An evaluation of the textbook english for the 10th grade student at le quy don high school

By using course book evaluation model by Cunningsworth 1995 the study has found the textbook advantages and limitations, then has given some practical suggestions to make the book better

M IN IS T R Y OF E D U C A T IO N A N D T R A IN IN G

H A NOI U N IV E R S IT Y

NGUYEN THI HONG VAN

AN EVALUATION OF THE TEXTBOOK

AT LE QUY DON HIGH SCHOOL

S U B M I T T E D IN P A R T I A L F U L F I L L M E N T O F R E Q U I R E M E N T S O F T H E D E G R E E O F

M A S T E R IN r E S O L

SUPERVISOR: LE HUY TR UO NG M.A

HA NOI OCTOBER, 2007

Table of contents

Page

A c k n o w le d g e m e n ts V

A b stra cts V I

L is t o f abbre via tion s V II

L is t o f tables and fig u re s V I I I

L is t o f a p p e n d ice s X

1.1 B ackground to the stu d y 1

1.2 A im s o f the s tu d y 3

1.3 Research q u e s tio n s 3

1.4 S ignificance o f the stu d y 3

1.5 Scope o f the stu d y 3

1.6 O u tlin e o f the stu d y 4

Chapter II LITERATURE REVIEW 5 2.1 T e x tb o o k s 5

2.1.1 T extbooks in language teaching and learning 5

2.1.2 Types o f te x tb o o k 6

2.1.3 E x p lo ita tio n o f textbooks 8

2.1.3.1 T e xtb o o k a ctivitie s 8 2.1.3.2 Approaches to textbook m ethodology 10

2.2 T e x tb o o k e va lu a tio n 12

2.2.1 D e fin itio n o f e va lu a tio n 12

2.2.2 Reasons fo r te xtbook evaluation 13

2.2.2.1 The firs t reason: textbook im p e rfe c tio n s 13

2 2 2 2 The second reason: teaching and learning re q uire m en t 14

շ 2.2.3 The th ird reason: teachcr’ s responsibility and d u ty 14

2.2.2.4 The fourth reason: indispensable element o f language c u rric u lu m 15 2.2.3 Types o f textbook eva lu a tio n 17

2.2.4 M odels fo r textbook e valuation 19

2.2.5 C rite ria fo r textbook e valuation 24

2.3 Previous research on textbook evaluation 28

2.4 T e xtb o o k adaptation 30

2.4.1 Reasons fo r adaptation 30

2.4.2 Techniques fo r adaptation 31

Chapter III METHODOLOGY 33 3.1 The s u b je c ts 33

3.1.1 The teachers 33

3.1.2 丁he s tu d e n ts 33

3.2 Data c o lle c tio n instrum ents 34

3.2.1 A 5UI vey on s tu d e n ts' needs 34 3.2.2 Q u e s tio n n a ire s 35

^Q uestio n n a ire fo r s tu d e n ts 36

+Q uestionnaire fo r te a c h e rs 3t) 3.2.3 D ocum ent a n alysis 37

3.3 Research procedure 38

Chapter IV DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 39 4.1 Data a n alysis 39

4.1.1 T e xtb o o k a n alysis 39

4.1.1.1 A i m s 39

4.1.1.2 Practical c o n s id e ra tio n s 40

4.1.1.3 Design and o rg a n iz a tio n 40

4.1.1.4 M e th o d o lo g y 41

4.1.1.5 S k ills 42

4.1.1.6 Language c o n te n t 44

4.1.1.7 T o p ic s 44

4.1.1.8 M a te r ia ls 45

4.1.1.9 T im e a llo c a tio n 45

4.1.2 The survey re s u lts 46

4.1.3 Q uestionnaires R esults 53

4.1.3.1 Part 1 ֊ Students’ p ro file a n a ly s is 53

4.1.3.2 Part 2 ֊ Questions re sp o n d e n ts 54

4.2 D is c u s s io n 63

4.2.1 A im s 63

4.2.2 Practical considerations 63

4.2.3 D esign and O rg a n iza tio n 64

4.2.3.1 O ve ra ll organization o f te x tb o o k 64

4 2 3 2 O r g a n iz a t io n o f c a c li u n i i 65

4.2.4 M e th o d o lo g y 67

4.2.5 S k ills 68

4.2.6 Language C o n te n t 70

4.2.7 T o p ic s 71

4.2.8 M a te ria ls 72

4.2.9 T im e a llo c a tio n 72

Chapter V MAJOR FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION 73 5.1 M a jo r fin d in g s 73

5.1.1 S trengths 73

5.1.2 W eaknesses 74

5.1.3 R ecom m endation 755.2 C o n c lu s io n 77

I w o u ld lik e , from the bottom o f m y heart, to thank m y supervisor, Le H u y

T ru o n g M A ，the lecturer at Ha N oi U n iv e rs ity ，fo r his in s ig h tfu l instructions,

h e lp fu l com m ents, considerate assistance, valuable c ritic is m , and use suggestions

in the preparations and com pletion o f this thesis

I w o u ld be very grateful to D octo r V u V an D a i, Dean o f Departm ent o f

Postgraduate Studies, Nguyen Thai Ha M A ，V ic e Dean o f Departm ent o f

Postgraduate Studies, H a N o i U n ive rsity, and all the s ta ff o f this Departm ent fo r

th e ir consideration and enthusiasm in help ing me to purse the course

I also w ish to thank all m y friends, colleagues and students fo r th e ir

cooperation and suggestions in conducting this thesis

I w o u ld lik e to express m y deep gratitude to m y fa m ily , m y m other, m y husband and m y child re n fo r their love, encouragement and assistance

A question on discovering the textbook strengths and weaknesses after two year

in use is raised To find out how appropriate it is to student’ s level and need is the main purpose o f this evaluation study

By using course book evaluation model by Cunningsworth (1995) the study has found the textbook advantages and limitations, then has given some practical suggestions

to make the book better

The study was carried out in Le Quy Don High school in Ha dong city The subjects o f the study are teachers o f a group o f English and fifty students o f the 11th grade

Questionnaires and document analysis were used as the main instruments o f data collection Two sets o f questionnaire one o f which is for the students and the other is for teachers, were taken from Cunningsworth’s checklist Document analysis is used to analyze the textbook “ English for the 10th grade，，on the criteria by Cunningsworth (1995)

The findings o f the study were that the textbook “ English for the 10th grade” was

a valuable one in terms o f Aims, Practical considerations, Design and organization, Methodᄋlogy，.Skills, Language Content, Topics, Materials It is suitable to the students in terms o f their goal to use English in communication Its weaknesses can be adapted to make contribution to the teaching and learning in Le Quy Don High school

List o f A bbreviation

English 10 English fo r the 10lh Grade

М О ЕТ M in is try o f Education and T ra in in g

LQ D High School Le Quy Don H igh school

p p p Presentation 一 Practice - Production

TE SO L Teaching English to Speakers O f O ther languages

List o f tables and figures

Table 1 A v a ila b le Textbook Package

Page 39

Table 4 Proportions o f A ctiv itie s 41

Table 6 O ve ra ll average per question 53

Figure 1 Com ponents o f Language Developm ent 15

Figure 2 The place o f Evaluation 16

Figure 3 A n open model o f evaluation from B e ll 20 Figure 4 E valuation model by Hutchinson & Waters 21

Figure 5 Techniques fo r adaptation by C unningsw orth 30

Figure 6 Proportions o f activities 41

Figure 8 K now ledge o f English analysis 44

Figure 11 Practical considerations 46

Figure 12 Design and organization 46

Figure 13A M e th o d o lo g y- students，responses 47

Figure 13B M e th o d o lo g y - teachers’ responses 47

Figure 14A S k ills - students’ responses 48

Figure 14B S k ills -֊ teachers’ responses 48

Figure 15A Language content- students’ responses 49

Figure 15B Language content- teachers’ responses 49

Figure 16A T o p ics ֊s tu d e n ts ’ responses 50

Figure 16B T o p ic s - teachers’ responses 50

Figure 18 S tudents’ Q uestionnaire results 52

Figure 19 T eachers’ questionnaire results 52

Figure 20 S tudents’ textbook topics interest 54-55

F ig u r e 21 S k ill im po rta n t ranking in H ig h school 55

Figure 22 S k ill im po rta n t ranking in d a ily life 56

Figure 23 Preferred type o f interaction 56

Figure 24 S tudents’ purposes o f learning English 57

List o f a p p e n d ic e s

Page

A p p e n d ix 1A Student p ro file (E nglish version) 78

A p p e n d ix I B Student P ro file ( Vietnamese version) 78

A p p e n d ix 2 A Q uestionnaire fo r students (E nglish version) 79

A p p e n d ix 2B Q uestionnaire fo r students (Vietnam ese version) 84

A p p e n d ix З А Q uestionnaire fo r teachers (E nglish version) 90

A p p e n d ix 3B Q uestionnaire fo r teachers (Vietnam ese version) 95

A p p e n d ix 4 O rig in a l u n it o f the textbook “ E nglish 10” 99

A p p e n d ix 5 Table o f content o f the textbook “ E nglish 10” 99

C H A P T E R O N E : I N T R O D U C T I O N

1.1 Background to the study

English, a foreign language subject, is a basis and compulsory subject in high school curriculum It is one o f the important subjects which can not be absent in High school education Teaching and learning English in high schools in Vietnam is based on the system o f textbooks, designed and produced by a group o f Vietnamese textbook writers

in M inistry o f Education and Training (МОЕТ)

There used to be different kinds o f English textbook Since the school year 2005-2006 a new system o f English books has been first put into use in Le Quy Don High school Now (the school year 2006-2007) it is the second year in use This book seems to be the perfect one when it focuses on four skills with many tasks Besides, its practical considerations, methodology, topics, language content, design and organization are supposed to be perfect However, during teaching process the reflection towards this book is not as good as we expected This book has not been the perfect one yet

Practically, students seem uninterested in some tasks They feel bored with some text

contenls w hich are considered unattractive for high school a^c Bcbiücb, c a d i unit bccnib

to be overloaded in terms o f time The time for each unit is five periods However, this time amount is not enough to cover all the teaching items as required In fact, teachers have to teach very quickly to catch up with proposed teaching plan It leads to the ineffectiveness o f the teaching and learning

Theoretically, textbook evaluation is found to be natural when it is an indispensable step

o f a curriculum development, including planning, development, implementation and evaluation (Nunan, 1988; Skilbeck, 1984; Brown, 1995) Textbook evaluation is a common thing and valuable in language teaching Finding the strengths and weaknesses

o f the textbook to make it the best available for our teaching context becomes necessary This can be done only through evaluation

Teachers are in charge o f teaching language, therefore, it is the teacher’ s responsibility to make informed judgments about textbooks and teaching materials Evaluating textbook is

successful teaching and learning As a teacher o f English I find it natural to evaluate the textbook.

Lastly, the evaluation o f this textbook becomes necessary when the book has never been evaluated to examine how well it matches the objectives o f the course an suit students’ backgrounds, although used since 2005，in terms o f subject content, language content as well as methodology

W ith the above-mentioned causes the author o f this study would like to do a research on evaluation o f the English textbook for the 10 Grade w th the effort to make the teaching and learning English in Le Quy Don High school more interesting Because o f no perfect textbook, the findings o f the imperfections would promote teachers’ teaching and students’ learning

Le Quy Don High school is in Ha dong city It belongs to Ha Tay Educational and Training Service It is a big school w ith 70 classes o f three grades: 10lh, 1 l lh, and 12lh As

in other high schools in Vietnam, English is the main subject which has been taught for three 45-minute periods a week in a large classroom One teacher is in charge o f a class with the number o f 50 students who were considered to have finished General English course due to their graduation from ju n io r secondary schools (from the 6th to 9th grades) but their English proficiency level skill remains different Students o f Le Quy Don High school mainly come from the city and the outskirt o f the city Like all high school students, the students in Le Quy Don High school wish to leam English for their final exam and for future work or study They want to have good English skills However, there is the fact that students’ skills o f English are not equivalent w hile learning in high school Many reasons for this problem are considered One o f them, possibly, comes from the textbook o f English Therefore, the author would like to explore how studentsand teachers think o f the textbook they have learned

1.2 Aim o f the study

This study aims at evaluating the textbook “ English for the 10th grade，’- volume one by a group o f auth이-s Hoang Van Van, Hoang Thi Xuan Hoa, Do Tuan Minh, Nguyen Thu Phuong, Nguyen Quoc Tuan” in terms o f the criteria such as aims, practical considerations, language content, design and organization, topics, skills, methodology and materials to gather information that the author w ill use to offer some suggestions to make the textbook better

1.3 Research question

Is this book suitable to the students in terms o f their needs and knowledge level?

1.5 Significance o f the study

This study is an attempt to make contribution to the improvement o f the quality o f the textbook o f English for the 10lh grade used in Le Quy Don High school in particular and

in every school in Vietnam in general Information collected from the evaluation o f this textbook, such as its strength and weaknesses may help teachers o f English in High schools promote their effectiveness o f teaching and pupils learning bv suitable adjustment The study w ill theoretically contribute to the field o f textbook evaluation in Vietnam

1.6 Scope o f the study

According to Brown (1995), the process o f material evaluation should lead to various findings such as Attitude, Effectiveness, Efficiency Effectiveness and Efficiency is measured through qualitative method (an experiment w ith diagnostic and achievement tests) while Attitudes can be earned out with quantitative method (questionnaires, document analysis, interviews, surveys) It is ideal to investigate materials from all mentioned points However, due to the limitations o f time and scope o f the reseach, in this study the researcher would like to focus mainly on Attitude as a leading finding fordealing with the research question

1.6 O u t l i n e o f the s t u d y

W ith th e aim to im p r o v e teachiing and le a rn in g E n g lish for th e 10lh g r a d e s tu d e n ts the author o f this study decide to evailuate the existing book used for the 10th grade so that the adaptation on the book can be exhaustively completed The thesis consists o f five chapters:

Chapter one, Introduction, p r o v id e s a brief description o f the topic including Background

to the study, rationale for the study, aim o f the study, research question and outline o f the study

Chapter two, Literature review, presents theoretical basic o f textbook evaluation,

discussed and analyzed by ELT well-known experts and researchers Besides, this chapter mentions recent studies on textbook evaluation carried by authors o f English

Chapter three, Methodology, includes fours parts The first part presents the settings o f

the study The second one presents certain instruments o f data collection and rationale o f one data instrument chosen The third one describes the procedure o f data collection The last one is the description o f the subjects for the research

Chapter fo u r, Data Analysis and Discussion, presents the results collected from the

teachers and the students and the data gathered from the analysis o f the textbook English

fo r the l ơ h grade. The result will be discussed to find out the advantages and limitations

o f the textbook

Chapter fiv e , Recommendation and Conclusion, presents the suggestions for the textbook

adaptation for its improvement This chapter concludes the thesis

C H A P T E R T W O : L I T E R A T U R E R E V I E W

This chapter aims to provide a theoretical base to develop an operational framework for textbook evaluation o f the book English for the 10lh grade This chapter includes three parts as follows:

Part 1, Textbook, mentions textbook in language teaching and learning, types o f textbook and exploitation o f the textbook

Part 2，Textbook evaluation, mentions the definition, types o f textbook evaluation, reasons, models, criteria o f textbook evaluation

Part 3，Textbook adaptation, mentions reasons and techniques for adaptation

2.1 T e x tb o o k

2.1.1 Textbook ỉn language teaching and learning

For students studying in non-native speaking countries teacher and textbook are the two most important and immediate cultural links between the students native culture and the target foreign culture There can be no denying the fact that textbooks still maintain enormous popularity

Cunningsworth, (1995) has broadened the role o f course books when he considers course books best seen as a resource in achieving aims and objectives that have already been set

in terms o f learner needs According to him, “ Course books have m ultiple roles in ELT and can serve as

+ A resource for presentation material (spoken and written)

+ A source o f activities for learner practice & communicative interaction

+ A reference source for learner on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation

etc

+ A source o f stimulation & ideas for classroom language activities

+ A syllables (where they reflect learning objective which have already

been determined)

+ A resource for self-directed learning o f self-access work

+ A support for less experienced teachers who have yet to gain in

confidence.” (Cunnin^sworth, 1995, p.7)

Most o f the researchers agree with the idea that textbook is the most (XMTimon form o f teaching materials in language teaching (Richard, 2001), (Hutchinson & Torres, 1994) and generally sensitive to student’ s needs (O ’ N elly，1982) Besides, Haycroft ( 1988, cited

by Litz, 2005) considers that “ one o f the primary advantages o f using textbooks is that they are psychologically essential for students because their progress and achievement can be measured concretely when we use them”

Other theorist such as Sheldon (1988) suggests that textbooks not only represent the visible heart o f any E LT program but also offer considerable advantages -for both the student and the teacher- when they are being used in the ESL/EFL classroom

Ansary and Babaii (2002) represent very clearly the role o f textbook after a period o f study:

+ A textbook is a framework which regulates and times the programs

+ In the eyes o f learners, no textbook means no purpose

+ W ithout a textbook, learners think their learning is not taken seriously

+ In many situations, a textbook can serve as a syllabus A textbook

provides ready-made teaching texts and learning tasks

+ A textbook is a cheap way o f providing learning materials

+A learner without a textbook is out o f focus and teacher-dependent

+ For novice teacher, a textbook means security, guidance and support

In shorts, textbooks play an important role in language teaching and learning Understanding the role o f textbooks w ill support teaching and learning languages

2.1.2 Types o f textbook

Teaching materials are a key component in most language programs Much o f the language teaching that occurs throughout the world today could not take place without the extensive use o f commercial materials These may take the form o f (a) printed materials such as books, workbooks, worksheets or readers; (b) non-print materials such

as cassette or audio materials ， videos or computer-based materials; (c) materials that comprise both print and non-print sources such as self-access materials and materials on the Internet (Richard 2001 )

As mentioned above, textbooks play a very indispensable role in language teaching and

learning This is because o f the variety o f textbooks According to Grant (1987) textbooks are classified into two kinds: Traditional and Communicative

Traditional textbooks have all or most o f these characteristics:

- They tend to emphasize the forms , or patterns o f language ( the grammar) more than the communicative functions o f language- the jobs we do using it, for example, asking for infomiation, making requests, ap olo g izin g ，asking the way, etc

- They tend to focus on reading and w riting activities rather than listening and speaking activities

- They often make use o f a great deal o f L I

- They emphasize the importance o f accuracy

- They tend to focus rather narrowly on a syllabus and examinations

- They are often attractive to some teachers, because they seem easy to use and are highly examination-orientate

Communicative textbooks try to solve the above-mentioned characteristics made by traditional textbooks by creating opportunities for the students to use the language in the classroom, as a sort o f “ halfway house” before using it in real life Communicative textbooks have the follow ing characteristics:

- They emphasize the communicative functions o f language - the jobs people do using the language- not just the forms

- They try to reflect the student needs and interests

- They emphasize skills in using the language, not just the forms o f language, and

they are, therefore, activity-based

- 丁hey usually have a good balance among the four language skills but may emphasize listening and speaking more than a traditional textbook does

- They tend to be very specific in their definition o f aims

- Both content and methods reflect the authentic language o f everyday life

- T h e y e n c o u r a g e w o r k in g r o u p s a n d p airs, an d t h e r e f o r e m a k e h e a v ie r d e m a n d s

on teachers’ organizational abilities

- They emphasize fluency, not just accuracy.

Due to the need o f using foreign language as a medium o f communication in social life c o m m u n i c a t i v e t e x t b o o k s are c o n s i d e r e d p r e m i u m c h o ic e T h e i r c h a r a c te r is tic s are taken as the basis to evaluate one book in the tendency o f communication

2.1.3 E x p lo it a tio n o f tex tb o o k s

2.1.3.1 Textbook activities

One o f the aims and objectives o f the textbook, as guided by М О Е丁 is to help students to use English as a medium o f communication at basic level o f four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing Therefore, i f the development o f communicative language ability is the goal o f classroom learning, then communicative practice must be part o f the process However, what kind o f practice w ill lead to the development o f communicative language ability? The answer is “ natural language use’’ which is called as “ fluency activities，(Brumpit, 1984a, cited by Hedge, 2000) In his definition, fluency activities

“ develop a pattem o f language interaction within the classroom which is as close as possible to that used by competent performers in the mother tongue in real life In

B ru m fit’ s view, fluency activities w ill give students the opportunities to produce and understand items which they have gradually acquired during activities focused on linguistic form

Talking about textbook activities, Prabhu (1987 cited by Hedge, 2000) gives a useful typology o f activities as follows:

- Information-gap activity which involves a transfer o f given information from

one person to another, one form to another, one place to another, generally calling for the decoding or encoding OI information from or into language

- Reasoning-gap activity which involves deriving some new information from given information through processes o f inference, deduction, practical reasoning or a perception o f relationsnips or patterns

- Opinion-gap activity which involves identifying and articulating a personal preference, feeling, or attitude in response to a given situation One example is story completion, another is taking part in the discussion o f a social issue The activity may involve using factual information and formulating arguments to ju s tify one’s opinion, but

th e re is no o b j e c t i v e p r o c e d u r e fo r d e m o n s t r a t i n g o u t c o m e s a s rig h t o r w r o n g , an d no

re a s o n to e x p e c t th e s a m e o u t c o m e from d if f e r e n t i n d i v id u a ls o r o n d if f e r e n t o c c a s io n s

According to Harm er (1991)，c la s s r o o m students w ill need to be motivated, be exposed to language, and given chances to use it Three elements, called “ ESA” w ill be present in all classes to achieve this goal They are:

Engage: This is the point in a teaching sequence where teachers try to arouse the student’ s interest, thus involving their emotions

Activities and materials which frequently “ Engage” students include: games

(depending on age and type), music, discussions (when handled challengingly), stimulating pictures, dramatic stories, amusing anecdotes etc When students are engaged, they learn better than when they are partly 이- w holly disengaged

Study: Study activities are t h o s e where the students are asked to focus in on language (or information) and how it is constructed They range from the study and practice o f a single sound to and investigation o f how a w riter achieves a particular effect

in a long text; from an examination and practice o f a verb tense to the study o f a transcript o f informal speech to discuss spoken style “ Study” means any stage at which the construction o f language is the main focus

A ctivate: This element describes exercises and activities which are designed to get students using language as freely and “ communicatively” as they can The objective for the students is not to focus on language construction and /or practice specific bits o f

language，but for them to use all and any language which may be appropriate for a given

situation or topic Thus, Activate exercises offer students a chance to try out real language

use w ith little or no restriction- a kind o f rehearsal for the real world Typical Activate

exercises include role-plays, advertisement design, debates and discussions, “ describe and D raw ，，, story and poem writing, w riting in groups etc

In the context o f teaching and learning English in Le Quy Don High school on the basis o f students’ need and their knowledge level the researcher focuses on an irrelevance and lack o f interest as the main characteristics in the study

շ 1.3.2 Approaches to textbook organization

The approach by C un/ìiỉtgsìvorílt (1995)

Cunningsworth (1995) gives out two strands o f language teaching approach: the rule- based approach (understanding o f grammar) and the performance-based approach (ability

to use language effectively with emphasis on the four skills) The main aims o f highlight relate to the four language skills taught with particular emphasis on fluency, through skill practice and accuracy through an understanding o f grammar

According to Cunningsworth (1995) the accuracy/ fluency continuum is also neatly encompassed by linking accuracy to grammatical understanding and fluency to language practice and skills work The main aims also address student learning needs by giving prominence to the personalization o f some o f the activities in the book, those which ask for students to express their own opinions and give them opportunities to discuss topics suggested to them Finally, students’ learning needs are taken account o f by the emphasis

on consolidation and recycling in “ Study focus” sections which provide opportunities for reflection o f learners’ autonomy

The approach by H arm er (1991)

Organization is a very important factor to evaluate the materials in general and textbooks

in particular Which approaches is the organization based on? What benefits do these approaches bring about? Because o f the focus on communicative activities and the concentration on language as a means o f communication, a balanced activities approach has been called the communicative approach (Harmer, 1991) Its aims are communicative and great emphasis is placed on training students to use language for communication The

te a c h in g o f la n gu a ge fu n c tio n , ta sk-ba se d le a rn in g a n d h u m a n is tic approaches are integral pails o f this approach

Talking about the te a c h in g o f la n gu a ge fu n c tio n , Harmer (1991) suggests that we decide what we want to say on the basis o f what purpose we wish to achieve In deciding what language to teach when working with functions we need to bear in mind the level o f

d ifficu lty, the level o f transparency and the level o f form ality •

According to H armer (1991), humanistic approaches are the approaches focusing on

not only teaching language, but on helping students to develop themselves as people The development o f students’ personality and the encouragement o f positive feelings are seen

to be as important as their learning o f a language

Task-based learning focuses on the learning tasks that students are involved in (Harmer，1991) Students are simply asked to perform communicative tasks in which they have to use the foreign language The more they do this, the better they become at using language.Task- based syllabuses take activities or tasks as the main organizing principles

The outstanding characteristic o f this approach, a balanced activities approach, is that it has a more human aspect By presenting students with a variety o f activities we can ensure their continuing interest and involvement in the language program A program that presents a variety o f activities is far more likely to continually engage the students’ interest

In this study the researcher would like to discover which approach is taken in the textbook as a very important factor o f its methodology (known as the way the textbook organizes its materials and the K i n d o f activities it promotes ֊ Cunningsworth, 1995, see 2.2.5) Therefore, the theoretical study o f o f these approaches are very important

In this chapter the researcher would like to review the literature o f major issues in textbook evaluation, including definition, reasons, types, model and criteria.

2.2.1 Definition o f textbook evaluation

Hutchinson & Waters (1987，p97) states that 'Textbook evaluation is basically a straightforward, analytical “ matching process: matching needs to available solutions，Acœ rding to Donough, & Shaw (1993，p79) : “ Material evaluation is one part o f a complex process and that materials once selected can only be judge successful after classroom implementation and feedback”

“ Evaluation is defined here as the systematic attempt to gather information in order to make judgments or decisions” (Lynch, 1996).The goal is sometimes to evaluate a program’ s effectiveness in absolute terms, sometimes too assess its equality against that

o f comparable programs, sometime both”

Worthen and Sanders (1973，p i 9) define that “ Evaluation is the determination o f the worth o f a thing It includes obtaining information for use in judging the worth o f a program, product, procedure, or object, or the potential u tility o f alternative approaches designed to attain specified objectives”

Brown (1995) “ Evaluation is the systematic collection and analysis o f all relevant information necessary to promote the improvement o f a curriculum and to assess its effectiveness w ithin the context o f the particular institutions involved.” He also added that evaluation can take advantage o f all gathered information and tools to assess the effectiveness o f a program; but can also utilize all the information gathered in the processes o f developing objectives, w riting and using the tests, adopting, developing or adapting materials and teaching”

Skilbeck, (1984a: 238) states that “ Evaluation means assembling evidence on and making judgment about the curriculum including the processes o f planning, designing and implementing it”

In this study the evaluation definition by Brown (1995) is used as the working definition due to its relevance to the aims o f this study

2 2 T e x t b o o k e v a l u a t i o n

2 2 2 R e a s o n s for t e x t b o o k e v a l u a t i o n

Textbook evaluation is usually carried out by various reasons, suitable for the teaching and learning context From the both sides o f views: the textbook itself and the users o f textbooks including teachers and learners, appear four main reasons: the imperfection o f textbooks, and the requirements o f teaching and learning, the teacher’ s role and the indispensability o f language curriculum elements

2.2.2.1 The firs t reason fo r textbook evaluation

It is the imperfection o f the textbook In many linguists，, scientists’ and educators’ opinions, the textbook imperfection is always mentioned as a popular factor No textbook

or set o f materials is like ly to be perfect (Sheldon, 1988; Ansary and Babaii, 2002; Donough and Shaw, 1993; Grant, 1987; Richard, 2001; Dianne, 2004) There is a fairly widespread feeling that the textbooks which are available, are in various ways deficient (Robinson, 1991).One textbook is, possibly, not perfect in terms o f motivation (Caroline, 2005)，cultural factors or others The other may not reflect student’ s needs.(Richard, 2001) Here are their statements:

“ Unfortunately, many language textbooks contain poorly motivated and illogically sequenced texts and dialogues that do not reflect real-world language or situations , although they usually contain multiple examples o f the grammar being presented，’(Caroline2005，p 28)

“ Although many excellent textbooks are available, there is no perfect textbook in teaching-learning needs that w ill arise in your particular situation The most appropriate course content is often developed by using and eclectic approach which pulls the most useful ideas and activities from a variety o f resources, including one or more ESL/EFL textbooks The textbook, then, is only one of several sources you draw on to encourage your students to learn” ( Dianne, 2004)

However, “ The perfect book does not exit, but the best book available for you and your students certainly does.’’ (Grant, 1987) W ith the aim to make textbook the best one for each setting, it is important to be able to evaluate the books on some sensible, suitable criteria This process o f evaluation is the first step towards deciding how a book should

be most profitably used in you classroom and how it should be adapted

22.2.2 The second reason fo r textbook evaluation

It is the requirement o f teaching and learning Cunningsworth (1995) and Ellis (1997) gives two reasons for materials evaluation due to the requirement o f teaching and learning a foreign language

" o n e o f them is the intention to adopt new course book T h e other is to identify

particular strengths & weaknesses in course books already in use so that optimum

use can be m ade o f their strong points whilst their w eaker areas can be

strengthened through adaptation or by substituting material from other b o o k s，

(C unningsw orth, 1995 p 14)Ellis (1997) has the same idea when considers that there may be a need to choose among the textbooks available the most suitable one to use for a particular situation It is the first cause And the second one is there can be a need for textbook evaluation to determine whether the textbook has been chosen works for that situation after it has been used for a period o f time

Hutchinson & Water (1987) sees evaluation a matter o f judging the fitness o f something

to a particular purpose- the degrees o f fitness for the required purpose

2.2.2.3 The third reason for textbook evaluation

II ii> tc a u lic i ic b p u n s ib ility and d u ty W c can not d e n y the tc a c h c r’ s ro le in te a c h in g andlearning process since they are the people who are m ainly in charge o f teachingknowledge through textbooks Therefore, one additional reason for textbook evaluation is the fact that it can be very useful in teacher development and professional growth Cunningsworth (1995) and Ellis (1997) suggest that textbook evaluation helps teachers more beyond impressionistic assessments and it helps them to acquire useful, accurate systematic and contextual insights into overall nature o f textbook material

“ as teachers, m an y o f us have had the responsibility o f evaluating textbooks It is

ironical that those teachers who rely most heavily on the textbooks are the ones

least qualified to interpret its intentions or evaluate its content & m ethods”

(W illiam, 1 9 8 3 - P 2 5 1 , cited in Babaii & Hasan’s)

Teachers & others responsible for choosing materials need to be able to make

informed ju d g m en ts about textbooks & teaching materials A textbook may be

ideal in one situation because it matches the needs o f that situation perfectly The

same book in a different situation may turn out to be quite unsuitable.'’(Richard,

1990, p 256)

Consequently, as a teacher o f English the researcher finds it natural to carry out a research on textbook evaluation It is not only the duty, but also the responsibility o f each teacher

2.2.2.4 The fo u rth reason fo r textbook evaluation

Evaluation is the indispensable element o f a language curriculum Many linguists and scientists such as Nunan (1988)，Brown (1995)，Alderson & в eretta (1992)，White (1988) and Donough & Shaw (1993) have general opinions on this matter They all agree that

no curriculum model would be complete without an evaluation component Brown (1995) highly values the role o f evaluation in the language curriculum through the followings statements: “ evaluation is called a never-ending process” and “ the ongoing program evaluation on the right side o f the model is the glue that connects and holds all the elements together” According to him, the indispensable components are needs analysis, objectives, testing, materials, teaching and evaluation, (see figure 1)

Need analysis _Obịectives

T e s tin g

M aterials

T e a c h in g

Figure 1 : Components o f language development

White (1988) considers evaluation the fourth and final element to answer the questions:

Do outcomes match objectives?

Id e n tific a tio n

o f needs

Settingobjectives

Evaluation Figure 2: The place o f evaluation

(Adapted from Bramley 1986

Cited by Ronald White, 1988)

Choice of content

Choice o f method & \ media

Im plem entation

o f program

Figure 2 shows that evaluation is not, in itself, new What is new is the incorporation o f evaluation as feedback and as a formative process w ithin language curriculum development White suggests that evaluation is now seen to be an integral part o f language curriculum development, at whatever stage, and no one making proposals for any aspect o f the language curriculum- be it aims, content or methods- can do so without carefully evaluating and justifyin g such proposals ( p i48) In shorts, evaluation occurs at all stages, as illustrated in figure 2

2 2.3 T y p e s o f t e x t b o o k e va l ua t i o n

Evaluation can take place before a course book is used, during its use and after use, depending on circumstances and the purposes for which the evaluation is being undertaken Cunningsworth (1995 ) suggests that there are three types o f evaluation: Pre­use evaluation, In-use evaluation and Post-use evaluation

- Pre-use evaluation is the most d iffic u lt kind o f evaluation as there is no actualexperience o f using the book for us to draw on In this case we are looking atfuture or potential performance o f the course book

- In- use evaluation refers to course book evaluation whilst the material is in use, for example when a newly introduced course book is being monitored or when a well-established but ageing course book is being assessed to see whether it should

be considered for replacement

- Post-use evaluation provides retrospective assessment o f a course book’ sperformance and can be useful for identifying strengths and weaknesses whichemerge over a period o f continuous use

(page 14)Grant (1987) seems to have the same point o f view when he suggests that there are three stages o f evaluation: Initial, Detailed and In-use evaluation In Initial evaluation we want

to filte r out obviously unsuitable materials

In itia l evaluation uses C A T A LY S T test to find out whether a book is worth lo o k in g at more closely The eight letters in the word C A T A L Y S T represent the eight criteria by which we can decide whether a textbook is suitable for our classroom They are :C- Communicative? A - Aim? T-Teachability? A - Available Add-ons? し Level? Y- Your impression? Տ֊ Student interest? T-Tried & Tested?

D etailed evaluation is carried out once we have applied C A T A L Y S T test and decided

that a textbook w ill do, we have to decide how well it w ill do and whether it is more, or less, suitable than other textbooks that are available ( p i 21) A fter plotting a new course for a term or so, we then decide whether to adopt it or not Three questions o f detailed evaluation:

+ Does the course suit your students?

+ Does it suit the teacher?

+ Does it suit the syllabus?

In- use evaluation is carried out once you have adopted a textbook, it is necessary to

reevaluate it constantly 丁his evaluation process should be continuous, even in situations where you do not plan to replace the textbook for sometime, ( p i20)

Lynch (1996), Brown (1995), White (1988)，Weir & Roberts (1994) share the same opinion that there are two types o f evaluation according to its purposes: Form ative and Summative evaluation Formative evaluation takes place during the ongoing curriculum

development processed The aim o f this type o f evaluation is to collect and analyze information that w ill help in improving the curriculum w hile summative evaluation is usually characterized as occurring at the end o f a program The purpose for gathering information in a summative evaluation is to determine the degree to which the program was successful, efficient and effective

2.2.4 Models for textbook evaluation

Perhaps, no formula or system may provide a definite way to judge a textbook However,

at least, probably the application o f a set o f universal characteristics o f EFL/ESL textbooks may well help make textbook evaluation a coherent, systematic and thoughtful activity It is necessary to choose one model for material evaluation for the relevance to the aim o f evaluation We have seen different models for textbook evaluation

M odel by H arm er (1991) In his model there are two steps in the evaluation o f materials:

the first is to have a profile o f the students and their needs which lead you to conclusions about the type o f material which would be appropriate for them, and the second, subsequent step, is to apply this knowledge to the completion o f the materials evaluation form, which aims to measure how far the materials under consideration match up to student’ s needs and the general methodological principles which the teachers holds.Thus, in Harmer’ s model, students’ need is the starting point for evaluating materials It

is the basis to complete evaluation form to find out how successful material is for students

M odel by B e ll (1982)

B e ll’s model (see figure 3) can be reformulated as a series o f questions, each o f which gives rise to a further set o f questions:

1 What are the purposes o f the evaluation?

2 What program, instructional material or issues are being evaluated?

3 Who are the potential audiences o f the evaluation?

4 What particular characteristics o f the context may be relevant?

5 What are the particular questions to be answered in order to achieve the purpose?

6 What types o f information w ill be colleted and from whom?

ᄀ What techniques and instruments w ill be used for gathering the information?

8 Who is to be involved in conducting the evaluation and in what capacity?

9 How are time and funds to be allocated?

10 What is to be the form o f reporting?

11 What difficulties ，compromises , side effects do you anticipate?

M odel by Grant (1987): He suggests that Evaluation is a three stage process When we

do evaluation research, we usually have to ask three questions:

1 Does the book or material fit?

2 I f it fits, how well does it fit- and how does it compare w ith others that also fit?

3 (Later) Does it still fit? This question becomes relevant after you have had it for a time

Specification _ O b je c t _ collection

I _ A u d ie n ce s _

Figure 3: An open model o f evaluation from Bell (1982，cited by Ronald White, 1988)

M odel by Hutchinson & Waters П987)

According to Hutchinson & Waters, evaluation is basically a matching process: matching needs to available solutions They divide the evaluation process into four major steps (see figure 4): Defining criteria; Subjective analysis; Objectives analysis; Matching

Communication

ᅳ Collection ᅳ

_Analysis _

Communication _ Collection ᅳ

_Analysis _

Communication _ Collection ᅳ

Analysis _ Completion

Define crite ria

On what basis w ill you judge materials? Which criteria w ill be more

im portant? _

Subjective analysis

What realizations o f the

criteria do you want in your

course?

O bjective analysisHow does the material being evaluated realize the criteria?

M atchingHow far does the material match your needs?

Figure 4 : E valuation model by Hutchinson & W aters (1987)

M odel by Dianne (2004)

Dianne suggests that evaluation IS important first ot all tor textbook selection To make

an informed decision about textbook selection, we should know some information about students’ needs, instructional objectives and personal teaching preferences

1 Know students’ needs This is invaluable first step including four categories: language background, proficiency level, goals and preferred approaches to learning

2 Know your instructional objectives

3 Know personal teaching preferences

For each o f these three areas a set o f questions to guide has been given Each set can be summarized by a single key question to ask about the textbook we are considering:

• How appropriate is the book for my students’ language learning needs?

• T o what extent d o e s th e book focus o n m y in s tr u c tio n a l objectives?

• What skills do I need in order to use the book most effectively?

G uideline three: Textbooks should take account o f students’ need as learners and should facilitate their learning processes without dogmatically imposing a rigid “ method”

G uideline fo u r: They should have a clear role as a support for learning like teachers, they mediate between the target language and the learner

Guideline one concerns aims and objectives They can reflex learners’ needs in terms o f both language content and communicative activities The stated aims are:

• Encouraging individual student’s input by inviting opinion and stimulating discussion

• Developing fluency through functional language practice and balanced skills work

• Im proving accuracy through a practical understanding o f grammar

• Consolidating progress in the “ Study focus” section which also includes vocabulary and pronunciation work (Cunningsworth, 1995，p 18)

Guideline two concerns the usefulness and relevance to the learner o f the language being taught It mentions the fact that the most suitable course books for learners w ill reflect as closely as possible the language content, language skills and patterns language use that are needed We need to look in more details at the language items included, their balance and organization and aspects such as discourse structure and style The language items covered are what would be expected o f a course at this level and include general tense work, vocabulary, pronunciation The skills work w ith useful activities is based on

roleplays and pair work, for developing oral skills and a lot o f well designed guided

w riting exercises (Cunningsworth, 1995，p 15 & p.20)

Guideline three concerns students’ learning needs It is possible to identify a number o f

f e a tu r e s in th e b o o k w h i c h a re r e le v a n t h ere T e x t b o o k s h e lp th e l e a r n e r to learn in a number o f ways:

• They select the items to be learned (grammar, functions, skills etc) The items aredesigned to lead from easier to more difficult

• The approach to learning should develop students’ own style o f learning

• Textbook can promote learning by contributing to students’ motivation Thesubject matter must engage the students minds and challenge them to think.Students need to be continually challenged, either linguistically or intellectually through texts, activities and tasks M otivation is helped by the interesting and varied nature o f the topics covered and the way in which these topics form the basis for live ly and challenging activities (Cunningsworth, 1995，p i6 & p22)

Guideline four provides considerable support to students w hilst allowing them some freedom in how they use the material contained in it Coursebooks support the students particularly by supplying models o f English which are leamable at the students’ level o f proficiency They also provide exercises and activities designed to promote fluency in the use o f English and they often give explanations or contextualized examples which help learners to understand how the language works Course books support teachers by providing ready-made presentation material, ideas for teaching different topics, reading texts, listening passages, dialogues etc, all carefully graded and accompanied by exercises and activities for class use They also provide a methodology, or at least an approach to learning (Cunningsworth, 1995, p 17 & p.23)

Thus, in the model by Cunninçsworth (1995) four guidelines mention different factors such as aims and objectives, skills practice, methodology (guideline one); language content, language skills, organization (guideline two); motivation, grammar, skills (guideline three); activities, methodology, materials, approaches to learning (guideline four)

In this study the researcher would like to apply evaluation model by Cunningsworth (1995) because o f its reality, fle x ib ility and details This model can be applied in my research as the best medium to answer my research question.

2.2.5 Criteria for textbook evaluation

C riteria by Cunningsworth (1995)

Cunningsworth suggests some criteria for textbook evaluation, such as Aims and approaches, Design & organization, Language Content, Skills, Topic, Methodology, Teacher’ s textbooks and Practical considerations More clarity o f each criteria is presented as follows:

Organization o f a course book concerns the amount o f continuity w ithin the materials and the routes through the materials which are available to learners The textbook is expected

to have a clear policy on recycling w ith progressive reinforcement o f newly taught items

Language content concerns the language that is contained in the course book and what is being taught Language content includes language form and language use Language fornì includes grammar, vocabulary, phonology, pronunciation, discourse, style and appropriacy, variety o f English The presentation o f language use is through themes, topics, communicative strategies, cultural issues and other factors

For the criteria Skills we need to check i f the course book deals adequately with all four skills, taking the level and overall aims into account, and i f there is a suitable balance language in real situation, the most important points in most circumstances are to look for

a balance o f skills and to check that the book provides material for appropriate integrated skills work What we look for w ill depend on students’ needs

According to Cunningsworth (1995), methodology is the way the textbook organizes its materials and the kind o f activities it promotes This can have a profound influence on what happens in the classroom Methodology is to explore how the textbooks view the needs and roles o f learners and how they can help learners to learn (p.97) Methodology

is presented in one course book through approaches Approaches are always compiled to get the aims o f the course successfully.

For the topic, we are interested in what topics the textbooks include, the subject matter they select and how they treat it, the image o f life presented by textbooks, the attitude they convey and the social and cultural values that the textbooks communicate Textbooks must represent language as it is actually used and therefore they contain subject matters and deal with topics o f various kinds The subject matters must be informative, challenging, amusing, exciting Course book materials which fail to include relevant and interesting topics is in danger o f losing the attention o f its users

C riteria by Leslie Sheldon (1988)

He suggests that no one is really certain what criteria and constraints are actually operative in ELT contexts worldwide, and textbook criteria are emphatically local Consumers would obviously emphasize other factors that relate specifically, and perhaps dramatically, to their own unique situations

His list o f criteria for textbook evaluation includes seventeen factors such as Rationale,

A vailability, User definition, Layout/ graphics, Accessibility, Linkage, Selection/ Grading, Physical characteristics, Appropri а с у，Authenticity, Sufficiency, Cultural bias, Educational validity, Stimulus/ practice/ revision, Flexibility, Guidance, Overall value for money

C riteria by Ansary & B abaii (2002)

Ansary & Babau suggest a set o f universal features o f EFL/ESL textbooks for evaluation

to follow It includes four features: Approach, Content Presentation, Physical Make-up, Administrative Concerns

In Approach, we m ainly pay attention to the dissemination o f a vision (theory or approach) about the nature o f language, the nature o f leaning and how the theory can be put to applied use

In Content presentation, what follows here is necessary: starting purpose(s) and objective(s) for the total course and for individual units

Selection and its rationale: coverage, grading, organization, sequencing.

Satisfaction o f the syllabus to the teacher and to the student

Physical Make-up: appropriate size and weight, attractive layout, durability, high quality

o f editing and publishing, appropriate title

Administrative Concerns: Macro-State policies, Appropriate for culture, religion & gender, and Price

C riteria by Robinnet (1978, cited by Brown, 2001)

1 Goals o f the course (W ill this textbook help to accomplish your course goals?)

2 Background o f the students (Does the book fit the students’ background?)

3 Approach (Does the theoretical approach reflected in the book reflect a philosophy that you and your institution and your students can easily identify with?)

a theory o f learning

b theory o f language

4 Language skills (Does the book integrate the “ four skills” ? Is there a balanced approach toward the skills? Does the textbook emphasize skills which the curriculum also emphasizes?

c appropriateness and currency o f topics, situations and contexts

d proficiency level- is it pitched for the right level?

6 Q uality o f practice material

a exercises- is there a variety from controlled to free?

b clarity o f directions- are they clear to both students and teacher?

c active participation o f students- is this encouraged effectively?

d grammatical another linguistic explanation- inductive o f deductive?

e review material- are there sufficient spiraling and review exercises?

7 Sequencing (How is the book sequenced?)

a by grammatical structures b by situations

c by skills d by some combination o f the above

8 Vocabulary (Does the book pay sufficient attention to words and word study?)

a relevance

b frequency

c strategies for word analysis

9 General sociolinguistic factors

a variety o f English- American, British, dialects, or international varieties

b cultural content- is there a cultural bias?

10 Format ( Is the book attractive, usable and durable?)

a clarity o f typesetting

b use o f special notation ( phonetic symbols, stress/ intonation marking, etc)

c quality and clarity o f illustrations

d general layout- is it comfortable and not too “ busy” ?

e size o f the book and binding

f quality o f editing

g index, table o f contents, chapter headings

11 Accompanying materials (Are there useful supplementary materials?)

c tapes-audiᄋ and/ or video d a set o f tests

12 Teacher’s guide (Is it useful?)

a methodological guidance b suitability for nonnative speaking

teacher

c alternative and supplementary d answer keys

exercises

As mentioned in 2.2.4 the researcher decided to use the checklist o f criteria in the model

by Cunningsworth for this study due to its clarity and details It can be applied in this research as the typical textbook evaluation model

2.3 P r e v i o u s r e s e a r c h on t e x t b o o k e v a l u a t i o n

As above-mentioned, no textbook is perfect Therefore, evaluating textbook has been carried out as an indispensable step in a large scale o f teaching and learning a foreign language In the world as well as in Vietnam there have been many studies on evaluation

o f textbooks and materials used in the concrete teaching context There is the fact that evaluation can be carried out at any stages o f the course, therefore, many researchers pay attention to different aspects o f English language teaching textbooks when doing study on evaluation on textbooks In this study the author would like to list the textbook evaluations due to their relevance to the study at hand

Litz (2005) conducted a textbook evaluation and ELT management as a South Korean case study His study discussed an intricate and complex evaluation process that was undertaken at Sung Kyum Kwan University in Suwon, South Korea for a textbook (English Firsthand 2) that was being used in this particular learning environment

Ayrnan (2002) did a research on material evaluation at Bilkent University with the purpose o f finding the perceptions o f both students and teachers o f a textbook which is based on EAP and designed for upper-intermediate students He focused on the criteria such as content, organization o f content, level, language, activities, supporting resources etc The study was conducted at micro level and aims to assess the overall effectiveness

o f the particular textbook after the implementation o f it

Torn (2001) seeks briefly to outline why mass-produced ELT course books are inappropriate for anything other than broad-based language programs

Otlowski (2003) discussed the importance o f textbook selection for EFL students with regard to the portrayal o f gender and the representation o f the various ethnic group in the targeted culture The evaluation study focuses on the appropriateness o f current textbooks for EFL students in terms o f portrayal o f gender Studies o f the portrayal o f women in EFL textbooks have shown that the stereotypical role o f women is still being perpetuated