An evaluation of the coursebook the business pre intermediate for first year students majoring in english at vietnam university of commerce

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ******************* HOÀNG THỊ ANH THƠ AN EVALUATION OF THE COUR

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

*******************

HOÀNG THỊ ANH THƠ

AN EVALUATION OF THE COURSEBOOK “THE BUSINESS PRE-INTERMEDIATE” FOR THE FIRST- YEAR STUDENTS MAJORING IN ENGLISH AT VIETNAM UNIVERSITY OF COMMERCE

ĐÁNH GIÁ GIÁO TRÌNH “THE BUSINESS PRE-INTERMEDIATE” DÙNG CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT CHUYÊN NGÀNH TIẾNG

ANH TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC THƯƠNG MẠI

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology

Code: 60140111

Hanoi – 2017

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES

************************

HOÀNG THỊ ANH THƠ

AN EVALUATION OF THE COURSEBOOK “THE BUSINESS PRE-INTERMEDIATE” FOR THE FIRST- YEAR STUDENTS MAJORING IN ENGLISH AT VIETNAM UNIVERSITY OF COMMERCE

(ĐÁNH GIÁ GIÁO TRÌNH “THE BUSINESS PRE-INTERMEDIATE” DÙNG CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT CHUYÊN NGÀNH TIẾNG

ANH TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC THƯƠNG MẠI M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111

Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr Kiều Thị Thu Hương

Hanoi – 2017

DECLARATION

I, hereby, certify the study entitled “An evaluation of the coursebook “The

business Pre-Intermediate” for first-year students majoring in English at Vietnam University of Commerce” is the result of my own research for the Minor

Degree of Master of Arts at University of Language and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi This study has not, wholly or partially, been submitted for any degree at any other universities or institutions

Hanoi, 2017

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc Prof Dr Kiều Thị Thu Hương, who gave me instructions, encouragement and inspiration during my research Without her valuable feedback and criticism,

my study would not have been accomplished

I also would like to express my special thanks to my teachers at University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their lectures and suggestions for the idea of the study

My gratitude also extends to my colleagues and my students at Vietnam University of Commerce for their help in completing questionnaires, interviews and

as well as constructive suggestions

Lastly, I would like sincerely to say thank you to my family for their endless love and support from the beginning to the end of the study They always stand by

me even in the most difficult situation

ABSTRACT

This present study evaluates the coursebook The business Pre-Intermediate for the

first-year students majoring in English at English Faculty, Vietnam University of Commerce The study aims at finding out some strengths and weaknesses of the coursebook from the students’ perspectives, then addressing some recommendations for effective coursebook usage The evaluation was based on data collected from 115 students and 3 teachers in the form of questionnaires and interviews The questionnaires were used to elicit the students’ perspectives towards the coursebook and their suggestions for improvement The interviews were conducted to collect the teachers’ recommendations for improvement The researcher analyzed the questionnaire data by SPSS program with means, standard deviation and percentage The data for suggestions was collected and summarized for analysis The results of the evaluation show that the strengths of the coursebook

consist of providing the students business language and skills to communicate in

business contexts, suitable layout and organization, variety of topics, the appropriateness of number of vocabulary and grammar items The weaknesses of

the coursebook include printing quality, pronunciation, challenge of some topics,

listening and writing tasks, and assistance in self-study Based on the result, some

improvements are recommended such as using supplementary materials, exercise redesign, activity rearrangement and reduction

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES vii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale for the study 1

1.2 Aims of the study and research questions 2

To achieve the aims of the study, the following research questions are proposed 2

1.3 Scope of the study 2

1.4 Significance of the study 3

1.5 Methodology of the study 3

1.6 Design of the study 3

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

2.1 Materials in teaching and learning 5

2.1.1 Definition of materials 5

2.1.2 Roles of materials 6

2.2 ESP materials 7

2.2.1 Background information of ESP 7

2.2.2 Definition of ESP 8

2.2.3 Roles of ESP materials 10

2.3 Materials evaluation 11

2.3.1 Definition of materials evaluation 11

2.3.2 Roles of materials evaluation 12

2.3.3 Types of materials evaluation 13

2.3.4 Criteria for materials evaluation 14

2.4 Previous researches on materials evaluation 19

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 21

3.1 Description of the context 21

3.1.1 The setting 21

3.1.2 Course material 22

3.1.3 Course objectives 24

3.2 Research methodology 24

3.2.1 Participants 24

3.2.2 Instruments 25

3.2.3 Procedures 27

3.2.4 Data analysis 27

CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 28

4.1 Results and discussion 28

4.1.1 Questionnaire results 28

4.1.2 Interview results 37

4.2 Major findings 41

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 44

5.1 Recapitulation 44

5.2 Implications 44

5.3 Limitation of the study 45

5.4 Recommendations for further studies 45

REFERENCES 46 APPENDICES I

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EGBP English for General Business Purposes

ESBP English for Specific Business Purposes

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

(1987: 98)

15

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale for the study

One of the important factors leading to successful English acquisition is the suitable and effective coursebook, especially towards students of English for Specific

as Hutchinson and Waters (1987), Brown (1995), Cunningsworth (1998) and Tomlinson (1998) The role of coursebooks is proved in the learning and teaching context of English Faculty, Vietnam University of Commerce (VUC) In search for

a variety of materials, the teachers at the English Faculty have chosen The Business

as an official coursebook for the English major students to enhance both business knowledge and English skills The set of books includes three levels from pre-intermediate up to upper-intermediate, and first-year students study pre-intermediate level First-year students face many difficulties in learning such as choosing appropriate learning methods and ways of exploiting the coursebook They have already spent a long time studying English at school, but their focuses are mostly grammar and reading to pass university entrance exams As one of the result of teacher-centered approach, many of them remain passive in class and have to struggle to improve other English skills such as speaking, listening and writing Therefore, freshmen and their coursebook at VUC are of the researcher’s interest Despite the fact that first-year students at VUC pass the university entrance exam, many of them cannot define what their target destinations, their wants and their lacks are Hutchinson and Waters (1987:57) claim, “there is no necessary relationship between necessities as perceived by sponsors or ESP teachers and what the learners want or feel they need” Teachers may often choose a coursebook quickly on the basis of their observation and experience instead of taking students’ perspectives into consideration Neglecting the students’ opinions might hinder them from learning and cause demotivation among students Cunningsworth (1995:7) says, “the aims of the coursebook should correspond as closely as possible

to the aims of the teacher, and both should seek to meet the needs of the learners to the highest degree” The teachers are supposed to understand the aims of the

syllabus, and they know what their students need to achieve during the course They can judge and choose a coursebook by looking through it and getting its overview

It is not difficult for them to point out what the overall strengths and weaknesses of that coursebook are However, defining any significant features, prominent weaknesses or considering what specific items should be adapted take time and efforts That is why it is necessary to have an in-depth evaluation from students’ viewpoint

After using the coursebook The business Pre-Intermediate, the researcher has taken

the appropriateness of the coursebook into consideration and wondered if it fullfils

VUC students’ expectations Thus, this study aims at evaluating the coursebook The

business Pre-Intermediate according to the students’ perspectives to find out what

its strengths and weaknesses are and addressing some recommendations for effective coursebook usage

1.2 Aims of the study and research questions

As already mentioned, the aim of this study is to evaluate the book The business

Pre-Intermediate from students’ perspectives Based on the findings, the study

offers suggestions for further improvement of the coursebook to meet students’expectations

To achieve the aims of the study, the following research questions are proposed

1 What are the strengths of the coursebook “The business Pre-Intermediate” from the perspectives of first-year students majoring in English at Vietnam University of Commerce?

2 What are the weaknesses of the coursebook “The business Pre-Intermediate” from the perspectives of first-year students majoring in English at Vietnam University of Commerce?

1.3 Scope of the study

The coursebook is only for first-year students at Vietnam University of Commerce Thus the study just focuses on the evaluation of the first-year students majoring in English at Vietnam University of Commerce in the school year 2015-2016 on the

coursebook The business Pre-Intermediate given by Karen Richardson, Marie

Kavanagh and John Sydes with Paul Emmerson in 2003

1.4 Significance of the study

The study has contributed to the field of materials evaluation The theoretical background of the study can be helpful for teachers and textbook writers interested

in materials evaluation in the future The results of the study are favourable for not only teachers but also first-year students who work with the coursebook during the academic year At the same time, the results are the basis for coursebook adaptation and improvement, which is meaningful in teaching undergraduate students who want to have knowledge and ability to communicate in English in business contexts

1.5 Methodology of the study

The research’s respondents are teachers and first-year students at the English Faculty, Vietnam University of Commerce Specifically, 121 first-year students from three classes and three teachers working with these first-year students have been asked to take part in the research In order to achieve the objectives of this study, the researcher applies qualitative and quantitative research methods Data are collected through questionnaires with students and interviews with teachers The data obtained from the questionnaires have been analyzed using a computer software program called SPSS The means and percentages of the responses have been generated via SPSS while the teachers’ answers in the interviews have been

summarized and analyzed

1.6 Design of the study

The study is composed of three main parts: introduction, development and conclusion

The Introduction mentions reasons for choosing the topic of study, aims, research questions, scope, significance, methodology and organization of the study

The Development consists of three chapters Chapter I Literature Review reviews some theories of basic concepts which are ESP, ESP materials, and materials evaluation In detail, it provides a brief overview of ESP, the role of ESP materials, the definition and reasons of materials evaluation It also mentions types and criteria for materials evaluation In chapter II, the author presents the setting, the participants, the method of data collection and the instruments used to collect data

The procedure of collecting data and the analysis of the data are described carefully Chapter III shows the findings of data analysis and discussion as well

In the Conclusion, the author summarizes the results obtained and presents some recommendations for using the material

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter reviews previous researches related to evaluating materials It firstly digs into materials with their definitions and roles The next section presents ESP materials in terms of background information, definitions and roles Then, the chapter reviews material evaluation with its associated issues In this section, definitions, types, roles, approaches of materials evaluations are explored The section also outlines criteria and models for evaluating materials with different viewpoints of different researchers

2.1 Materials in teaching and learning

2.1.1 Definition of materials

Materials are useful tools in teaching and learning Dudley-Evans and St John (1998:170) state that materials can be used as “a source of language, a learning support, for motivation and stimulation, and for reference” Language teaching materials, according to Tomlinson (1982), are anything which can facilitate teaching and learning activities “It can be in the form of a textbook, a workbook, a cassette, a CD-Rom, a video, a photocopied handout, a newspaper, a paragraph written on a white board; anything that presents or informs about the language being learned” (Tomlinson, 1982:2) Sharing the similar view point of materials, Hutchinson and Waters (1987:37) assert that materials are the “everyday tools of the language teacher” It is also stated that materials are an embodiment of the aims, values and methods of a particular teaching/learning situation

One of the most widely used teaching and learning materials is textbook that concerns about a subject a student studies in the classroom In many circumstances, many people use the term textbook and coursebook interchangeably Both refer to a book intended by the producers to be used as a core teaching material In Tomlinson’s opinion (1998: ix), he states clearly that a coursebook is “a textbook which provides the core materials for a course It aims to provide as much as possible in one book and is designed so that it could serve as the only book which the learners necessarily use during a course Such a book includes work on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, functions and the skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking.”

The study aims to evaluate the book “The business Pre-Intermediate” used for a

particular group of students that are the first-year students marjoring in English at

Vietnam University of Commerce in the course “Basic English” Therefore, the

term “coursebook” is used during analysis and evaluation, and the terms

“coursebook” “textbook” and “materials” are used interchangeably for the convenience of reviewing literature In addition, the researcher hereafter uses the terms “materials evaluation” and “materials adaptation” instead of “material evaluation” and “material adaptation” according to Cunningsworth (1995)

2.1.2 Roles of materials

Textbooks are a key component in many language programs Sheldon (1988:237) states textbooks “represent the visible heart of any ELT program” Hutchinson and Torres (1994:315) also suggest that “No teaching-learning situation, it seems, is complete until it has its relevant textbook” A suitable textbook can provide the content of the lessons which will help all students in one class with different background receive similar amount of knowledge, then the tests are processed easily This also ensures that teaching and learning programs have a central core and are developed systematically Besides Harmer (1991) suggests that the textbook allows students to look back and forward, giving them a chance to prepare for what

is coming and to review what they have done For teachers, it helps them save time; thus, they can devote themselves more in improving their teaching quality It is really useful for the teachers whose first languages are not English because textbook can provide effective language models and input If teachers are lack of teaching experience, a textbook can become their trainers giving them instructions of planning and teaching lessons

Despite the fact that the role of textbooks is very important in learning and teaching, textbooks can have potential negative effects A textbook is not written for a particular group of students in a particular classroom; therefore, it cannot reflect the interests and needs of the students in that class A textbook just provide the initial framework and hence may require adaptation Cunningsworth (1984) thinks that textbooks should be seen as the teacher’s servant, not a master A textbook will be helpful if teachers use it as a teaching tool and a primary source of their teaching

Depending on materials prepared by others can deskill teachers Allwright (1982) also suggests that textbooks are too inflexible and generally reflect the pedagogic, psychological, and linguistic preferences and biases of their authors Sometimes textbooks fail to present the real world and become unacceptable in many contexts

In short, the use of textbooks has both advantages and disadvantages depending on how they are used Therefore, learning how to use and adapt textbooks become an important part in training teachers Each teacher should exploit the materials’ benefits and avoid turning them into their masters or tools deskilling themselves

2.2 ESP materials

2.2.1 Background information of ESP

After the Second World War ended in 1945, a large number of people had the demands of learning English not only for their pleasure or wanting to learn languages in general but also for the purpose of international communication of technology and commerce The needs of learning English for a particular purpose created the emergence of ESP (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987) Along with the demands of a Brave New World, Hutchinson and Waters (1987) noted two other reasons for ESP coming: a revolution in linguistics and focus on the learner They point out that if language varies in different contexts, determining the features of particular situations is possible and it should be one part of building the learners’ course Moreover, learning English may be more effective because of increasing the motivation if the learners’ needs and interests are taken into consideration

ESP is one of two branches of EFL (English as a foreign language) EFL is also one

of three branches of the tree of ELT (English Language Teaching) besides EMT (English as a mother tongue) and ESL (English as a second language) (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987) According to this tree, ESP is broken down into three parts: EST (English for science and technology), EBE (English for business and economics) and ESS (English for social studies) English for Business does not have an independent position However, Dudley-Evans and St John (1998) classify English for Business Purposes as a branch of English for Professional Purposes which belongs to English for Occupational Purposes distinguishing with English for Academic Purposes In the opinion of these scholars, English for Business Purposes

can be divided into English for General Business Purposes (EGBP) and English for

Specific Business Purposes (ESBP) The coursebook The business can be

considered as a material for EGBP courses because of following features EGBP are used for “pre-experience learners or those at the very early stages of their career”, the course is formed “on the basis of language level rather than job” and “teach a broad range of English through business settings rather than English for specific business purposes”, and “a focus on presentation and practice in accuracy and fluency” is common (Dudley-Evans and St John, 1998:55)

ESP is always put in comparison with GE (General English), another branch of EFL Hutchinson and Waters (1987) point out the difference that there is no difference in theory, but in practice it is a great deal The teachers of GE courses rarely carry out a need analysis to find out their students’ needs because they take for granted that their students learn for using English in general According to Dudley-Evans and St John (1998), the role of ESP teachers is now changed from a teacher to a practioner An ESP practioner has five key roles: teacher, course designer and materials provider, collaborator, researcher and evaluator He or she should pay attention to both teaching macro-skills and languages related to the key genres as well because ESP course are designed to meet the need of a particular group of learners

2.2.2 Definition of ESP

English for Specific purposes (ESP) has become an important part of English language learning It has been defined by a number of researchers Hutchinson and Waters (1987:19) states that “the foundation of ESP is the simple question: Why does this learner need to learn a foreign language?” ESP courses are basically designed to meet the needs of a particular group of students who want to study English to use it in their specialization And “ESP is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method are based on the learner’s reason for learning” Hutchinson and Waters (1987:16) points out that many learners go to English classes for academic study because they need English in their study Others use English for their works, for example, to negotiate a deal, to

communicate with tourists ESP help them achieve their learning targets appropriately

More specifically, Strevens (1988) gives the definition of ESP consisting of four absolute characteristics and two variable characteristics

1 Absolute characteristics:

ESP consists of English language teaching which is:

- Designed to meet specific needs of the learners;

- Related in content (that is in its themes and topics) to particular disciplines, occupations and activities;

- Centered on language appropriate to those activities in syntax, lexis, discourse, semantics and so on, and of the analysis of discourse;

- In contrast with “General English”

2 Variable characteristics:

ESP may be, but is not necessarily:

- Restricted as to the learning skills to be learned

- Not taught according to any pre-ordained methodology (p.1-2)

Dudley-Evans and St John (1998) highly evaluate Strevens’ definition and consider

it comprehensive, but it can lead to a certain confusion In terms of contrast with General English, for example, ESP teaching should be linked to a particular profession, using a methodology which is different in General English In general, the interaction between the ESP teacher and students are similar to that in General English classes; however, in more specific ESP classes the teacher sometimes is like a language consultant with the learners having their own expertise in the subject matter Therefore, Dudley-Evans and St John (1998) modified Strevens’ definition, removed the absolute characteristic “in contrast with General English” and added many variable characteristics They affirmed that in certain circumstances ESP target learners can be broadened from near beginners, students in secondary schools

to intermediate learners and adults ESP is not in contrast with General English, but may use a different methodology of General English In their definition,

1 Absolute characteristics:

- ESP is designed to meet specific needs of the learner;

- ESP makes use of the underlying methodology and activities of the disciplines it serves; ESP is centered on the language (grammar, lexis, register), skills, discourse and genres appropriate to these activities

2 Variable characteristics:

- ESP may be related to or designed for specific disciplines;

- ESP may use, in specific teaching situations, a different methodology from that of General English;

- ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a tertiary level

or in a professional work situation It could, however be used for learners at secondary school level;

- ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced students Most ESP courses assume basic knowledge of the language system, but it can

be used with beginners (p.4-5)

Dudley-Evans and St John (1988) give the definition of ESP clearly, which is really useful for educators to build ESP syllabus It may become the magnetic needle directing teachers and students on the way learning ESP In this definition, no matter how many characteristics are added, it still confirms the importance of learners’ needs during teaching and learning ESP Thus, “needs analysis remains fundamental to ESP and from the early days of ESP in 1960s the starting point has always been what learners need to do with English” (Dudley-Evans and St John, 1998:5)

Many researchers and writers like Wright (1992), Smoak (1996) share the same opinion of ESP when they notes that ESP means learning for a purpose Learning English is considered as performing a specific task unrelated to passing an English exam

2.2.3 Roles of ESP materials

Materials play an important role in most language courses and teaching materials are the resources for teachers in assisting students to learn English This role is even more important and essential in the ESP context According to Dudley-Evans and

St John (1998), materials in the ESP context are used as a source of language and a learning support They are also used for motivation and stimulation, and for

reference as well Gatehouse (2001) believes that materials development is one of the major issues in an ESP curriculum However, Gatehouse (2001) wonders if ESP textbooks really exists because ESP teachers are required to produce a course that meets the needs of learners while the preparation time is limited This leads to the fact that teaching resources can be gathered together, some borrowed and others designed They can include authentic materials, ESP materials and teacher’s generated materials It is difficult to find an ideal ESP textbook It can depend on the teacher’s ability and experience in material production Nevertheless, despite all negative attitude to ESP textbooks’ usefulness, we believe that they are core tools in learning and teaching English for Specific Purposes They are the first source we can use of when we have no time for material development Teachers who do not have the expertise to produce teaching materials consider them as a useful resource

In the particular situation at Vietnam University of Commerce, ESP material of business plays a key role in providing both teachers and learners sources in their teaching and learning process Without it, they will get a large number of difficulties in finding materials, identifying what to teach and learn and they likely have to spend a lot of time and efforts during their ESP course

2.3 Materials evaluation

2.3.1 Definition of materials evaluation

Materials evaluation, according to Hutchinson and Waters (1987: 97), is a

“matching process”, which concerns matching learners’ needs to available solutions In their opinion, it is “a matter of judging the fitness of something for a particular purpose” This definition reminds us of the learner-centered approach in which learners’ needs are always highly addressed

Rea-Dickens and Germaine (1992) mention that “evaluation is the means by which

we can gain a better understanding of what is effective, what is less effective, and what appears to be of no use at all” (Rea-Dickens & Germaine, 1992:4)

Brown (1995:218) states that “evaluation is the systematic collection and analysis

of all relevant information necessary to promote the improvement of a curriculum, and assess its effectiveness and efficiency, as well as the participants’ attitudes

within the context of the particular institutions involved.” This definition not only points out the process of evaluating, its purposes but also the content of evaluation Tomlinson (2005:15) defines “materials evaluation is a procedure that involves measuring the value (or potential value) of a set of learning material” In his opinion, an evaluation is not the same as an analysis An analysis can be a part of an evaluation process; however, two of them are different in objectives and procedures

An evaluation is subjective, focuses on the users and makes judgments about the materials’ effects In contrast, an analysis seems to be objective and focuses on the

materials, their contents, their aims and their methodology The term evaluation and

assessment are also used interchangeably; however, Nunan, D (1991) points their

differences that evaluation is a wider term than assessment He argues, “assessment

is a process of collecting information about what a learner can do in the target language, while evaluation is a more general process of obtaining a variety of information relating to different curriculum elements and processes, for decision-making purposes” (Nunan, 1991:46) It means that as a result of elvaluating, measures might be taken to deal with any shortcomings Sharing the similar ideas, Dudley - Evans & St John (1998:128) claim that material evaluation is “a whole process that begins with determining what information to gather and ends with bringing about change in current activities or influencing future ones” And these ideas seem to be comprehensive and suitable for the aims of the research

2.3.2 Roles of materials evaluation

Evaluating teaching materials to see if the materials match with the teaching context

or not is necessary and important No textbook will be a perfect fit for a language program while there is a variety of textbooks available in the market Sheldon (1988) states that the selection of a textbook is indicator of an educational decision

in which there is considerable professional, financial, and even political investment Through evaluation, teachers will become familiar with the content of the textbook and recognize its weaknesses and strengths

Ellis (1997) argues two primary reasons of material evaluation Firstly, evaluation can help teachers find out the most suitable textbook for a particular situation Secondly, evaluation will help in deciding that chosen material works for the

context after being used for a particular period of time Then, the teachers can consider adapting or replacing it for a better use

Cunningsworth (1995) shares the same ideas that evluating textbooks is to identify their particular strengths and weaknesses, so that “optimum use can be made of their strong points, whilst their weaker areas can be strengthened through adaptation

or by substituting material from other books” (Cunningsworth, 1995:14) He also states that the major and frequent reason for evaluation is the intention to adopt new textbooks

2.3.3 Types of materials evaluation

Tomlinson (2003) divides materials evaluation into three types: pre-use evaluation, whilst-use evaluation and post-use evaluation

Pre-use evaluation is about making predictions of the potential value of materials They are often conducted on impressionistic level and the teachers’ quick flicking through the book they intend to choose This kind of evaluation is considered subjective and not really reliable Therefore, it is difficult to avoid mistakes McGrath (2002) supports that ideas and suggests that checklists and more in-depth criterion-referenced evaluations can be used to reduce subjectivity, and make the judgements more principle, systematic and reliable

Whilst-use evaluation involves measuring the values of materials whilst using them

or whilst observing them being used This offers a more objective and reliable perspective of materials because it makes use of measurements rather than relying

on predictions However, Tomlinson (2003) points out that whilst-use evaluation is limited to measure what is observable and cannot claim to measure what is happening in the learners’ brains Although it can measure short-term memory through observing learner performance on exercises, it cannot measure durable and effective learning because of the delayed effect of instruction

Post-use evaluation measures the actual learning outcomes through various ways of measuring: test what the materials have taught, test what the learners can do, interviews, questionnaires, criterion-referenced evaluations by the users This data can provide reliable feedback for which the decisions about the use, adaption or replacement of the materials can be made Post-use evaluation can take time and

expertise to complete successfully, however it is probably the most valuable way to make judgements Ellis (1997) points out that teachers nearly have no need for post-use evaluation After using the textbook for a long time, teachers will tend to think intuitively that they will know whether they should use that textbook again or not However, Tomlinson (2003) asserts the importance of post-use evaluation “It can measure the short-term effect as regards motivation, impact, achievability, instant learning, etc., and it can measure the long-term effect as regard durable learning and application” (Tomlinson, 2003:25) Sheldon (1988) also adds that the success or failure of a textbook can be determined during its use and after use Even though the importance of each type is controversial, it is suggested that textbook should be evaluated in all of the above three types if possible (McGrath, 2002) In this study, post-use evaluation is chosen to evaluate the material

2.3.4 Criteria for materials evaluation

According to Tomlinson (1998: 220), criteria are what researchers use to “reach a decision regarding what needs to be evaluated” Therefore, one of the first steps of the evaluation process is defining criteria However, any criteria by any evaluation experts cannot be picked up randomly or because of interests William (1983:253) asserts “The scheme for evaluating textbooks can be adapted to suit particular contexts” Sharing the similar ideas, Sheldon (1988) also argues that no general list

of criteria can really be applied to all teaching and learning context without considerable modification Therefore, evaluators have to choose the most appropriate criteria based on their real teaching and learning environments Below

is a summary of some approaches to coursebook evaluation and their accompanying criteria

2.3.4.1 Hutchinson and Waters approach

Hutchinson and Waters (1987) suggest four main steps of the ESP coursebook evaluation process: defining criteria, subjective analysis, objective analysis and matching They conduct both subjective and objective analysis because they know that the ESP coursebooks have to “suit the needs of a number of parties: teachers, students, sponsors” (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987: 97) It is clear that evaluators should take the needs into consideration and make sure that subjective factors cannot make objectivity difficult to realize in the early stages of analysis

Figure 2.1: The Materials Evaluation Model of Hutchinson and Waters (1987: 98)

In the checklist of criteria they concern four main criteria that are audience, aims, content and methodology The checklist includes 21 questions totally which are divided into A group (subjective analysis) and B groups (objective analysis)

The checklist Hutchinson and Waters (1987) suggest is for evaluating an ESP textbook; therefore, audience is the first and foremost part evaluators should care about Because the textbook is designed for a particular group of learners, it is necessary to know all basic information of learners such as ages, sex, nationality, study of work specialism, knowledges, educational backgrounds, interest

Secondly, it is very important to know what are the aims of the course and the aims

of the materials

Matching

How far does the material match your needs?

Define criteria

On what bases will you judge materials?

Which criteria will be more important?

Subjective analysis

What realizations of the criteria

do you want in your course?

Objective analysis

How does the material being evaluated realize the criteria?

Thirdly, the content of the materials should be taken into notice The evaluators can carry out the analysis of different aspects that are language description, language points, proportion of work on each macro-skill, micro-skills, text types, subject-matter areas, level of knowledge, types of topics, content organization and content sequence

The last one is checking the appropriateness of the methodology in the material to learners The methodology criteria which are taken into account contain the theory

of learning, the attitudes to or expectations about learning English, kinds of exercises, teaching-learning techniques, aids, teaching guidance or support and the flexibility of the materials

Hutchinson and Water (1987) also add other criteria such as the price and availability of the materials

After answering all the questions of group A and B, there will be comparison between the A and B findings to find out if there is a match This criteria is clear, organized and used for ESP coursebook evaluation; however, it is suitable for teachers’ evaluation rather than students’ because of their lack of knowledge and experience For example, first-year students in EGBP course can find it difficult to define what text-types should be included or what teaching-learning techniques should be need

it is best to “identify your own priorities and draw up your own checklist, perhaps using some of the criteria outlined in this book and adding others of your own based

on your concerns and priorities” (Cunningsworth, 1995:2) He then introduces a quick-reference checklist of evaluation and selection containing 45 questions (see appendix for more details) covering 8 criteria as follow:

 Aims and approaches

 Design and organization

2.3.4.3 Other approaches and criteria

William (1983) introduces four assumptions (up-to-date methodology of L2 teaching, guidance for non-native speakers of English, needs of learners and relevance to socio-cultural environment) and a set of criteria for evaluation that relates to linguistic, pedagogical, general and technical aspects The checklist of items contains seven principles:

The ESL textbook should:

1 give introductory guidance on the presentation of language items and skills (General)

2 suggest aids for the teaching of pronunciation: e.g phonetic system (Speech)

3 offer meaningful situations and a variety of techniques for teaching structural units (Grammar)

4 distinguish the different purposes and skills involved in the teaching of vocabulary (Vocabulary)

5 provide guidance on the initial presentation of passages for reading comprehension (Reading)

6 demenstrate the various devices for controlling and guiding content and expression in composition exercises (Writing)

7 contain appropriate pictures, diagrams, tables, etc (Technical)

stimulus/practice/revision, flexibility, guidance and overall value for money This wide range of criteria can used for evaluating many aspects of the materials and meet specific evaluation requirements

To sum up, it can be seen that William (1983) introduces his textbook evaluating criteria in ESL environment, Sheldon (1988) considers the criteria “specific selection priorities” (Sheldon, 1988:242), and Hutchinson and Waters (1987) present a checklist for ESP materials evaluation However Hutchinson and Waters (1987:105) looked at the materials evaluation “as one way of exploiting a course design”, not as post-use evaluation that this study means In addition, the evaluation approach they suggest seems to be difficult for the evaluation from the students’ perspectives First-year students are lack of experience in learning method and exploring the coursebook Most of them have just graduated high-schools and do not know what are exactly the things they want in life or for their future This leads

to the confusion of defining what they need to achieve in this coursebook Therefore, the researcher decided to follow the criteria suggested by Cunningsworth (1995)

The Cunninsworth’s criteria are user friendly and take the learners’ needs into consideration They can be the most suitable reference to evaluate the teaching

materials The business Pre-Intermediate Because this study aims to find out the

students’ evaluation of the coursebook, the researcher cut off the criteria Teachers’ books Other criteria are also considered to adapt For example, aims and approaches is an important feature to look for when evaluationg a coursebook, especially an ESP coursebook It can be difficult for a student to define aims or approaches, but necessary to tick their opinions The design, layout and sequencing

of each unit can help the evaluator obtain a general picture of how the coursbook and a specific unit are organized To be more important, it is crucial to see how language material is introduced and practiced Because of these reasons, the criteria used in this study include aims and approaches, design and organization, language content, skills, topic and methodology

2.4 Previous researches on materials evaluation

This section mentions some research studies which have been conducted on coursebook evaluation They are published as MA theses and are similar to each other in terms of learning and teaching context and ESP coursebook evaluation

Firstly, Huyen (2005) carried out a study to evaluate the material “Business Venture

2” for the second-year business administration students in Haiphong Private

Universtiy She used three instruments that are questionnaires, interview and direct observation CLT was considered as the main goal to evaluate The study pointed out many serious problems relating to time pressure, the coursebook’s unbalanced skill focus, inadequate business terms and practice exercise provision and class size This result led to the requirements of the coursebook adaptation to increase its effectiveness in learning and teaching activities

The second study was conducted by Huong (2011) in order to evaluate the material

“English for graduate students of social sciences and humanities” in University of

Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University The coursebook was evaluated to see if it met the course requirements in terms of aims, content and methodology Document analysis helped her have a general viewpoint of the coursebook Then she used questionnaires for students and teachers to find out the

result The coursebook meets the course requirements of providing the texts, vocabulary, grammar and topics in social fields It also increases the learning motivation to some extent In contrast, the coursebook has some weaknesses that are insufficient topics, limited and unattractive text types, unbalanced skills and lack

of supporting materials for learners and teachers

The third study is an evaluation of the material “English in Economics and

Business” by Huong (2013) Questionnaires and informal interviews with teachers

and students were used to evaluate the appropriateness of the material with the teachers, students and training objectives of Hanoi University of Mining and Geology The result of the study required the reconsideration of the coursebook because it just met the course objectives of ESP knowledge and the demands of both students and teachers in reading skill practice As a result, the researcher suggested replacing the coursebook by other materials which are more appropriate The above studies carried out the material analysis that helps define the objective viewpoints of the researchers and learning and teaching context The result of the studies are useful contributions to the material evaluation and the improvement of usage Despite the fact that the impact of the textbooks on learners was not mentioned, the research instruments such as questionnaires, interviews and observation are good suggestions for the researcher of this study

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the setting of teaching and learning the coursebook “The business Pre-Intermediate” of the first-year students majoring in English at VUC It also introduces the course material and course objectives Importantly it describes the research design and methodological steps and procedures used to carry out this study It describes, in detail, the participants, data collection instruments, procedures, methods of data analysis, etc that were involved in the investigation

3.1 Description of the context

3.1.1 The setting

English Faculty of Vietnam University of Commerce is training the students majoring in Business English In order to become a member of the Business English Faculty in VUC, each student has to overcome the university entrance exam set by the Ministry of Education and Training for foreign language learners The standard marks that students get in that exam will be a necessary condition for teaching and learning in next four years It also suggests that students have a particular background of English language knowledge, then all of them are challenged to achieve pre-intermediate level

Those students are grouped into 6 classes, one of which includes 38 to 43 students All classrooms are well-equipped with modern projectors Some problems teachers have to cope with now can be the differences in learning styles and levels of communication skill competence of students Each student has different period learning English Some have studied English for 3 years; some have dealt with English since they were in primary school They are also familiar to teacher-centered approach in which the teacher is a decision maker and students seem to be passive The university entrance exam does not test other skills besides grammar, vocabulary and a bit writing skill Thus, it is difficult to be sure how students are good at listening, speaking and writing The second problem the teachers can get in trouble is controlling a large number of students in a class, 38 to 45 students as mentioned above

To meet the education requirements, the students need to finish the courses of Basic English and Business English besides other language and translation courses The

coursebook students majoring in English have used is The business written by

Karen Richardson, Marie Kavanagh and John Sydes with Paul Emmerson

First-year students study The business Pre-Intermediate The second and third-First-year students study Business English courses with the coursebook The business

Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate respectively The business Pre-Intermediate

is divided into four parts which are studied during four courses of two semesters in the first year Each course equals 2 credits, lasting 30 class hours Teachers and students have a meeting class twice a week for 24 class hours The last 6 hours is for mid-term test and discussion Despite some problems such as a large number of students in one class and the differences in learning styles and skill competence, teachers try their best to use communicative approach to help their students develop English skills as well as gain basic business knowledge and skills

3.1.2 Course material

The coursebook for first-year students in English Faculty, VUC is The business

Pre-Intermediate written by Karen Richardson, Marie Kavanagh and John Sydes

with Paul Emmerson in 2003 The business Pre-Intermediate consists of student’s book, teacher’s book and class audio CDs The objectives of The business Pre-

Intermediate is to help students learn two things: how to do business in English and

the language students need to do it This book consists of 8 units centering on

everyday life and business-related topics They cover living abroad, dealing with

customers, operations, success stories, selling, the organization, the stock markets

and going global Each unit follows a format comprised of the following sections:

About business: containing information and language for the topic area of each

unit

Vocabulary: build on the important words and phrases introduced in the previous

module and provide thorough practice

Grammar: present and revise some important grammatical structures that students

need to use or deal with during the unit

Speaking: develop understanding and speaking skills in typical business situations Writing: provide practice for the most important types of document students need to

write at work

Case study: provide an opportunity to apply all the language, skills and ideas

students have worked on in the unit

In addition to eight units, the coursebook contains the following:

Reviews: there is a review after each two units helping students revise all business

concepts, grammar, vocabulary and useful expressions which are already mentioned

in those two lessons Because the answers of review exercises are not included at the end of the book, the students can face difficulties in finishing them by self-study

Additional material: this section contains all the extra materials you need to do pair

or group work activities

Grammar and practice: this section gives a summary of rules with clear examples

It also provides further practice of the essential grammar points in this level of the course

Recordings: if students want to study the audio dialogues in detail, they can look at

full scripts of all the audio recordings here

Wordlist: in each units, the words students may not know are in grey They can find

the definitions of these words in the wordlist with examples

In general viewpoint of the evaluator, the coursebook provides a large number of business words and expressions through reading passages and listening recordings Some terms can push the learners who are lack of reality experience into trouble of understanding and using them; however, because of the teacher’s help and the

requirement of Internet Research part in each unit, students are urged to invest time

for self-study at home In addition to vocabulary, the coursebook focuses on developing the students’ communicative skills and using them effectively in practical situations The coursebook consists of speaking and writing sections separately In every section speaking and listening activities take students most of class time To sum up, through the topics and contents in each unit, students have to deal with different perspectives of international business and the expressions used

in those contexts that help them improve language skills and enlarge their vocabulary

Although these objectives are not in detail enough, they are the basis for teachers to adapt the coursebook so that it can match the students’ needs without going off track Therefore, students know what they need to achieve during the course and how to achieve that

3.2 Research methodology

3.2.1 Participants

The participants of the study are 121 first-year students and 3 teachers in charging three first-year classes These students come from 3 of 6 first-year classes of school year 2015-2016 They are chosen because of convenience in delivering questionnaires Most of students are female and at the age of 18 They are assumed

to reach a certain level of English proficiency after a period of time learning general English in high-school and passing the entrance exam to enter the university Therefore, the background of all the learners is from the elementary level or above They spend the first year to achieve pre-intermediate level

In terms of the teachers, all of them graduated from University of Languages and International Studies and were trained to teach general English After some years working in Vietnam University of Commerce, they has equipped themselves with concepts and definitions of business in order to teach ESP effectively by reading books, attending classes and seminars about business matters Three teachers, the

participants of the study, have at least 4 year experience in teaching The business

Pre-Intermediate They are the people who taught 3 of 6 first-year classes of school

Questionnaires are chosen as the main data collection instrument because they

“involve eliciting something from informants: usually factual information about themselves and their teaching situation, or attitudes/opinions on some issues” (Wallace, 1998:47) Therefore, the researcher used this instrument to gather the

students’ opinion in order to evaluate the coursebook The business

Pre-Intermediate The reason questionnaires are widely used in survey research is that

they require less time and then lead to less expense than other instruments Many participants can receive questions at the same time and give the answers quickly even without the researcher’s presence Wallace (1998) presents that participants can feel free to express their opinions because they are not under pressure of mentioning their names in questionnaires Some students may be in fear that their answers are assessed by their teacher, which affects their learning progress negatively In addition, unlike interviewing or doing tests, participants have time to consider their answers; as a result, the information gathered become more accurate

In some circumstances, using a questionnaire may be a disadvantage The result of the research can be unreliable if participants do not understand the items or misunderstand the instructions They not only do not deliver their choices but also choose more than answers as requested Moreover, there are some factors affecting participants such as their enthusiasm, their interest in the research’s topic and the answering condition Therefore, it is necessary to pilot the questionnaires, modify them and have careful observation and administration during carrying out the survey

Questionnaires may contain only one kind of question or a mix Scaled questions, one familiar type of which is the Likert-scale, present not only questions but also statements and ask for degrees of agreement Likert-scale questions are used in the research to elicit the first-year students’ opinions of the coursebook According to McDonough, J & S (2001:176), the different kinds of opinion may be given numerical values “it might be significant if large numbers of respondents could only bring themselves to agree with a particular statement” However, the researcher could put the number of choices into consideration because the midpoint is often difficult to interpret

Interview

The second instrument of this research is interview The interviews with the teachers, who are responsible for the first-year students, are conducted The information obtained from interviews will be recorded, analyzed and used with reference to make recommendations for improving the coursebook usage There are five interview questions in the question list The teachers need to present their overall evaluation of the coursebook, its strengths and weaknesses, and their suggestions for the material improvements and teaching activities Interviews can avoid some disadvantages of questionnaires by asking questions in face-to-face interaction In addition, the interviewer can obtain more meaningful information by rephrasing questions that are not clear to the participant Dudley-Evans and St John (1998) also mention that interviews provide in-depth and valuable information Informal interviews are chosen for this research because of their flexibility

3.2.3 Procedures

All the questionnaires were originally written in English, then were translated into Vietnamese to avoid possible misunderstanding The first version of the questionnaire was passed to two teachers in English Faculty to get advice of content and wording Then 10 first-year students were invited for pilot purpose Half of the questions were modified with the help of two colleagues to make sure that the questionnaires are clear enough and easy for the students to understand The questionnaires were delivered to the students in the last class meeting of the first year The researcher spent a few minutes to give the students the instructions and made them aware of the process they were supposed to go through It was also clearly stated that their answers would not affect their grade After that the students were asked to complete the questionnaires under the researcher’s observation The researcher prepared 121 questionnaires along with the student lists of three classes; however, 115 questionnaires were back because some students were absent at that time and some uncompleted them unreasonably

The data obtained from the questionnaires were summarized in terms of descriptive statistics Because the teaching schedule of each teacher was not the same, the researcher arranged to interview the teachers separately for convenience The interviews were conducted in informal atmosphere at the room of English Faculty The content of the interviews was recorded, then synthesized and analyzed The results were useful for suggestions for improving the coursebook usage

3.2.4 Data analysis

The results of this study were based on questionnaires and interviews used as instruments for data collection Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows Means, frequency counts or number, percentages and standard deviation were used to analyze collected data in order to describe the students’ evaluation of the coursebook “The business Pre Intermediate” For the qualitative analysis, the interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed Similar teacher responses were grouped together

CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

The purpose of this study is to investigate students’ evaluation of the coursebook

“The business Pre-Intermediate” in use at VUC This chapter attempts to answer the questions of the study It presents the results and discussions of both qualitative and quantitative data analysis and provides a summary of the findings

4.1 Results and discussion

This section is divided into two subsections: the first presents the quantitative data derived from the questionnaires while the second presents the qualitative data derived from the interviews

4.1.1 Questionnaire results

A descriptive statistical analysis of students’ responses to the survey items is provided in the following sections, which address their evaluation of the coursebook’s aims and approaches, design and organization, topics, language content, skills and methodology

4.1.1.1 Strengths and weaknesses of the coursebook

The results of the questionnaire were input in SPSS to analyze the percentage, mean scores and standard deviation The reliability of the questionnaire items was high with the Cronbach’s Alpha 0.895 The criteria were set on the 5-point Likert scale ranged from 1 to 5 (1 = Strongly disagree (SD), 2 = Disagree (D), 3 = Undecided

Minimum) / n = (5-1)/5 = 0.8 The means were classified as follows:

content needs the most reconsideration because it ranks the lowest among all sections

Table 4.1 Summary of students’ evaluation of the coursebook (N=115)

These following tables present students’ evaluation of the coursebook on each section separately Each table was built from two tables of mean scores and percentages

Aims and approaches

Table 4.2 presents percentages, means and standard deviations of the students’ perspectives of the coursebook aims and approaches This section consists of five items: whether the coursebook helps the students communicate in some certain business contexts (A1); whether the coursebook helps the students improve English skills (A2); whether the coursebook broadens the students’ business vocabulary (A3); whether the coursebook helps the students pass the exam (A4) and whether the coursebook is suitable for the students’ learning styles (A5)

Items SD (%) D (%) U (%) A (%) SA (%) Mean Standard