the intended audience, the proficiency level, the context in which the materials will be used, the presentation and organization of teaching units and lessons, the author’s views on language and methodology, and testing In the second stage of evaluation, the researcher analyzes the textbook by examining its content and methodology, focusing on topics, skills, grammar and vocabulary, exercises and tasks, learning techniques, and the balance between teacher and learner in the use of the textbook.

S i g n i f i c a n c e o f t h e s t u d y

This study evaluates the English 10 (Advanced) textbook adopted for CMA tenth-grade students, recognizing that this is the first year of high school and that an engaging text is essential to spark student interest The evaluation provides the headmaster and CMA’s English teachers with essential information on whether to continue using English 10 (Advanced) as the official textbook, how to explain differing opinions about its teaching, and what steps are needed to overcome challenges if the book remains in use By giving students using the textbook a voice to express their ideas and needs, the study offers meaningful insights for researchers and CMA English teachers, and it could also supply valuable input to the Ministry of Education to guide similar future textbook evaluations.

O u t l i n e o f t h e t h e s i s

Theoretical studies o n Textbook and M aterial Evaluation

2.2.2.1 Models fo r the Evaluation o f Language Teaching Material

Many models have been proposed for the evaluation of language teaching materials Researchers disagree on which types of evaluation to use, with each approach grounded in specific points in time, purposes, and contexts Robinson notes that the chosen evaluation type is shaped by these factors and by the intended use of the materials, reinforcing how context and objectives drive assessment in language education.

Material evaluation is classified into three types (1991): preliminary evaluation, formative evaluation, and summative evaluation Preliminary evaluation is conducted before a course begins to choose the most suitable materials for a particular group of learners Formative evaluation occurs during the development of a program and its curriculum to inform ongoing improvements Summative evaluation is carried out at the end of the course to determine whether the materials have been effective in achieving learning outcomes Together, these stages help educators ensure instructional materials meet learner needs and demonstrate impact across the course lifecycle.

Ellis (1997) distinguishes two types of material evaluation: predictive evaluation, used to decide which materials to use, and retrospective evaluation, which examines the materials that have actually been used For predictive evaluation, teachers may rely on reviews from prior experts or conduct the evaluation themselves using checklists and guidelines proposed by famous researchers, a process often described as the decision-making process; the teacher’s actual teaching situations then help determine whether the material is useful or needs improvement, though this approach can be subjective and not exact Ellis argues for retrospective evaluation as essential because it provides information on whether to reuse materials, which activities work, how to modify materials for future use, and it also tests the validity of predictive evaluations, suggesting ways to improve predictive instruments for future use (p.37).

Retrospective evaluation in language teaching can be impressionistic or empirical Impressionistic evaluation occurs during the course as teachers assess activities and then make a summative judgment of the materials, while empirical evaluation uses students’ journals and end‑of‑course questionnaires to judge teaching and material effectiveness, though this approach can be time‑consuming To help teachers collect information more systematically, Ellis proposes micro‑evaluation, a framework that makes empirical evaluation more manageable by aligning planned tasks with tasks in use to determine their usefulness in context His seven‑step model for task evaluation includes: choosing a task to follow and describing it with content specifications in terms of input, procedure, language activities, and outcomes; planning the evaluation with reference to its purpose, audience, evaluator, content, method, and timing; collecting information before, during, and after the task, including how the task was performed, what learning occurred, and teachers’ and learners’ opinions about the tasks; analyzing the information quantitatively and qualitatively; reaching conclusions and making recommendations for future teaching; and writing a final report.

Cunningsworth (1995) identifies three types of evaluation for educational texts: pre-use evaluation, in-use evaluation, and post-use evaluation The pre-use evaluation is often the most challenging because there is no actual experience of using the textbook to inform judgments In-use evaluation, by contrast, assesses the textbook’s suitability during real use, considering how well the material fits learners’ needs and teaching contexts Post-use evaluation examines outcomes after use to judge overall effectiveness and guide future textbook choices.

"m atching the course book against a specific requirem ent including the learners' objectives, the learners' background, the resources available, etc" (C unningsw orth,

Post-use evaluation is the process of assessing a textbook’s fitness after a period of continual use It examines how well the book supports instruction over time, including its ongoing relevance, durability, and alignment with learners’ needs This kind of evaluation is practical for deciding whether to reuse the same textbook in future courses or to seek alternative resources In short, post-use evaluation informs decisions about resource longevity and curricular fit, helping educators determine the continued value of the textbook on future occasions.

According to Cunningsworth (1995, p 1), there are two approaches to evaluating coursebooks: an impressionistic overview and an in-depth evaluation The impressionistic overview provides only a general introduction to the material and does not offer enough detail to ensure a good match between textbook content and teaching and learning requirements, making an in-depth evaluation necessary to examine how specific items and different aspects of language are addressed He recommends using comprehensive checklists to cover all aspects of the coursebook, including aims and approaches, design and organization, language content, skills, topics, methodology, and the teacher's guide.

Littlejohn (1998) proposed a four-stage model for material evaluation: analysis of the target situation of use, materials analysis, match and evaluation, and action The first stage analyzes the target situation in terms of cultural context, the institutional setting, the course (aims, content, methodology, and means of evaluation), and the roles of teachers and learners Materials analysis is a crucial stage that involves examining the material to be used against defined criteria, typically organized into checklists and applied at three levels of analysis The framework proceeds with matching the material to identified needs, evaluating its fit and impact, and taking action to implement improvements.

- W hat is there? (Objective description)

W hat is required o f users? (Subjective analysis)

- W hat is im plied? (Subjective inference)

Textbook analysis can be structured into three levels: at level one, researchers gather information on physical properties such as publication details, design features (layout and durability), print quality, availability, and illustrations; at level two, a detailed task sheet is used to collect data on the book’s tasks and to analyze the language learning activities it presents; at level three, the focus shifts to the textbook’s underlying approach, philosophy, and aims As Littlejohn (1998) noted, these levels progress from objective to subjective evaluation, with level one being the most objective and level three the least.

Littlejohn's model proceeds through three stages: matching and evaluation, followed by action In the matching and evaluation stage, the evaluator determines how well the design features and publication formats align with the target-use context The final stage, action, involves highlighting the materials' strengths to guide adoption or adaptation, while identifying weaknesses that should be rejected, supplemented, or criticized.

Hutchinson and Waters’ (1987) material-evaluation model is widely valued for its clarity and practical relevance In this approach, material evaluation is a four-stage, matching process in which the suitability of a material for a specific purpose is judged against the identified needs The framework emphasizes aligning material features with end-use requirements, ensuring selections are driven by defined objectives By linking stated needs to material capabilities, it offers a systematic method for selecting and evaluating resources across contexts.

- D efin e th e c rite ria o n w h ich the ev alu atio n w ill be based.

-A nalyze th e nature and underlying principles o f th e particular teaching/learning situation.

- Analyze the nature and underlying principles o f the available m aterials

- Com pare th e findings o f the tw o analyses

These stages are described apparently in the figure 1 below:

Figure 1: The m aterial evaluation m odel o f H utchinson and Waters (1987)

Hutchinson and Waters (1987) propose a logical model for evaluating instructional materials, designed to guide evaluators through a clear, structured analysis of how resources align with course requirements The model specifies what must be assessed and how to compare material content with intended learning outcomes, enabling precise judgments about suitability and fit within the curriculum.

McDonough and Shaw (1993) propose a model of material evaluation that blends macro- and micro-level analysis across three stages: external evaluation, internal evaluation, and overall evaluation External evaluation offers a brief overview of the materials from the outside, examining the claims on the cover, the introduction, and the table of contents to determine whether the material is potentially suitable for more detailed analysis Internal evaluation involves an in-depth investigation into the materials, focusing on the extent to which the factors identified at the external stage align with the internal consistency and organization of the content, and, to examine what will actually be presented in the textbook—such as skills, the grading exercises and tasks, the methodology, and the teaching and learning techniques—at least two units (or more) should be examined The last stage, overall evaluation, assesses the suitability of the materials by considering usability, generalizability, adaptability, and flexibility This model is illustrated in figure 2.

M acro-evaluation - ► inappropriate/potentially appropriate - ►

M icro-evaluation— —► inappropriate/potentially appropriate - ►adopt/select

Figure 2: M aterial evaluation M odel o f M cD onough a n d Shaw (1993)

McDonough and Shaw's (1993) model offers a logical procedure for evaluating educational materials, starting with a comparison between the book's claims and the course objectives to quickly determine appropriateness and save time if the material appears unsuitable; likewise, if internal evaluation indicates the material is not potentially suitable, there is no need to proceed to the next stages Consequently, evaluators should conduct the study in a defined sequence and adhere to specific criteria that underpin the judgments in the evaluation.

Materials evaluation is a complex process because many variables may affect the success or failure of textbooks in use These variables appear in evaluation criteria, and Sheldon (1988) argues that defining and applying systematic criteria for assessing coursebooks is essential Consequently, developing criteria to assess materials is a key step in any materials-evaluation model, and evaluating the fit of materials to learners’ needs in particular teaching or learning situations contributes to the effectiveness of those contexts Across teaching situations, criteria provided by different authors range from simple guidelines to comprehensive checklists; however, there is no single criterion suitable for all ELT contexts, making criterion selection somewhat subjective As Sheldon (1988) notes, criteria and constraints are not universally operative in the ELT context but are locally determined, since teaching and learning environments, backgrounds, needs, and interests vary Therefore, gathering as much information as possible about learners and teaching contexts before detailing the evaluation is advisable.

Internal evaluation

External evaluation may indicate that a textbook is potentially appropriate for the study's subjects, but the next crucial step is internal evaluation This stage enables the evaluator to probe specific units of the textbook to determine whether they are truly appropriate for the students in the study McDonough and Shaw argue that a thorough internal review is needed to verify the textbook's alignment with learners' needs and instructional goals.

Following the 1993 framework, researchers identified questions and elements of a textbook that should be treated as skills, including the presentation and quality of materials for each skill, the sequencing of materials, tests and exercises, learning styles, provisions for self-study, and the balance between materials used by teachers and those used by learners Other linguists and researchers also assess textbooks or teaching materials according to different criteria as noted above Building on these studies and taking into account the characteristics of students and the aims of the study, this evaluator intends to assess the textbook in terms of content and methodology, examining topics, skills, grammar and vocabulary, exercises and tasks, teaching-learning techniques, and the balance of teacher-led and learner-used materials.

A long the lines o f M cD onough and Shaw (1993), H utchinson and W aters (1987), Ur

(1996), C unningsw orth (1995), etc., the evaluator w ould like to exam ine the textbook in term s o f some specific criteria such as topics, skills, gram m ar and vocabulary.

This study investigates the principles behind selecting and grading the themes in the Advanced English 10 Teachers’ Book (page 12), focusing on suitability, appeal, and the level of challenge presented to students It analyzes whether the textbook topics are interesting, challenging, and motivating by surveying their real-life relevance, considering students’ age, and assessing the encouragement they offer Additionally, the research aims to determine how well the textbook topics align with learners’ abilities in terms of difficulty and interest.

This study examines whether skill development is adequately addressed in Advanced English 10 and whether each skill section effectively develops students’ abilities Following McDonough and Shaw (1993), it emphasizes the integration of skills as a key principle in textbook design The evaluation considers the textbook’s suitability in terms of the difficulty level and the necessity of the included skills For high school English, the assessment criteria allocate 20% to reading, 20% to speaking, 20% to listening, 20% to writing, and 20% to vocabulary and grammar (Teachers’ Book, page 13) In the CMA context, the analysis asks whether CMA meets the textbook’s requirements and how appropriate the textbook is for the students in this setting.

Grammar and vocabulary evaluation focuses on the presentation and practice of vocabulary and grammar items, which are typically tested in high school examinations Following Cunningsworth (1995), a textbook should provide students with vocabulary learning strategies to cope with unfamiliar words, so vocabulary learning activities will be assessed Cunningsworth (1995) also emphasizes grammar evaluation as a major component of any general language course Therefore, the aim of this part is to examine whether the presentation of grammar and vocabulary in the textbook is clear and understandable, whether there is a suitable amount of vocabulary and grammar in each lesson, whether students feel satisfied with these items, and what is desired by both students and teachers at CMA.

To evaluate m ethodology o f the textbook, the study takes consideration into some specific criteria such as: exercises/tasks, learning techniques, teacher-leam ers balance in use o f the textbook.

This section analyzes the variety, level, and effectiveness of exercises and tasks, and how their organization affects student interest and lesson outcomes It also examines the grading and sequencing of activities, recognizing that different classes include learners at varying English proficiency levels By offering exercises at multiple difficulty levels, the approach aims to yield positive results across students Additionally, the study explores the roles of practicing different types of exercises and whether these practices provide encouragement to students during learning tasks.

- Learning techniques: A ccording to Harry Wong and Rosem ary (1998) classroom organization and m anagem ent should be done to foster student involvem ent and cooperation in all classroom activities; and to establish a productive w orking environm ent In order to do that, the textbook should provide som e learning techniques as individual work, pair work or group w ork which help the teacher organize the class logically and effectively H ow ever, how effective are these techniques to the students? Do they make any difficulty to the students? And w'hat is the students' expectation o f learning techniques? These questions will be answered by the students themselves.

- Teacher-Learners balance in use o f the textbook: There are two approaches that are very fam iliar in education They are teacher-centered approach and learner-centered approach Teacher-centered approach used to be very com m on in education for such a long tim e until there w as a renovation that requires the students to be m ore active in learning and learner-centered approach becam e beloved by alm ost all educators This approach asks the teacher to distribute the tim e for a lesson logically The material designers also create situations and exercises that encourage students to take part in the lesson more In the textbook A dvanced English 10, w hich approach is being used and d o the activities help the teacher give the balance in use o f the textbook between teacher and learners?

D ocum ent a n a lysis

External evaluation will be conducted by assessing selected materials and considering the study subjects The two materials to be examined are the textbook Advanced English 10 and Advanced English 10.

An assessment of the teacher's book was performed to determine its suitability for 10th-grade students, with alignment to the Ministry of Education policy The evaluation followed criteria inspired by McDonough and Shaw (1993): intended students, proficiency level, context of use, how the language is presented and organized into teachable units, the authors’ views on language, methodology, and testing The analysis concluded that the textbook is potentially appropriate for CMA students Consequently, questionnaires were designed and distributed to the students.

Q uestionnaires

There were two sets of questionnaires used to determine whether the textbook is appropriate for CMA students, with one set aimed at students and the other at teachers Both questionnaires were designed to assess attitudes toward the textbook's appropriateness and to examine key criteria such as content and methodology.

A 10-question questionnaire was delivered to 90 intended CMA students to evaluate how well instruction aligns with learner needs The survey is designed to assess topics (questions 1 and 2), skills (questions 3–5), grammar and vocabulary (question 6), exercises and tasks (question 7), learning techniques (questions 8 and 9), and the balance between teacher and learner use of the textbook (question 10) This structure provides a comprehensive snapshot of learners’ expectations and experiences, informing targeted adjustments to teaching materials, methods, and textbook usage.

Question 1 assesses the practicality and usefulness of topics for students, taking into account their age and motivation Question 2 provides data on the level of difficulty of topics, with all textbook topics being assessed by students Together, this information helps determine the appropriateness of the curriculum for learners and guides recommendations for adjusting teaching materials if needed.

Question 3 collects students’ opinions on 11 items to assess the usefulness of the skills taught A core aim of the textbook is to develop students’ language skills, and this question helps determine whether the content meets that aim by evaluating feedback from students who have completed all lessons The items address the integration of skills and the practicality of those skills.

Q uestion 4 asks students about the difficulty o f the skills that they had learned

Q uestion 5 seeks th e students’ assessm ent on skills in the course T he information collected from this question helps assert the role o f skills in teaching and learning at

C M A , and the appropriateness o f the textbook to the students here.

Question 6 gathers data on students' opinions about grammar and vocabulary Items 1 and 4 ask for information about vocabulary, while Items 2, 3, and 5 provide data on grammar Together these items help assess the level of difficulty and the necessity of vocabulary and grammar for students in terms of tests and examinations.

To examine the level of appropriateness of the textbook's methodology for CMA students, questions 7 through 10 were prepared Question 7 comprises four items that describe the variety of item types and the presentation rules for tasks and exercises.

Question 8 asks students for their opinions on learning techniques, specifically regarding their difficulty levels, while Question 9 is designed to determine the effectiveness of these techniques for students; finally, Question 10 provides information about the textbook’s learner-centered approach.

Secondly, a second set of nine-question questionnaires was administered to eight CMA teachers Questions 1 and 2 collected information on the topics covered in the textbook, Questions 3–5 provided data on the appropriateness of the skills taught, Question 6 explored issues related to grammar and vocabulary, Question 7 considered the exercises and tasks, Question 8 asked teachers to assess the difficulty of the learning techniques presented in the textbook, and Question 9 captured their assessments of the effectiveness of these techniques based on their real teaching experiences.

In-depth interview s

In-depth interview s w ere carried out after the data from questionnaires were collected

Based on the study results, 17 questions were designed to gather in-depth information from teachers and students, while an additional set of eight questions was used with five selected students to elicit their background information and their experiences in learning English.

Ten advanced students share their opinions on several aspects of the textbook’s content and its methodology In addition, two teachers reveal their attitudes, experiences, and assessments of related textbook issues in a separate interview, where they answer nine questions.

To avoid unnecessary confusion Vietnamese w as used in questioning and answ ering am ong the evaluator, teachers and students during all interviews.

8 o f 14 teachers o f English at Chuong My A high school (1 m ales and 7 fem ales), aged from 30 to 50 took part in the study These teachers were graduated from

U niversity (English specialty) and have had experience in w orking w ith the textbook

In Advanced English 10, two teachers were actively teaching the book at the time of the study, while other teachers who had not taught it did not participate After collecting questionnaire data, two of the eight teachers were randomly selected to participate in in-depth interviews to clarify the evaluator's questions.

Stu d en ts

Ninety tenth-grade students, aged 16 to 17, participated in this study All are enrolled in English 10 (Advanced) in two CMA classes, 10A11 and 10A12 The two classes are predominantly female, with only 15 boys in total.

136 out o f 140 lessons in the textbook A fter getting th e d a ta from the questionnaires,

5 o f 90 students were selected at random to take part in the interview which was carried out by the evaluator.

Data collection procedures were carried out at the end of May 2011, when the students were about to finish their course The study began with reviewing the document and selecting the study subjects, followed by designing and distributing questionnaires to teachers and learners at CMA The first set of questionnaires for students was distributed to 90 students in classes 10A11 and 10A12; however, six questionnaires were not fully completed, leaving 84 completed questionnaires for analysis The second set of questionnaires was given to eight English teachers who had experience with Advanced English 10 After all questionnaires were collected, the data were calculated and analyzed, and in the analysis process some information needed clarification and modification, leading to two interviews conducted with some students and teachers All conversations with the evaluators and these subjects were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed The results from the questionnaires and interviews were qualified, analyzed, and presented in the next chapter.

This study generated quantitative data from two questionnaires, with calculated percentages used to describe the overall picture of the textbook from assessments by teachers and students at C'MA The interview recordings were collected, classified, and analyzed in terms of percentages and majority trends Additionally, qualitative methods were applied to analyze the information from the teachers and students in the interviews when necessary.

In this chapter, the study’s results and findings are presented in two main sections: external evaluation and internal evaluation, each grounded in data collected from document analysis, questionnaires, and interviews with teachers and students.

As stated in the Preface of the textbook, English 10 (Advanced) is compiled in the spirit of MOET's educational renovation, continuing English 6, 7, 8 and 9, and is written for pupils of Social Sciences.

Designed for junior high school students completing their humanities studies, the program uses 16 themes to develop linguistic content and skills through active, communicative activities The textbook includes 16 units and four consolidation sections, and each of the main units follows a consistent format with sections that guide learning and practice.

Title: introduces the theme o f the unit

Reading: provides inform ation o f the theme through texts, helping students practice reading skills, enlarging students' vocabulary, and im proving grammatical know ledge.

Listening comprises listening comprehension tasks centered on the theme In this section, students listen to a dialogue or to a complete or incomplete text and demonstrate their understanding through various tasks such as checking boxes, making lists, filling in the blanks, and answering questions, thereby assessing their overall comprehension.

Speaking: includes practice tasks following linguistic functions and about the them e o f the unit It is organized into different activities such as group discussion, pair w ork, individual presentation, description, etc.

Writing: consists o f exercises to develop students’ w riting skill Students may learn to w rite a sum m ary, a letter o f request, a letter o f recom m endation, etc.

Language fo c u s: presents the item s related to vocabulary and gram m ar in the unit, providing students with som e exercises to practice.

Length requirements differ by section: the reading and writing sections must be completed within two teaching periods, i.e., 90 minutes, whereas the speaking, listening, and language focus sections are designed to be finished in a single period of 45 minutes.

From the authors’ perspective on language and methodology, the textbook aims to develop language skills as the central goal of teaching, with language focus serving as the means to establish and enhance those skills English 10 (Advanced) treats English as a vehicle for communication, used at the elementary level and approaching fluency across listening, speaking, reading, and writing (p 6) Methodologically, English 10 (Advanced) follows a learner-centered approach in which both the content and the processes of learning become integral parts of the language learning experience (White 1988:101).

According to the Teacher's book, student assessment must employ a variety of testing formats, including verbal tests, 15-minute assessments, 45-minute assessments, end-of-term tests, and end-of-course tests The assessment framework covers all four language skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—plus language focus (phonetics, vocabulary, and grammar), with each component contributing 20% to the final grade (p 13).

Subjects a n a ly sis

This study involves 90 students enrolled in two classes, 10A11 and 10A12 All participants passed the High School Entrance Examination conducted by the Ministry of Education and also achieved more than five marks in English on the Initial Quality Examination at CMA As a result, all students meet the requirements to study in classes 10A11 and 10A12 at CMA.

From this analysis, it is clear that the Advanced English 10 textbook is fully appropriate for CMA’s classes 10A11 and 10A12, in terms of audience, proficiency level, and the educational context in which the material will be used The results confirm the textbook’s suitability for CMA’s curriculum, supporting strong audience alignment, appropriate language objectives, and seamless integration into lesson plans and learning outcomes.

The objectives for 10th-grade students require them to use English to talk, listen, read, and write about topics from their curriculum at the level specified in the Teacher's book In line with MOET policy, driven by societal development and global integration, learners must learn to communicate actively and creatively Therefore, students should be at the center of the teaching process, expected to be dynamic, creative, and active participants in learning, while teachers serve as guides or instructors in the classroom.

Considering the selection and organization of a lesson, the policy of setting up and developing the four skills in the textbook meets the requirements for high school students in general and for CMA in particular Moreover, the author's view on the teaching approach aligns with the direction the Ministry of Education intends for students.

An official dispatch from the Ministry of Education outlines the assessment rules for high school subjects with four periods per week: there must be at least one oral test, three 15-minute tests, and three 45-minute tests This standardized framework ensures consistent evaluation of student performance across courses with four weekly periods.

End-of-term tests are conducted each term, and the structure and content of these tests may vary by school due to local characteristics and the technical conditions of each institution Compared with the textbook requirements, the types and number of tests per term are appropriate, while the structure and content of the tests may also be suitable depending on CMA’s teaching conditions and available facilities Therefore, this issue deserves more specific consideration in the next part of the study.

C on clu sio n

External evaluation indicates that the English 10 (Advanced) textbook is potentially suitable for CMA’s intended students Building on this finding, an internal evaluation will be conducted, and the results of this process will be analyzed and reported in the next section.

4.2.1 A n aly zin g th e te x tb o o k

According to McDonough and Shaw (1993), when external evaluation indicates that a textbook may be suitable for students, an in-depth investigation should be conducted In this phase, the textbook is evaluated by analyzing at least two units; consequently, units 1, 8, and Consolidation 2 are randomly selected for detailed analysis.

This section has two main parts: Before You Read and Reading Text In the Before You Read part, students work in pairs to discuss the learning methods shown in two pictures and to share their opinions on different ways of learning.

Students begin with a roughly 320-word reading text on team learning, and after reading, they complete three integrated tasks: Task A—True/False statements to check factual understanding; Task B—answering questions to demonstrate comprehension and detail retrieval; and Task C—summary mapping to capture main ideas and relationships This structured reading activity reinforces reading comprehension, critical thinking, and the ability to organize information through mapping, making it a concise, goal-oriented team learning exercise.

In this section, candidates are required to speak, read, and write through a variety of task types designed to assess each language skill However, a vocabulary list is not provided, which complicates preparation and clarity Moreover, the reading passage length does not align with Appendix 10's guideline of 200–250 words, since the current passage runs about 320 words Finally, the reading component consists of only two parts, potentially limiting the assessment's depth.

Teacher’s book recommendations include a post-reading activity where students review a summary map and craft three concise summary sentences This step encourages learners to develop an overarching view of the lesson and to generalize the main ideas from the reading, reinforcing comprehension and retention.

This section is organized into three tasks Task A introduces and practices new vocabulary through a gap-filling exercise Task B requires students to listen to a roughly 230-word conversation and complete a true/false statements exercise, followed by Task C, which ends with a question-and-answer activity Relative to the course objectives (Appendix 10), the listening dialogue is longer than required, which may affect the teaching and learning process In addition, the teacher’s book recommends adding a post-listening activity In this part, the students are divided into groups for the activities.

3 groups to talk ab o u t one o f their memories that they rem em ber the m ost A s a result,

3 skills are included such as reading, listening and writing If post-listening part is added, speaking skill can also be developed.

The section titled "Talking about Likes and Dislikes" consists of three parts Part A has students work in groups to discuss the qualities of an ideal teammate and an ideal friend Part B provides examples and useful expressions for expressing likes and dislikes, and then asks students to practice in pairs using those examples Part C asks students to write five sentences about the things they like doing most after class This section engages all four language skills, and its structure is clear: pre-speaking in Part A, while-speaking in Part B, and post-speaking in Part C.

This section focuses on narrative writing, beginning with a clear definition of a narrative and essential considerations for composing one; it includes a narrative example in part A with an incorrect sequence that students must rearrange to form a coherent story In the following part, guiding questions are provided; students answer them and use the gathered information to write a full narrative, thereby developing both reading and writing skills A three-step process to writing a narrative is outlined, and the activity is designed to be completed in 90 minutes, giving teachers time to review student work, provide feedback, and highlight useful takeaways from the exercise.

Two language points in this section are Word Study and Grammar In Word Study, students are asked to work with the words that go with the word TEAM This is a summary task after students have been exposed to these words in four previous sections.

In this grammar lesson, students study the use of Gerunds and the TO + base form of verbs The module begins with a brief introduction and examples, followed by two tasks: a gap-fill exercise (Task A) and a sentence-rewriting activity (Task B) However, the current material allows only six of the sixteen sentences to be completed because ten words in the exercises are missing, which are unfamiliar to learners To enable students to finish these activities, additional theory and clearer explanations of this grammar item should be included.

UNIT 8: LIFE IN TH E COMMUNITY

The lesson begins w ith a matching task which provides students w ith im ages and nam es o f some kinds o f markets in Vietnam In reading text, students read about

Markets in Vietnam is a reading passage of about 300 words designed for a four-task lesson: matching paragraphs to headings (Task A), finding the meaning of given words (Task B), true/false statements (Task C), and a post-reading activity In the post-reading task, students will undertake a fact-finding tour of a market, note people’s activities, and report back to the class The reading section of Unit 8 is closely similar to Unit 1, using more than one language skill to complete the section There is no vocabulary list provided in the lesson, and the reading text is slightly longer than required; however, the lesson intentionally integrates skills within a single session The section is designed within an appropriate framework and is structured into three stages: pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading.

Task A and B serve as the warm-up for the listening lesson by asking students to discuss types of markets and to listen for -ed ending sounds; in the main section, learners listen to a conversation of about 220 words and complete two tasks—a true/false statement task and a question‑answering task In post‑listening, students work in pairs to discuss changes in their neighborhood In summary, the lesson features skill integration and follows a three‑step structure for a listening lesson Notably, no new vocabulary is introduced before the listening activity, and this section shares the same challenge as Unit 1: the length of the listening text.

The speaking section is titled Giving Opinions about Plans and begins with a group discussion where students use useful expressions to discuss ideas and note down the results In the next task, prompts are provided for students to work in pairs or small groups to discuss the effects of replacing a small traditional market with a supermarket They will use the information given and collected from Task A to create a discussion similar to the example used in the exam In the final task, students pair up to share their preferences about where to shop This structure supports varied speaking practice and collaboration, enabling learners to participate through different types of activities while covering plans, shopping choices, and the impact of development on local markets.

The section centers on giving directions, beginning with Part A, which presents a range of useful expressions and includes a writing model that helps learners identify how these expressions are used In the final segment, students imitate the writing model and apply the expressions to craft a similar piece of writing Overall, both reading and writing are developed in this section, since learners are provided with language and a model before writing, which makes the final task easier Allocating about 90 minutes to this part seems useful for developing writing ability, though the evaluator’s experience suggests this duration can be more than enough, as tasks are often completed beforehand This raises the question of whether teachers should adjust the time allocated for each component, and notes that other parts of the unit may also require more practice.

In W ord Study, students use prepositions o f directions to com plete the sentences In

G ram m ar, conditional sentences: type I, because of, in spite of/D espite are taught

Results fr o m questionnaires a n d interview s

The level o f suitability o f the textbooks to the students w as m easured by using five- point Likert scale questions in the questionnaires and analyzing the results collected from in-depth interviews.

As m entioned about, the textbook English 10 (A dvanced) is designed on the base o f them es, therefore, th e them es or topics that are chosen in teaching play an im portant role in bringing about the m ost effects for study.

Firstly, the data from the questions below will help to find out the level o f the tex tb o o k ' suitability in term s o f topics' practicality and usefulness.

No Item s strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree

1 Topics are out-of-date, too fam iliar

2 Topics are related to our daily life

3 Topics are suitable to your age

4 Topics encourage you to be involved in the lessons

T a b l e l a S t u d e n t s ’ o p in io n s a b o u t level o f p r a c tic a lit y a n d u s e fu ln e s s o f to p ic s

No Items strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree

1 Topics are out-of-date, too fam iliar 0 1

2 Topics are related to our daily life

3 Topics are suitable to your students" age

4 Topics encourage your students to be involved in the lessons

T a b l e l b T e a c h e r s ’ o p in io n s a b o u ! level o f p r a c tic a lit y a n d u s e fu ln e s s o f to p ic s

As tw o tables above indicated, most o f students and teachers had neutral ideas o f topics' update (70.2% o f students and 50% o f teachers) It can be understood that the topics o f the textbook may not be new enough but not too old for studying, or some o f the topics are out o f date or too fam iliar but the others are not As a result, they som ew hat agreed with the statement 37.5% o f teachers did not agree with the statem ent A s for them , the topics in the textbook are still w orth learning Responding to the second item in this question, h alf o f students and teachers thought that the topics m ay or may not relate to their daily life It can be understood that som e topics may be related and som e others may not, and their rate is equal This made the teachers and learners not able to decide to agree or disagree with the statem ent As for m otivation, m ore than a h alf o f students strongly agreed and agreed and h alf o f teachers stated that the topics in the textbook encouraged the students to learn English H ow ever, few er than 1 in 8 students com m ented that the topics are not interesting enough to m otivate them to learn They m ake up 11.9% w hich is com paratively equal to the teachers' (12.5% ) These figures make the evaluator w onder o f the reason w hy they had such selection, w hether difficulty is their reason This question will be discussed in the result from the next question.

Overall, the findings indicate that most teachers and students did not express a clear judgment about the practicality and usefulness of the topics However, the number of respondents who viewed these characteristics positively exceeded those with negative opinions, signaling some perceived value despite uncertainty about applicability.

This study examines how students and teachers perceive the difficulty of topics, with results presented in Tables 2a and 2b To ensure the most precise assessment of topic difficulty, all topics in the textbook were evaluated.

Ticult difficult neutral easy very' easy

Table 2a S tu d en ts' opinions on (he difficulty level o f topics

According to Table 2a, 11.5% of students said the topics were too difficult for them, while 25.4% of students found the topics difficult; among individual topics, Technology, Undersea World, Conservation, The World Cup, and The Pacific Rim were identified as particularly challenging About 37% of neutral responses indicated that more than one third of students perceived the topics as neither difficult nor easy The easiest topics were Daily Activities, Music, and School Talks Overall, more than half of the responses supported the topics presented in the textbook.

'CP. fficult difficult neutral easy very easy

T a b l e 2 b T e a c h e r s ’ o p in io n s o n th e d if fic u lty le v e l o f to p ic s to t h e i r s tu d e n ts

Table 2b shows differences in how students and teachers perceive topic difficulty Overall, 47.7% of responses were neutral about topic difficulty Teachers highlighted topics such as the Pacific Rim, Conservation, and Mass Media as challenging Generally, teachers’ opinions align with students’ overall, with three exceptions—Undersea World, Mass Media, and the World Cup—where Mass Media elicited opposite views from the two groups Specifically, 50% of teachers thought Mass Media would be difficult for their students, while only 38.1% of students reported it as difficult or very difficult This gap may reflect age differences, as all participating teachers were aged 30–50, while younger students have greater exposure to modern media Regarding the World Cup, teachers did not view it as too difficult for students, whereas about 20% of students found it really challenging This aligns with the sample being mainly girls, for whom sports are often not a favorite topic.

In order to show th e differences and sim ilarities in teachers' and students' opinions on topic difficulty, the chart below will make it easier to understand.

■ 2 Teachers' opinions very difficult neutral easy very difficult easy

C h a r t 1 T h e d if f ic u lty o f to p ic s t h r o u g h th e a s s e s s m e n t o f te a c h e r s a n d le a r n e r s

Comparing teachers’ and students’ opinions on the difficulty level of the topics, the chart shows that neutral opinions are the most common, especially among teachers, accounting for nearly 50% Students are more likely than teachers to rate topics as difficult or very difficult, while views that topics are easy or very easy are roughly the same across groups The topics in the textbook appear at different levels, which may meet the curriculum’s challenge and encourage students to challenge themselves Notably, even though many students described the topics as difficult or very difficult, more than half of the students (8.3% and 46.4%) still felt encouraged to participate in the lessons (Table 1a).

Designed for elementary learners, the textbook aims to develop all four language skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—so students can use English across topics To evaluate how well it promotes skill development, questionnaires were designed for both students and teachers Respondents at different positions in the learning process offered diverse opinions about the textbook's role in skill development The results of these questionnaires will show how much emphasis the textbook places on developing these four skills.

No Items strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree

I Four skills are always covered in a unit

2 Each section o f a unit requires an integration of more than one skill

3 In listening section, CDs are recorded clearly

5 Listening section gets you in practice to strengthen your listening skill

6 Reading section provides various tasks to develop your reading skill

7 Reading passages provide you with useful information on life

8 The length o f reading passages is suitable to your level

9 Speaking section gives you opportunities to use

10 Speaking section gives you opportunities to express your views

11 Each writing lesson is a practice o f real life situation

T a b l e 3 a T h e s t u d e n t s ' o p in io n on sk ills d e v e lo p m e n t

No Items strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree

1 Four skills are always covered in a unit

2 Each section o f a unit requires an integration of more than one skill

3 In listening section, CDs are recorded clearly

5 Listening section gets your students in practice to strengthen their listening skill

6 Reading section provides various tasks to develop your students’ reading skill

7 Reading passages provide your students with useful information on life

8 The length o f reading passages is suitable to 10"1 grade students

9 Speaking section gives your students opportunities to use English frequently

10 Speaking section gives your students opportunities to express their views

11 Each writing lesson is a practice o f real life situation

As shown in Tables 3a and 3b, there is consensus between teachers and students that the textbook presents four language skills across all units Both groups agreed or strongly agreed with this statement, and more than half of respondents from both cohorts also indicated an integration of skills in each lesson These findings suggest that language skills are deliberately developed within the textbook Regarding the development of each skill, students tended to give neutral responses while teachers offered more positive evaluations.

On listening, about one in three students admitted the quality of listening materials, while a sizable share held neutral views—40.5% for item 3 and 60.7% for item 4—indicating many students were uncertain about the listening resources In contrast, teachers offered positive feedback, with more than half agreeing or strongly agreeing that the CDs were good and the recordings sounded natural, a view that could support the development of listening skills.

Although there was some satisfaction, dissatisfaction persisted: one teacher and 18 students were unhappy with the quality of the CDs, indicating that greater investment in audio materials such as CDs or cassettes is needed Question 5 examined the applicability of listening activities to develop students’ listening skills, and results showed strong student approval of this approach More than 10% of students strongly agreed and 50% agreed that the listening activities helped them practice listening skills and foster a positive attitude toward listening Additionally, 25% of teachers agreed and 25% strongly agreed that, in the teachers’ view, about half of the students were encouraged to participate in the lessons.

Regarding reading skill development, about 79% of students and 50% of teachers were unsure about the variety of reading tasks needed to develop students’ reading abilities Some students objected, suggesting they want exposure to more types of reading tasks, so teachers should prepare more practice tasks Reading passages in each unit are an important source of information and typically relate to the unit topics About one-third of students and half of the teachers were satisfied with the information in the reading part, while roughly a third of students and 12.5% of teachers expressed dissatisfaction, indicating a demand for more information More than a third of students and half of teachers stated that the reading passages were not suitable in length, disagreeing with the statement; the evaluator questioned whether passages were too long, too short, or both, and this needs clarification through discussion with students Interviews showed that those who answered 'not suitable' noted there were no passages shorter than they expected; most passages were long or very long, limiting time for other activities and sometimes adding vocabulary pressure.

Regarding speaking skills, roughly half of both students and teachers agreed or strongly agreed that the speaking section provides frequent opportunities to use English, while more than a fifth disagreed or strongly disagreed and the remainder were neutral Overall, both groups viewed the types of tasks in the speaking section positively In item 9, which concerns the content of the speaking section, 20.2% of students and 37.5% of teachers agreed that speaking tasks offered opportunities for students to express their opinions, with neutrals forming the largest share About one third of students still find it difficult to express their views during speaking lessons; if the textbook continues to be used, teachers should pay more attention to this issue and identify solutions to help students overcome these difficulties.

Textbook covers several types of writing, including invitation letters, letters of acceptance or refusal, complaint letters, narratives, and writing that provides instructions or directions A question was posed to assess whether these writing types are practical and applicable to students’ lives, with the answer reported in item 10 of the questionnaire Survey results show that 7.1% of students strongly agreed and 40.5% agreed, meaning about half of students find the writing section applicable Similarly, about half of teachers share this view, with 12.5% strongly agreeing and 37.5% agreeing.

Analysis shows that the textbook covers and develops all four language skills Both students and teachers largely hold positive attitudes toward skill development, while neutral responses suggest a willingness to engage with the lessons as part of their learning duties Some negative feedback points to the need for more up-to-date information in the reading sections and for greater teacher support to help students use language effectively and articulate their views in speaking activities Overall, the experiences reported by teachers and students at CMA indicate that English 10 (Advanced) generally meets the requirements for developing English language skills.

The strong points o f the textbook

Based on the analysis and alignment described above, the textbook exhibits multiple strong points that have significantly enhanced its effectiveness in teaching and learning at CMA in recent years.

Overall, the textbook provides a practical and useful set of topics for 10th-grade students at CMA The topics are varied and relevant, addressing a broad range of interests and learning needs Analysis indicates that most topics are well suited to CMA's 10th-grade curriculum, offering meaningful content and real-world applicability Although a few topics remain challenging, they still serve to engage students, encouraging effort, critical thinking, and intellectual growth.

Regarding skills development, the textbook aligns with curriculum requirements and provides ample material and varied practice to cultivate all four language skills in every unit These skills are taught in an integrated way within each lesson, enabling cohesive, cross-skill learning throughout the course.

Another strong point of the textbook is its wide variety of exercises and tasks, designed to accommodate learners at different levels These activities are often differentiated and sequenced from easy to difficult to gradually build confidence and encourage participation in the classroom.

The activities in the textbook are designed into the tasks using different learning techniques, w hich encouraged the students to take part in th e lesson m ore frequently.

Almost every unit follows a simple three-step framework—pre-, while-, and post—that guides students through lessons with ease This structure supports language development and creativity, helping learners engage more deeply and build practical skills.

Designed with a learner-centered philosophy, this textbook places students at the core of the teaching and learning process Consequently, learners are empowered to take the initiative in all classroom activities, driving active participation This approach helps students build confidence and become more engaged, proactive learners.

The weak points o f the textbook

B esides some strong points o f topics, the study also provided with som e facts that should be considered in the teaching-learning process.

Some topics in the curriculum are too familiar and fail to provide new information, which can reduce student engagement and participation Other topics are perceived as too difficult by both teachers and students, hindering attainment of learning outcomes and making assessments more challenging In particular, topics like Topic 4C: Conservation and the Pacific Rim have been flagged as notably challenging for teaching and learning, indicating a need to rethink content difficulty and instructional strategies to better align with student abilities and interests.

Students expressed a desire for readings that feature more engaging, life-related information, noting that the reading passages are longer than expected while the listening section remains challenging Some writing topics are not very useful due to a lack of practicality, and one of the limitations currently affecting the course is the ongoing gap between the material and students' real-world needs.

C M A is that the proportion o f skills in testing is not reasonable Speaking, listening and w riting have not been assessed frequently, w hich m ay discourage students to develop these skills.

In some units, the vocabulary and grammar load far exceeds what many students can manage The textbook delegates the task of selecting new words and grammatical items to teachers, which places a heavy time burden on teachers and limits students’ autonomy when they prepare the lesson at home.

In-class exercises still go unfinished because the tasks are too difficult and time constraints are tight In addition, the types of questions used in tests largely differ from those students encounter in the textbook, which can put them at a disadvantage when completing tasks and aiming for high marks.

Another weakness of the curriculum, tied to the textbook, is the poor distribution of time for learning and testing Fifteen-minute tests cannot be fitted into any unit section, and there is no dedicated period for this kind of assessment If the syllabus does offer a 15-minute testing window, there will be about 30 minutes left unallocated.

Among learning–teaching techniques, group work is frequently favored by many students, but it can also foster laziness and excessive dependence on peers In contrast, individual work requires students to participate more actively in class, but the effectiveness of their work, as assessed by teachers, is not always high.

From the analysis and results presented in this chapter, it is clear that although the textbook English 10 (Advanced) shows potential, several improvements are needed The study confirms that the textbook is appropriate for students who have experience at CMA, but the level of suitability is not very high Across all criteria examined, weaknesses were consistently identified As a result, to continue using the textbook, greater effort from both teachers and students is required Moreover, the major findings on the textbook’s strengths and weaknesses discussed above will help support the development of recommended improvements to be addressed in the next chapter.

This chapter comprises four sections: recommendations for textbook improvement, limitations of the study, suggestions for further study, and a concluding overview It outlines practical strategies for textbook adaptation, including adding, deleting, and modifying content to enhance instructional value The chapter then presents the study's limitations and uses these constraints to suggest directions for future research Finally, it closes with a conclusion that provides a general view of the study's findings and implications.

Drawing on the major findings from the study of the textbook in Chapter 4 and the adaptation techniques proposed by McDonough and Shaw (1993)—adding, deleting, and modifying—the evaluator presents recommendations to make the textbook more effective in use These recommendations synthesize the empirical insights with practical editing methods to enhance clarity, relevance, and overall instructional impact.

Since the textbook lacks a dedicated vocabulary section, students often struggle to identify the key terms for each topic and waste time looking up word meanings while preparing lessons Consequently, teachers must allocate class time to explain unfamiliar words To address this, adding a vocabulary list with concise definitions for every lesson is recommended, enabling students to self-study more efficiently and freeing class time to cover other lesson objectives.

To enhance learning efficiency, a dedicated grammar theory section should precede the applied exercises Time is a key barrier that prevents students from completing in-class tasks, and placing the grammar theory in the textbook lets students study it at home while teachers explain only when needed, thereby freeing more time for the applied exercises.

In addition, different types o f exercises in tests o r exam inations such as m ultiple choices on phonetics, gram m ar and w riting should be included in the textbook.

I.istening skill should be supported to be tested in periodic tests at CM A The teachers should be m ore active in encouraging students to speak a lot in class, testing and give m arks in speaking w hen a separate test on speaking has not been organized here yet.

B esides, there should be som e extra readings related to som e fam iliar topics as Music

Daily activities and school talks encourage high-performing students to finish exercises earlier than their peers, while extra readings assigned to these students expand their vocabulary and provide more opportunities to be exposed to English within the study topics.

D eleting

A s the m ajority o f b oth teachers and students in the study stated, the topic o f unit 15

The Pacific Rim topic is challenging for students, and the unit’s reading passage is too long—about 450 words when the intended length is 200–250 words To meet the reading requirements, it would be better to remove this topic and replace it with a shorter alternative, and to recommend an additional suitable reading passage as well.

When planning a unit, the number of vocabulary and grammar items should be considered carefully In language focus sections, there are usually two to three required learning items, which can be a heavy load for students to handle in a 45-minute lesson Therefore, in some cases one required learning item should be removed to keep the scope manageable; otherwise, more time should be allocated to these lessons.

M odifying

Considering the CMA model of tests (Appendix 7), the evaluator recommends diversifying writing tasks by introducing different types of exercises Beyond traditional tasks such as composing letters, paragraphs, and essays, additional activities should be designed, including rewriting sentences with the same meaning and building sentences from given cues, to enhance assessment coverage and language proficiency.

To encourage all students to participate and work effectively in groups, group activities should be redesigned to assign each member a specific duty This structure ensures accountability, as everyone has their own task and cannot rely on others to do their work By distributing roles—such as researcher, writer, editor, organizer, and presenter—every student contributes to the final project, promoting active engagement, equitable participation, and improved learning outcomes in collaborative learning settings.

Chapter 4 shows that students frequently engaged in individual work, but its impact was limited To boost effectiveness, the requirements for individual-work activities should be simplified or students should receive more support Implementing these changes would improve the learning quality achieved through this technique in the classroom.

Testing is a fundamental duty for assessing and improving teaching and learning, so planning when to administer tests is essential For 15-minute tests, the syllabus should be adjusted to reserve dedicated periods for these assessments The remaining time after such tests can be allocated to extra reading, as suggested in 5.1.1 In speaking and listening lessons, teachers can increase the frequency of marking to provide timely feedback and encourage skill development.

A lthough the study has been spent a lot o f tim e and effort on, it still lim its in some o f aspects.

Due to time constraints, this study concentrates on the textbook’s aims, content, and methodology while excluding its cover and other appearance factors It applies only the criteria outlined in the Scope of the Study, limiting the conclusions to the textbook’s suitability in certain fields rather than making broad claims about its usefulness overall.

The study’s findings may be affected by the limited sample size, since only eight teachers and two classes were involved Although the textbook has been in use at CMA for five years, the research was conducted solely with two classes enrolled in the 2010–2011 academic year and with eight teachers who had taught the textbook at CMA As a result, the results cannot be generalized to other high schools.

Another limitation of the study concerns the characteristics of the participants Some teachers had used this textbook years earlier and may have forgotten details about the textbook and their students’ performance at that time, so their opinions may not be fully informed The study may also be affected by students’ modesty bias: modest students tend to rate the textbook as neither difficult nor easy—or even as difficult—when, in fact, they may find it easy or very easy.

T he study is only carried out o n some criteria o f the textbook In further study, some criteria such as appearance, organization, cost, layout and presentation, autonomy, etc., should be focused on.

This study assesses the textbook's appropriateness for two CMA classes, evaluating how well it aligns with the course requirements The findings indicate that the level of appropriateness warrants further investigation and should be explored in a separate follow-up study.

Further study should focus on designing and organizing tests/exam inations at CM A in order to encourage students to study English more.

A fter a period o f tim e applying the suggestions o f adding, deleting and m odifying for a better textbook above, a further study can be carried out to investigate the effectiveness o f these changes.

Currently, CMA offers two types of 10th grade English textbooks This setup warrants a comparison of the effectiveness of learning with the basic textbook versus the advanced edition, and this comparison should guide future study and research.

McDonough and Shaw (1993) argued that no textbook or set of materials is likely to be perfect, and an evaluation of the English 10 (Advanced) textbook supports this claim The study finds that the textbook has many strong points and is suitable for students, but it also identifies several weaknesses that should be changed, adjusted, or removed to optimize the teaching and learning process.

The textbook English 10 (A dvanced) has been assessed in 2 stages suggested by

McDonough and Shaw (1993) selected the criteria and sub-criteria for each stage based on extensive prior research in language studies To collect data, they used questionnaires, document analysis, and in-depth interviews The study was conducted with 90 students and eight teachers at Chuong My A High School In the first stage, document analysis showed that the textbook is suitable for students at CMA and should be examined more closely through in-depth analysis of certain units and via feedback from teachers and students who have used the material Overall, based on the opinions and assessments of these teachers and students, the textbook appears comparatively suitable for CMA students.

Designed for two classes (10A11 and 10A12), this textbook aims to develop all four language skills through a variety of exercises and learning techniques that accommodate different student levels Its activities are crafted to actively engage students in class, making it an effective instrument for teaching and learning once its weaknesses are addressed However, the current vocabulary and grammar load in each unit exceeds what is feasible in a 45-minute lesson, and several topics and skills remain challenging for a significant number of students In addition, the assessment methods are not practical enough in terms of test types and timing The study provides recommendations to tackle these issues and to raise the overall quality of the textbook for teaching and learning.

Through the evaluation in this study, the teachers at CM A had the opportunity to look back on th eir teaching process to confirm, their , im portant xoie to the students They are also pointed out w hat to do to improve the quality o f the textbook and the result o f their students The next generation o f students at C M A w ould be paid more consideration and b etter learning results seem to be prom ising to them.

In conclusion, although due to the lim itation o f participants, the study cannot be generalized, the evaluator still hopes that the findings o f the research will be helpful to both teachers and students o f C M A The teachers w ould have suitable adjustm ent to give the m ost effective lectures This study also provides the leaders o f CM A with a respect to the role o f level o f students in a class, especially in the classes where the

Advanced textbooks will be used, and greater emphasis should be placed on the selection of students during entrance rounds The evaluator also hopes that more materials or textbooks at CMA, in particular, and at other high schools in general, will be considered in the near future to raise the quality of general education to higher levels.

Alam ri, A.A.L (2008) An Evaluation o f the 6th G rade English Language Textbook f o r Saudi B o y s' Schools Unpublished M.A thesis King Saudi University.

A tkins, A (2001) A n Evaluation o f the C oursehook u sed f o r O ral C om m unication

One at a Privately F unded Senior High School in Japan Retrieved February

28, 2011 from the W WW : www.cels.bham.ac.uk/resources/essays/atkins3.pdf

C hristenbury, L and Kelly, P P (1994) 'What Textbooks Can - a n d C annot -D o '.

Cunningsw orth A (1984) Evaluating a n d selecting EFL language materials

Cunningsw orth, A (1995) C hoosing y o u r Coursebook London: M acmillan:

Ellis, M & Johnson, C (2000) Teaching Business English (4th ed.) Oxford

Ellis, R (1997) The em pirical evaluation o f language teaching m aterials ELT

Ellis, R (1997) The em pirical evaluation o f language teaching materials ELT

Ezici (2006) Evaluation o f the EFL Textbook “New B ridge to Success 3 ” fr o m the perspectives o f students a nd teachers U npublished M A thesis M iddle East

Grant M (1 9 8 7 / M aking the m ost o f yo u r textbook London: Longman.

Graves, K (2 0 0 0 / D esigning Language Courses Canada: N ew bury H ouse

Harmer, J (2001) The Practice o f English Language Teaching Essex: Pearson

H utchinson T (1987) W hat's underneath? An interactive view o f m aterial evaluation in E L T textbooks and materials: Problem s in Evaluation and Development M odem English Publication in association with B ritish Council.

Hutchinson T and W ater A (1987) English fo r Specific Purposes: A learning centred approach Cam bridge: C am bridge U niversity Press.

H utchinson.!' & Torres E (1994) The textbook as Agent o f Change ELT Journal

Lewis B (2011) TLM - Teaching/ Learning material Retrieved July, 2011 from the

Web: http://k6educators.about.eom/od/educationglossary/g/gtlm.htm

Littlejohn, A (1998) The analysis o f language leaching m aterials: Inside the Trojan

Litz, D (2001) Textbook Evaluation a n d E L T M anagem ent: A South Korean Case

Me D onough J & Shaw, C (1993) M aterials a n d M ethods in ELT Blackwell.

N guyen Thi Thanh Van (2004) A n Evaluation o f the Textbook "English in

Econom ics a n d Business.".for die S e c o n d and Third-year Economics, and Business Students at the N ational Economics University U npublished M.A thesis Hanoi University.

O zdem ir, F E (2007) A n evaluation o f "Tim e f o r English 4", the 4,h grade English coursebook fo r p u blic schools U npublished M A thesis M iddle East

Pham Thi M y H anh (2010) An evaluation o f ESP m aterial f o r the students o f electrics at H anoi University o f Industry U npublished M.A thesis Hanoi

Richards, J (2001) The Role o f Textbooks in a Language Program Retriev ed

D ecem ber 15, 2010 from the W orld W ide Web: http://www.professorjackricliards.com/pdfs/role-of-textbooks.pdf

Richards, J C (2001) The role o f textbooks in a language program Cam bridge

Robinson P.C (1991) ESP today: A Practitioner's guide Prentice Hall.

Sheldon, L E (1988) Evaluating E L T Textbooks an d M aterials ELT Journal

Tom linson B (1998) iMaterials D evelopment in Language Teaching Cambridge

Tom linson, B e ta l (2001) E L T Courses fo r Adults ELT Journal 55(1) 80-101.

Tu A nh, et al (2006) E nglish 10 Advanced Education Press.

Tu Anh, et all (2006) E nglish 10 A dvanced - T ea ch ers' book Education Press.

Ur Penny (1996) A course in language teaching - practice a n d theory Cambridge:

Vu Van C hinh (2010) A n Evaluation o f "Top Notch 2 P re-interm ediate" fo r First

Year Stud en ts at F P T University U npublished M A thesis Hanoi University.

Wong Harry K & R osem ary T W ong (1998) The F irst D ays o f School Harry K

W'ong Publications, Inc., M ountain View, CA.

Young, M J and R iegeluth, C M (1988) Im proving the Textbook Selection Process

Indiana: Phi D elta K appa Educational Foundation

T h is q u e s tio n n a ir e s e a r c h e s fo r y o u r o p in io n s o n th e te x tb o o k A d v a n c e d E n g lis h 1 0 th a t y o u h a v e le a rn e d Y o u r a s s is ta n c e in c o m p le tin g th e fo llo w in g q u e s tio n s is h ig h ly a p p re c ia te d