AΓΓ 53

ASSIGMENT 3

TITLE

«EVALUATING AN ENGLISH TEXTBOOK»

TSOLAKIDOU DIMITRA, 24930

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 CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION ………….2

2. TEACHING CONTEXT ………………2

3. THEORY ABOUT TEXTBOOK EVALUATION …………………..2

4. TEXTBOOK EVALUATION ………………………………5

5. CONCLUSION ………………………………8

6. REFERENCES ……………………………...9

7. APPENDICES ……………………………...10

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 1. Introduction

The choice of a particular textbook signals a major educational decision since a

textbook will define, to a large extent, what teachers will teach, how they will teach and
even what students will learn. For this reason, the systematic evaluation of textbooks is of
vital importance, so that the teacher can either choose teaching materials or adopt the
existing ones to better suit students’ needs.

This assignment examines the value of an EFL textbook in relation to certain

theoretical criteria, in order to evaluate the relevance and appropriacy of the textbook in
the specific context given.

2. Teaching context

The situation presented in this assignment involves the teaching of English in the first
grade of a state TEE (Technical Vocational School) in Heraklion, Crete. English is taught
twice a week, roughly 45 minutes each time. The english coursebook is not chosen by the
teachers but is published by the Greek Ministry of Education specifically for TEE
students. It focuses on teaching english through a vocational aspect mostly, aiming to
provide students with the necessary skills for communication in the working field and
everyday life. This textbook is the only material used for teaching english in the students
of secondary technical education and an attempt is be made here for its evaluation.

3. Theory about Textbook Evaluation

In order to judge the appropriacy of a textbook in a specific class, one has to set
certain criteria considering students’ needs and the purpose of the programme. Usually
this is done through the syllabus, which specifies the goals and objectives of a language
programme and the textbook translates these goals into pedagogical action. Thus, the
identification of the aims of the syllabus and the analysis of students’ needs (in terms of
age, level, interests, motivation etc.) are of vital importance for the evaluation process.

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 According to Cunningsworth (1995) coursebooks should correspond to learners’
needs, facilitate their learning process and match the aims and objectives of the language
learning programme. They should have a clear role as a support for learning, as they
mediate between the target language and the learner. As a consequence, a book may be
ideal in one situation because it matches the needs of the situation as described by the
syllabus and in terms of students’ needs but the same book in a different context may turn
out to be quite unsuitable.

Since it is difficult for a textbook to simultaneously cater for students’ needs, all
aims of the syllabus and the constraints of the classroom context, it is necessary to
prioritise certain criteria in order to enhance the evaluation process. For this reason
various authors have developed checklists of criteria for textbook evaluation, which take
different forms accordingly. They might include questionnaires with yes/no answers and
rating scales or open-ended questions, which elicit more detailed information. There is
usually a two stage evaluation procedure. The external evaluation, which focuses on the
external features of a textbook and the internal evaluation, which is a much more detailed
and in-depth investigation of the teaching materials.

Borrowing some data from McDonough and Shaw (1993:76-68) the external
evaluation focuses on the introduction and the table of contents of a book. The most
important questions have to do with the intended audience and who the materials are
targeted at, for which particular language level and in which context are to be used (EGP
or EAP). The size and number of units are also important, along with the author’s view
on language and methodology. The issue of the textbook’s layout and presentation is also
important in addition to the visual material contained and the audio/video material
accompanied by. Finally, among other criteria, the teacher’s book is mentioned and
whether it is in print and locally available.

According to Grant’s (1987) checklist, called CATALYST, the criteria for external
evaluation include whether the textbook is communicative so that the students will be
able to use the language to communicate, as a result of using the textbook.

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 Futhermore, price and available additional materials – such as teacher’s book,
tapes, workbooks – also play a major role when evaluating a textbook externally.
Cunningsworth (1995) also mentions design, content organisation and sequence, along
with the grading of materials as an important factor to take into consideration for the
evaluation of a textbook. So, it is obvious form all these that the external appearance of a
book can definitely convey some information on what to expect inside.

Internal evaluation is more rigorous and detailed and would necessitate the close
inspection of at least two units. According to McDonough and Shaw (1993:75) a teacher
needs to examine whether all skills are covered, in what proportion and if they are
naturally integrated. It is important to know if exercises and texts are motivating and
related to learners’ needs and whether they cater for different learning styles, resembling
everyday communication needs. Grant (1987) also examines authenticity of materials and
raises the issue of following the official syllabus in a creative manner. He is also
concerned about whether the book suits the teacher and provides teacher’s guidance with
additional activities.

Another checklist is proposed by Sheldon (1988) that is essentially a rating scale

in which various criteria are listed. He emphasizes on layout and graphics and asks
whether the pages of the textbook are colourfull and appealing, with clearly organised
material and coherent linkage of units and exercises. Appropriacy is also another
important criterion for him in relation to the purposes set and the L1 background of
learners. Educational validity matters, in the sense that a proper book shouls promote
broader educational concerns, lifelong learning and learner autonomy through
‘knowledge of the world’.

All these elements from different checklists can be used to evaluate the potential
appropriateness of the materials to the aims of the syllabus and the learners’ needs. They
investigate the theoretical worth of the materials. The ultimate success or failure of the
materials is evaluated in practice after the teacher and learner have used them in class.

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 When contrasting all the above mentioned theoretic criteria with the actual
textbook used in the TEE, one could say that there are certain criteria met and others still
need improvement, so as not to hinder the learning process.

4. Textbook Evaluation

The english textbook of the TEE generally follows the guidelines of the official
syllabus. It is specifically written for students of technical education, aiming to provide
skills of reading and speaking comprehension and promote communication in everyday
life, so that students will be able to cope with the developments of modern civilization
and learn the global language. English is useful in the professional field also, as a
necessary tool of specialisation, so there is emphasis on the principle of ‘learn how to
learn’, where the student is a center of the educational process and participates
individually or through collaborative work. Motivating the students to appreciate the
learning experience by cultivating their critical thinking and taking creative initials is
another guideline given by the syllabus and conveyed by the book.

Starting from the external evaluation of the book, in its introduction (App. I) there
is the authors’ justification of its content and the choice of materials to be used in the
classroom. The book was written by Greek teachers of English taking into consideration
the needs of Greek students of Technical Vocational Schools and is given free of charge
by the Ministry of Education. Its content represents greek reality, taking themes from it in
order to teach English.

There is a table of contents which gives the headings and pages of the Units along
with the skills, structures and functions covered in each Unit (App. II, III). The whole
book consists of ten Units, each taking around fifteen pages to conclude, which is a
considerable disadvantage as students can get bored dealing with the same thematic unit
for so long. Moving on the audio/video materials that accompany the textbook, one can
see the total absence of them, since there is not even the cassette for listening provided,
but all scripts are written at the back of the book. No other teaching aids are given, such

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as a videocassettes or cds, and the worst of all is that there is nothing else accompanying
the textbook, not a grammar or a workbook not even – the essential – teacher’s book.
This is something that creates problems to the teacher as there is no guidance or extra
advice on when and how to teach something and this can become time – consuming for
the teacher, who has to prepare everything by herself, along with the solutions to all
exercises!

Concerning the internal evaluation of the TEE english textbook, one could claim
that it bears both positive and negative elements. Although all skills are covered in each
Unit and there is some variation in the form of exercises and tasks, the organisation and
structure presents a homogeneous picture which is not flexible and can sometimes
become indifferent to the students. There is no alteration of methodology and the same
route is always followed. There is the text for reading comprehension with questions
related to it, then integrated tasks in connection to the main theme, relevant grammar
rules and some practice and production (see example Unit 1- ‘Back to School’, App IV).
Due to the extended coverage of each thematic Unit the student can forget the reason for
doing something as there isn’t clear linkage of tasks and objectives that need to be met
aren’t stated so that students can find an obvious purpose for learning. So one could say
that students cannot easily find themselves around in the coursebook.

As far as visual material is concerned there aren’t many pictures throughout the
Units and this emphasizes the monotonous aspect of the textbook, which doesn’t make it
quite appealing and reader – friendly. A positive element, though, is that the tasks of the
Units are many and of different forms and involve all four skills, placing emphasis
mostly on reading and speaking (see Unit 1, App. IV). From this aspect one could say that
the exercises are mainly communicative, they are based on contemporary theories of EFL
teaching and cater for different learning styles. Matching exercises, grids, open-ended
questions, drills, gaps and other forms of tasks are offered to give students options and
satisfy their preferences. Collaboration is promoted through pair- and group work
activities, such as games, role plays, projects etc.

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 There are also some authentic materials used and the greek language sometimes
becomes the means to enhance the learning process of the foreign language (see Unit 1, p.
16, App IV).

If we examine another Unit of the book (Unit 2, see App. V) to draw safer
conclusions we can see that again the Unit is very long and is made up of many reading
texts, all connected with the central theme of the Unit – ‘Holidays’- around which the rest
of the skills are taught (speaking, listening and writing). Following the practice of the
first Unit, there is reference to the greek reality here again. It becomes obvious that
english language is taught without any connection to its cultural elements or specific
characteristics. The textbook’s content doesn’t attempt to show students images of the
crossborder, global civilization but teaches English through the perspective of greek
everyday life. This might be due to the fact that the authors wanted greek students to get
in touch with familiar topics so as to be more motivated and involved. It is true that
students can cope more easily within their natural environment when asked about topics
they already know but at the same time this process deprives them of new cultural
knowledge of the foreign language they are taught. Their mental horizons do not open
because they come up with nothing new in terms of cultural information and, thus, they
learn nothing about crosscultural consciousness. This situation presented in the textbook
can be an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time, depending on the point of view.

In general one could say that this textbook has made quite a remarkable attempt to
teach English for a specific audience, that of Greek students of secondary technical
education, following the guidelines of the curiculum and based on modern teaching
theories. Overall it gives a satisfactory impression although it has some drawbacks.
Certain improvements need to be made but either way no coursebook is perfect.

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 5. Conclusion

Allwright (1981) maintains that ‘the whole bussiness of the management of

language learning is far too complex to be satisfactorily catered for by a pre-packaged set
of decisions embodied in teaching materials’. The teacher has to evaluate and adapt the
textbook when necessary. As Alderson (1992:299) points out ‘evaluation needs to be
reflexive’; and on-going, I would add. For the best possible results.

Words count: ~ 2000

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REFERENCES

Alderson J.C. (1992) Guidelines for the evaluation of language education. In Alderson
J.C. and Beretta A. (eds.).

Allwright R. (1981) “What do we want teaching materials for?” ELT Journal 36/1.

Cunningsworth, A. 1995. Choosing your coursebook. Oxford: Heinemann.

Grant N. (1987) Making the Most of your Textbook. London: Longman.

Hutchinson, T. (1987). ‘What’s underneath?: an interactive view of materials evaluation’

in Sheldon L. (ed).

McDonough J. & Shaw C. (1993) Materials and Methods in ELT. Oxford: Blackwells.

Sheldon L. E. (ed.) (1987) ELT Textbooks and Materials: Problems in Evaluation and
Development. ELT Documents 126. Oxford: Modern English Publications/
The British Council