An evaluation of the coursebook “solutions pre intermediate 3rd edition” for teenage students at duong minh language center

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY - TRUONG THI NGOC TRAM AN EVALUATION OF THE COURSEBOOK “SOLUTIONS - PRE-INTERMEDIATE 3rd EDITION” FOR TEENAGE STUDENTS AT DUONG MINH LANGUAGE CENTER Major: English Language Course code: 60220201 HO CHI MINH CITY, OCTOBER 2020 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY - AN EVALUATION OF THE COURSEBOOK “SOLUTIONS - PRE-INTERMEDIATE 3rd EDITION” FOR TEENAGE STUDENTS AT DUONG MINH LANGUAGE CENTER Submitted to the Faculty of English Language in partial fulfillment of the Master‟s degree in English Language Course code: 60220201 By TRUONG THI NGOC TRAM Supervised by LE XUAN QUYNH, PH.D HO CHI MINH CITY, OCTOBER 2020 The thesis entitled AN EVALUATION OF THE COURSEBOOK “SOLUTIONS - PRE-INTERMEDIATE 3rd EDITION” FOR TEENAGE STUDENTS AT DUONG MINH LANGUAGE CENTER was successfully defended and approved on January 12,2021 at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH) Academic supervisor ………………………… LE XUAN QUYNH, PH.D Examination Committee NGUYEN THI KIEU THU, PH.D Chair TRAN THI MINH PHUONG, PH.D Reader LE THI THUY NHUNG, PH.D Reader PHAM HUY CUONG, PH.D Member TRAN QUOC THAO, PH.D Secretary Member On behalf of the Examination Committee Chair (Full name, title, signature) ii HCMC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE HCMC, 30/10/2020 MASTER‟S THESIS REPORT Student name: TRUONG THI NGOC TRAM Sex: Female Date of birth: 27/07/1992 Place of birth: Long An Province Major: English Language Student code: 1841900028 I- Thesis title: AN EVALUATION OF THE COURSEBOOK “SOLUTIONS - PREINTERMEDIATE 3rd EDITION” FOR TEENAGE STUDENTS AT DUONG MINH LANGUAGE CENTER II- Objectives and contents: The study aims at evaluating the coursebook „Solutions: Pre-Intermediate – Student Book 3rd Edition‟ used at Duong Minh Language Center to explore the satisfaction of teachers and learners with the coursebook The results show their satisfaction in different levels, as well as their disagreement to difficulty level, layout, CDs and videos and the use of meaningful contexts in the coursebook III- Starting date: 30/10/2019 IV- Completing date: 30/10/2020 V- Academic supervisor: LE XUAN QUYNH, PH.D ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR FACULTY DEAN (Full name, signature) (Full name, signature) iii CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Master‟s Thesis submitted today entitled: “An Evaluation of the Coursebook “Solutions - Pre-Intermediate 3rd Edition” for Teenage Students at Duong Minh Language Center” In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master‟s programs issued by issued by the Higher Degree Committee of Faculty of English Language, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology Ho Chi Minh City, October 2020 TRUONG THI NGOC TRAM iv RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, TRUONG THI NGOC TRAM, being a candidate for the degree of Master of Arts (English Language) accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master‟s Theses deposited in the Library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master‟s Thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan, and reproduction for theses Ho Chi Minh City, October 2020 TRUONG THI NGOC TRAM v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to show my sincere thankfulness to those who contribute to the completion of my thesis Foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Le Xuan Quynh, Ph.D for his great support, constant guidance, and continuous encouragement through the whole research process His prompt, insightful advice was a light which led me to solutions whenever I was in dilemma I am so admired and grateful for his professional knowledge and guidance which have been a great value for me in the process of doing my research I am also thankful for Dr Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu‟s huge devotion, suggestions and assistance throughout my thesis process She is a devoted dean and a professional lecturer who always occupies a certain respect in my heart Furthermore, I must express my profound gratitude to the teachers of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology for providing me with unfailing, academic support and continuous encouragement throughout my years of study and through the process of researching and writing this thesis In addition, I would like to send my sincere thanks to teachers and students from Duong Minh Language Center for their great support in my research data collection Finally, my sincere and warm thanks are for my family and friends who have supported me and been my companions during a long journey of doing my research vi ABSTRACT Coursebook evaluation is of great significance to ensure the quality of English learning and teaching This current study aims at evaluating the coursebook „Solutions: Pre-Intermediate – Student Book 3rd Edition‟ which has been currently used as the coursebook for teenage learners at Duong Minh Language Center to explore the satisfaction of teachers and learners with the use of the coursebook with reference to the appropriateness to the students‟ level of English and their background knowledge The researcher employs a quantitative and qualitative method with the use of questionnaire and interview as research instruments 150 teenage learners and 30 teachers who have been using this studied coursebook participated in the study Data gathered from these two instruments revealed three findings that (1) English teachers are satisfied with all studied aspects of the coursebook Solutions Pre-Intermediate 3rd edition‟, including Physical appearance and format, Content and Supplementary materials Among three aspects, teachers showed their highest satisfaction to supplementary materials; (2) Learners also expressed their satisfaction to Physical appearance and format, Content, and Supplementary materials of the studied coursebook Unlike teacher respondents, teenage learners showed their highest satisfaction to content of the coursebook; (3) Although both teachers and learners showed their satisfaction to almost all aspects of the coursebook, they still show their disagreement to difficulty level, layout, CDs and videos and use of meaningful contexts in the coursebook Research findings imply the importance of coursebook evaluation and the involvement of all stakeholders in coursebook evaluation and curriculum development (244 words) Keywords: coursebook evaluation, teenage learners, Duong Minh Language Center, „Solutions: Pre-Intermediate – Student Book 3rd Edition‟, English learning and teaching vii TABLE OF CONTENTS MASTER‟S THESIS REPORT iii CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY iv RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT vi ABSTRACT vii LISTS OF TABLES xi LIST OF FIGURES xii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study 1.2 Problem statement 1.3 Aims and objectives of the study 1.4 Research questions 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Significance of the study 1.7 Definition of key terms 1.8 Organization of the thesis CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction 2.2 ELT materials in learning and teaching language 2.2.1 Role and purpose of materials in teaching language 2.2.2 Types of materials 2.3 Material evaluation 11 2.3.1 Definition 11 2.3.2 Coursebook evaluation and significance of coursebook evaluation 12 2.3.3 Criteria for coursebook evaluation 13 2.4 Approaches to coursebook evaluation 14 2.4.1 Approach to coursebook evaluation by Cunningsworth (1995) 14 2.4.2 Approach to coursebook evaluation by McGrath (2002) 15 viii 2.4.3 Approach to coursebook evaluation by Tomlinson (2014) 16 2.5 Previous studies 16 2.6 Conceptual framework 20 2.7 Summary 21 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 22 3.1 Research design 22 3.2 Sample site 23 3.3 Research material – Solutions coursebook 23 3.4 Sample and sampling procedures 24 3.5 Research instruments 31 3.5.1 Questionnaires 31 3.5.2 Interviews 33 3.6 Data collection procedures 34 3.7 Data analysis procedures 35 3.8 Validity and reliability 36 3.9 Summary 36 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 37 4.1 Introduction 37 4.2 Results from teachers‟ questionnaire 38 4.2.1 Overall descriptions of teacher evaluation 38 4.2.2 Physical appearance and format 39 4.2.3 Content 40 4.2.4 Supplementary materials 45 4.3 Results from learners‟ questionnaires 46 4.3.1 Overall descriptions of learner evaluation 46 4.3.2 Physical appearance and format 47 4.3.3 Content 48 4.3.4 Supplementary materials 54 4.4 4.4.1 Responses from teachers‟ interview 55 Physical appearance and format 55 ix REFERENCES Alamri, L (1998) Action Research for Language Teachers The UK: Cambridge University Press Brown, J.D (1995) Language Program Evaluation UK: Cambridge University Press Bahumaid, (2008) TEFL Materials Evaluation: A Teacher's Perspective Studies in Contemporary Linguistics, 44(4), 423-432 DOI: 10.2478/v10010-008-0021-z 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development and evaluation for English for General purposes course ELT Journal (2), 213-222 77 APPENDICES Appendix A: Questionnaire for English Teachers Dear Teachers, 'Solutions: Pre-Intermediate Student's Book, 3rd Edition' has been used as the main coursebook for more than a year Now I would like to ask for your opinions in order to have a thorough evaluation about the use of this coursebook at Duong Minh Language Center Please spare a few minutes to fill in the checklist below Thanks for your co-operation A Background Information Teacher name (Optional): Gender Male Female Qualification Teaching experience -5 years -10 years Time of using 'Solutions Pre-Intermediate Student's Book, 3rd Edition' as a teaching material -6 months -12 months B Evaluation 78 Read each item and indicate your opinion with the scale of 5: (1) Strongly disagree, (2) Disagree, (3) Neutral, (4) Agree, and (5) Strongly agree Tick the column which best reflects your opinion Read each item and indicate your opinion with the scale of 5: (1) Strongly disagree, (2) Disagree, (3) Neutral, (4) Agree, and (5) Strongly agree Tick the column which best reflects your opinion I Physical appearance and format The cover of the coursebook is attractive The coursebook is durable The layout of the coursebook motivates learners to perform the tasks The illustrations in the coursebook are directly related to the content to help the learners understand the printed text Main headings and subheadings in the coursebook are well organized The instructions in the coursebook help the learners to comprehend the items thoroughly II Content (Units, activities, exercises, skills and sub-skills) Skills The reading exercises in the coursebook enhance the learners‟ reading skills The writing exercises in the coursebook enhance the learners‟ writing skills The speaking exercises in the coursebook enhance the learners‟ speaking skills 10 The listening exercises in the coursebook enhance the learners‟‟ listening skills 11 The exercises in the coursebook improve learners‟ comprehension skills 12 The exercises improve learners‟ ability to distinguish between main ideas and details 79 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Language areas 13 The units in the coursebook provide the learners coverage of four main skills and other sub-skills (vocabulary and grammar) 14 The number of vocabulary in each unit is reasonable for the learners‟ level 15 The exercises promote meaningful communication by referring to realistic situations 16 The sample listening materials and dialogues help learners to improve their pronunciation General 17 The difficulty level of the coursebook is appropriate to the learners‟ level 18 The course book‟s content meets the learners‟ language needs 19 Each unit is in the same format which facilitates the learners‟ language learning process 20 The topics of the units are interesting for the learners 21 The coursebook includes information about different people from different countries 22 The content of the coursebook is prepared by taking into consideration the whole course 23 The exercises in the coursebook are relevant to learners‟ interests 24 The coursebook content reflects cultural characteristics of the target language 25 The exercises promote meaningful communication by referring to realistic situations III Supplementary materials 26 The coursebook has useful supplementary materials for learners for additional practice 27 The teacher‟s guide provides practical activities/ideas for the teacher to use in the class 28 The listening materials and dialogues in the CD and videos improve learners‟ listening skills 80 Appendix B: Questionnaire for Learners (English version) Dear Learners, 'Solutions: Pre-Intermediate Student's Book, 3rd Edition' has been used as the main coursebook for your learning at Duong Minh Language Center Now I would like to ask for your opinions in order to have a thorough evaluation about the use of this coursebook at Duong Minh Language Center Please spare a few minutes to fill in the checklist below Thanks for your co-operation A Background Information Learner name (Optional): Gender Male Female Age -15 years old -17 years old -19 years old Years of English learning -5 years -7 years Time of using 'Solutions Pre-Intermediate Student's Book, 3rd Edition' as a learning material -6 months -12 months B Evaluation 81 Read each item and indicate your opinion with the scale of 5: ((1) Strongly disagree, (2) Disagree, (3) Neutral, (4) Agree, and (5) Strongly agree Tick the column which best reflects your opinion I Physical appearance and format 1) The cover of the coursebook is attractive The coursebook is durable I am motivated to perform tasks because of the appropriate and layout My understanding of texts is promoted by the illustrations in the coursebook Main headings and subheadings in the coursebook are well organized The instructions in the coursebook help me to comprehend the items thoroughly II Content (Units, activities, exercises, skills and sub-skills) Skills The reading exercises in the coursebook enhance the learners‟ reading skills The writing exercises in the coursebook enhance the learners‟ writing skills The speaking exercises in the coursebook enhance the learners‟ speaking skills 10 The listening exercises in the coursebook enhance the learners‟ listening skills 11 The exercises in the coursebook improve learners‟ comprehension skills 12 The exercises improve learners‟ ability to distinguish between main ideas and details Language areas 13 The units in the coursebook provide my coverage of four main skills and other sub82 ( ( ( ( 2) 3) 4) 5) ( skills (vocabulary and grammar) 14 The number of vocabulary in each unit is reasonable for the learners‟ level 15 The exercises in the coursebook improve learners‟ grammar proficiency 16 The sample listening materials and dialogues help me to improve my pronunciation General 17 The difficulty level of the coursebook is appropriate to the learners‟ level 18 The coursebook‟s content meets the learners‟ language needs 19 Each unit is in the same format which facilitates the learners‟ language learning process 20 The topics of the units are interesting for the learners 21 The coursebook provide information about different cultures worldwide 22 The exercises in the coursebook are relevant to learners‟ interests 23 The exercises promote meaningful communication by referring to realistic situations III Supplementary materials 24 The coursebook provides me various supplementary materials for additional practice 25 The listening materials and dialogues in the CD and videos support my listening skills 83 Appendix C: Questionnaire for Learners (Vietnamese version) Xin chào học viên, Bộ sách 'Solutions: Pre-Intermediate Student's Book, 3rd Edition' sử dụng sách giáo trình cho khóa học bạn Trung tâm Ngoại ngữ Dương Minh Để đánh giá hiệu việc sử dụng giáo trình suốt khóa học Trung tâm Ngoại ngữ Dương Minh, bảng hỏi thực tới học viên để thu thập liệu Kết bảng hỏi giữ bí mật sử dụng cho mục đích nghiên cứu mà không dùng để đánh giá lực học viên Hãy dành vài phút để hoàn thành bảng hỏi sau Chân thành cảm ơn! A Thông tin cá nhân Tên học viên (Không bắt buộc): Giới tính Nam Nữ Tuổi -15 tuổi -17 tuổi -19 tuổi Thời gian học Tiếng Anh -5 năm -7 năm Thời gian sử dụng giáo trình 'Solutions Pre-Intermediate Student's Book, 3rd Edition' tài liệu học tập -6 tháng -12 tháng 84 B Đánh giá Hãy đưa lựa chọn bạn dựa thang đánh giá sau: (1) Rất không đồng ý (2) Không đồng ý (3) Bình thường (4) Đồng ý (5) Rất đồng ý I Thiết kế định dạng 1) Bìa sách hấp dẫn Cuốn sách bền sử dụng Sự xếp nội dung sách hợp lý, khiến tích cực hồn thành tập sách Cuốn sách sử dụng hình minh họa hợp lý giúp hiểu Các tiêu đề sách xếp hợp lý Chỉ dẫn tập giúp tơi hiểu yêu cầu cách thấu đáo II Nội dung (bài giảng, hoạt động, tập, kỹ năng) Kỹ Bài tập đọc sách giúp cải thiện kỹ đọc Bài tập viết sách giúp tơi cải thiện kỹ viết Bài tập nói sách giúp tơi cải thiện kỹ nói 10 Bài tập nghe sách giúp cải thiện kỹ nghe 11 Bài tập sách giúp nâng cao hiểu biết 85 ( ( ( ( 2) 3) 4) 5) ( 12 Bài tập sách giúp nâng cao khả phân biệt ý chi tiết đọc hiểu Yếu tố ngôn ngữ 13 Các giảng sách bao gồm tất kỹ từ vựng ngữ pháp 14 Số lượng từ vựng phù hợp với khả 15 Bài tập sách giúp sử dụng thành thạo cấu trúc ngữ pháp 16 Những đoạn hội thoại mẫu tài liệu kỹ nghe giúp học cải thiện phát âm Chung 17 Độ khó sách phù hợp với trình độ 18 Nội dung sách đáp ứng yêu cầu học tập 19 Các giảng thiết kế theo mẫu định giúp tơi theo dõi trình học tập 20 Các chủ đề sách thú vị 21 Tơi tiếp cận thơng tin nhiều văn hóa khác thông qua giảng sách 22 Bài tập sách phù hợp với sở thích tơi 23 Các tập vận dụng tình thực tế vào học tập giúp cải thiện khả giao tiếp III Tài liệu hỗ trợ 24 Rất nhiều tài liệu hỗ trợ cung cấp theo sách để phục vụ việc thực hành Tiếng Anh 25 CDs videos kèm theo sách giúp phát triển kỹ nghe 86 87 Appendix D: Interview protocol Do you think that the coursebook‟s physical appearance is appropriate? Explain why (Please explain in details, for example layout, book cover, headings and sub-headings, instructions, and so on) Do you think that the coursebook‟s content is effective to promote students‟ English skills such as reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills? Explain in details Do you think that the coursebook‟s content covers all skills and sub-skills? Do you think that the coursebook‟s content is appropriate to the learners‟ language proficiency? Do you think that the coursebook‟s content meets the learners‟ language needs? Do you think that the coursebook‟s content facilitates the learners‟ language learning process? Do you think that the topics of the units are interesting for the learners? Do you think that the coursebook‟s content provides information about different cultures worldwide? Do you think that the coursebook‟s content promotes meaningful communication by referring to realistic situations? 10 Do you think that the coursebook‟s supplementary materials support the learners‟ learning through in the CD and videos? 88