An evaluation of the textbook English 11 taught at Phan Dinh Phung Secondary school in Hanoi. A case study = Đánh giá sách giáo khoa tiếng Anh 11 dạy ở trường T

university of language and international studies department of Postgraduate studies Lê Thị Huệ An evaluation of the Textbook English 11 Taught at Phan Dinh Phung Secondary school in ha

university of language and international studies

department of Postgraduate studies

Lê Thị Huệ

An evaluation of the Textbook English 11 Taught

at Phan Dinh Phung Secondary school in hanoi

A case study

đánh giá sách giáo khoa Tiếng Anh 11 dạy ở Tr-ờng THPT

Phan Đình Phùng – Hà Nội: Điển cứu

Minor program thesis

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10

Supervisor: Hoàng Thị Xuân Hoa, Ph.D

Hanoi, August 2009

university of language and international studies

department of Postgraduate studies

Lê Thị Huệ

An evaluation of the Textbook English 11 Taught

at Phan Dinh Phung Secondary school in hanoi

A case study

đánh giá sách giáo khoa Tiếng Anh 11 dạy ở Tr-ờng THPT

Phan Đình Phùng – Hà Nội: Điển cứu

Minor program thesis

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10

Hanoi, August 2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Declaration i

Acknowledgements ii

Abstract iii

Table of contents iv

List of tables & charts v

Chapter 1: Introduction 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Aims and objectives of the study 1

1.3 Research questions 2

1.4 Methods of the study 2

1.5 Scope of the study 2

1.6 Design of the study 3

Chapter 2 Literature review 4

2.1 Textbook 4

2.1.1 Definitions of textbook 4

2.1.2 The roles of textbook in language teaching and learning 5

2.2 Textbook Evaluation 7

2.2.1 Definition 7

2.2.2 The reasons to evaluate textbook 7

2.2.3 Types of textbook evaluation 8

2.2.3.1 Pre-use evaluation 8

2.2.3.2 In-use evaluation 9

2.2.3.3 Post-use evaluation 9

2.2.4 Textbook evaluators 9

2.2.5 Methods of textbook evaluation 11

2.2.5.1 The impressionistic method 11

2.2.5.2 The check-list method 11

2.2.5.3 The in-depth method 12

2.2.6 Criteria for textbook evaluation 12

2.3 Previous Research on textbook evaluation 14

2.4 Textbook Adaptation 15

2.4.1 Definition 15

2.4.2 The purpose of adapting textbook 16

2.4.3 Methods to adapt textbook 16

2.5 Summary 17

Chapter 3 Research Methodology .18

3.1 Research Design 18

3.2 Setting 18

3.3 Participants 18

3.4 Data Collection Instruments 19

3.4.1 Document analysis 19

3.4.2 Survey questionnaires 20

3.4.3 Classroom observation 21

3.5 Data Collection Procedures 21

3.6 Summary 21

Chapter 4 Data Analysis and discussion 22

4.1 Document Analysis 22

4.2 Survey questionnaire 23

4.2.1 Questionnaire for teachers 23

4.2.1.1 Methodology 23

4.2.1.2 Language types 27

4.2.1.3 Activities 28

4.2.1.4 Skills 30

4.2.1.5 Subjects and contents 31

4.2.2 Questionnaire for students 32

4.3 Classroom observation 41

Chapter 5 Conclusions and recommendations .44

5.1 Summary of the study 44

5.2 Some suggested solutions 45

5.2.1 Addition 45

5.2.2 Reduction 46

5.2.3 Modification 46

5.2.4 Branching 46

5.3 Some recommendations for further study 47

References 48

Appendix 1: Curriculum by MOET I

Appendix 2: Bookmap of English 11 .VII

Appendix 3: Questionnaires for teachers X

Appendix 4: Questionnaires for students XV

List of tables & charts

Table 1 Teachers’ opinions about methodology in the textbook

Table 2 Teachers’ opinions about language text types in the textbook

Table 3. Teachers’ opinions about activities in the textbook

Table 4. Teachers’ opinions about skills in the textbook

Table 5. Teachers’ opinions about subjects and contents included in the textbook

Chart 1 Students' attitudes toward familiarity of subjects and contents with their daily lives

Chart 2 Students' opinions toward suitable length of texts

Chart 3 Students' attitudes toward whether the textbook increases cultural and social knowledge

Chart 4 Students’ ideas about high frequency of practising language skills

Chart 5 Students' opinions on balance and links among skills

Chart 6 Students' attitudes toward capability of communication

Chart 7 Suitability between students' level of English and language used in the textbook

Chart 8 Relevance between subject and content with students' needs as English learners

Chart 9. Subject and content are interesting, challenging and motivating

Chart 10 Tasks and activities are introduced from simple to complex Chart 11 Activities encourage students to work individually, in pair or group

Chart 12 The textbook motivates students to learn English

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Rationale

English is now taught not only at all universities and colleges, but also as a compulsory subject at almost every senior high school and English will become a compulsory subject in grade 3 at primary schools in 2010 This proves that teaching and learning English well has become one of the most concerns of educators and society Teaching and learning English well means that learners are able to communicate verbally with the outside world In order to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning English, many innovations have been made The first innovation but not least important is the introduction of the new set of textbooks Actually, textbooks play a significant role in foreign language teaching They are not simply the everyday tools of the language teachers; they are an embodiment of the aims and methods of the particular teaching/learning situation Good textbooks help to build up students‟ confidence by providing tasks or activities that students can cope with Textbooks provide the students with opportunities to use the target language to achieve communicative purposes Tasks and activities in the textbooks are variable and cater for a range of learning styles so all students can benefit Especially in Vietnam, the textbook is seen as central to teaching-learning by the majority of teachers in most schools Whether the new set of textbooks is

as effective as Vietnamese teachers expect it to be; whether the textbooks meet the general aims of the course: e.g improving the students‟ level of English in the areas of four language skills and teaching them the basic features of the language; whether the textbooks are appropriate to the context they are used in: level of students and teachers, classroom environment, etc are questions for textbook evaluators However, due to the limited time and its scope, this thesis focuses on evaluating one set of textbook only – English 11 at Phan Dinh Phung secondary school, Hanoi Hopefully, the findings of the thesis will provide contribution to the improvement of the teaching and learning at secondary schools

in Vietnam

1.2 Aims and objectives of the study

The study aims to evaluate the textbook objectives, content and methodology in order

to determine whether it truly follows the objectives prescribed by MOET for the course and whether it is suitable to students‟ level at Phan Dinh Phung secondary school and to see whether it brings about the interests in learning to the students At the same time, the

study also aims to find out whether the textbook suits teachers and helps teachers do the teaching successfully Moreover, the study gives some suggestions to the improvement of the textbook so that the textbook will be better used in the coming years

1.3 Research questions

The thesis is to find out the answers to the following research questions:

1 Does the textbook English 11 truly follow the objectives prescribed by MOET for the

course?

2 Is it suitable to the students‟ level at Phan Dinh Phung secondary school?

3 Does it bring about the interests in learning to the students at Phan Dinh Phung secondary school?

4 Is it suitable for the teachers at Phan Dinh Phung secondary school, Hanoi in terms of methodology, language competence, tasks, skills and subject and contents?

1.4 Methods of the study

To collect the data, the methods used in the thesis are document analysis, survey questionnaires and classroom observation

Documents analysis here refers to the analysis of the textbook itself and the objectives for the course prescribed by MOET in the curriculum document

Survey questionnaires here play a vital role in getting feedback from teachers and students about the textbook they have used

Classroom observation are also used to help the researcher interpret the questionnaire data more accurately

1.5 Scope of the study

Although the researcher is aware that in order to have a comprehensive evaluation of a textbook, it is much better to make an evaluation of the textbook taught at a large number

of secondary schools in the whole country However, due to time constraints and the limitation of the minor thesis, the researcher only focuses on evaluating the textbook taught

at one secondary school, Phan Dinh Phung secondary school in Hanoi Because the study

is carried out at a specific school and its participants are teachers and students at this school, the result of the study which is only right at this school cannot be generalized for

all secondary schools in Vietnam This result can be kept for reference when conducting an evaluation of the textbook taught at other schools

1.6 Design of the study

The study consists of five chapters:

Chapter I Introduction, presents the general introduction of the study, consisting of

rationale, aims and objectives, research questions, methods, scope and design of the study

Chapter II, Literature review, presents the most important notions related to textbook

evaluation They are: definitions and the roles of textbook in language teaching and learning; definition, reasons, types and methods and criteria of textbook evaluation; definition, purpose and methods of textbook adaptation Also in this chapter some previous studies on the same topic are presented

Chapter III, Methodology, provides information about Research Design, Setting,

Participants, Data Collection Instruments, Data Collection Procedures

Chapter 4 Data Analysis and Discussion, analyses and discusses the data collected

from document analysis, survey questionnaires and classroom observation

Chapter 5 Conclusions and recommendations, presents the major findings of the

study and recommends some suggestions for further study

Chapter 2 Literature review

2.1 Textbook

2.1.1 Definitions of textbook

The traditional textbook, as we can see it, usually consists of a number of chapters with texts of different lengths that deal with various topics There may be a different theme for every chapter and sometimes there are a few pre-reading activities, or post-reading exercises The texts can generally be listened to on CD or tape In some cases the textbook and the workbook are joined together in the same book, but sometimes they are represented by two separate books

This study is aimed at evaluating textbook English 11 by Hoang Van Van et al (2008)

therefore it would be sensible to clarify the related terminology “textbook”

There are various definitions of textbooks, as for example, in www.nde.state.ne.us/READ/FRAMEWORK/glossary/general_p-t.html, textbook is defined “a book used for instructional purposes, especially in schools and colleges" Books used by students for particular branches of study can be characterized by another important feature: their intrinsically challenging nature

„Textbook‟ is defined by Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary as „a book used in the

study of a subject: as a: one containing a presentation of the principles of a subject b: a

literary work relevant to the study of a subject’

Collins Cobuild English Dictionary for Advanced Learners 4th Edition (2003) also defines textbook as “a book containing facts about a particular subject that is used by people studying that subject”

In the broad sense of the concept, the term „textbook‟ refers to a manual of instruction

or a standard book in any branch of study They are produced according to the demand of educational institutions

What the textbook is different from other types of books is that textbook is written based on standard curriculum and its principal users are teachers and learners in schools There is some degree of standardization in the textbook rather than others because there is usually an inspectorial system and public examinations to ensure the suitability of the textbook Textbook has still been approved and upgraded when having been in use within

school system That is why textbook serves as a standard instrument of knowledge for both teachers and learners Textbooks are viewed as resources in achieving aims and objectives that have already been set in terms of learners‟ needs

2.1.2 The roles of textbook in language teaching and learning

English language instruction has many important components but the essential constituents to many ESL/EFL classrooms and programs are the textbooks and instruction materials that are often used by language instructors Different theorists have various ideas

on the crucial roles that textbook plays in language teaching

Garinger (2001) cited in http://www.teflweb-j.org/v1n1/garinger.html points out that

„Textbooks play a pivotal role in language classrooms in all types of educational institutions - public schools, colleges, and language schools - all over the world.‟ Riazi (2003, p52) also agrees with that point of view when clarifying that „textbooks play a very crucial role in the realm of language teaching and learning and are considered the next

important factor (element) [italics added] in the second/foreign language classroom after

the teacher.‟ Other theorists such as Sheldon (1988) further explains that textbooks not only „represent the visible heart of any ELT program‟ (p.237) but also offer considerable advantages – for both the students and the teacher – when they are being used in the ESL/EFL classroom In some situations, textbooks serve as the basis for much of the language input learners receive and the language practice that occurs in the classroom They may provide the basis for the content of the lessons, the balance of skills taught, and the kinds of language tasks students actively use In other situations, textbooks may serve primarily to supplement the teacher's instruction For learners, textbooks may provide a major source of contact they have with the target language, excluding the input provided

by the teacher In the case of novice teachers, textbooks may also be utilized as a form of teacher training; that is, they provide ideas on how to plan and teach lessons as well as formats that teachers can use Much of the language teaching that occurs throughout the world today could not take place without the extensive use of commercial textbooks The advantages that textbooks give to teachers and learners can be summarised as „A course book is a map It shows where one is going and where one has been It provides language samples It offers variety.‟ (quoted in McGrath 2002:10)

No doubt, a course book is looked upon as an indispensable vehicle for foreign language acquisition whose validity and significance are seldom impugned Many students

working with a course book feel secure and have a sense of progress and achievement They always have a book to relate to; they are not groping in the dark Consequently, they become more confident and satisfied, as they tackle the target language within a certain framework Furthermore, a textbook provides them with the opportunity to go back and revise They can also use the textbook for self-study and as a reference tool Besides, a well-illustrated book, equipped with eye-catching phrases and sensational pictures or titles,

is preferable to tons of photocopied material, which teachers and students often take a dim view of

While many of the aforementioned theorists are quick to point out the extensive benefits

of using ESL/EFL textbooks, there are many other researchers and practitioners who do not necessarily accept this view and retain some well-founded reservations on the subject Brumfit (1979:30) claims that although textbooks can help teachers, „many of them don‟t‟ and that „even the best textbooks take away initiative from teachers by implying that there

is somewhere an „expert‟ who can solve problems‟ for the teachers and individual students‟ Allwright (1982) also has written a scathing commentary on the use of textbooks

in the ELT classroom He suggests that textbooks are too inflexible and generally reflect the pedagogic, psychological and linguistic preferences and biases of their authors

Despite that fact, textbooks have a vital and positive role to play in teaching and learning process in secondary schools in Vietnam They are an effective resource for self-directed learning, an effective resource for presentation material, a source of ideas and activities, a reference source for students, a syllabus where they reflect pre-determined learning objectives, and support for less experienced teachers who have yet to gain in confidence Textbooks can support teachers demonstrate new and/or untried methodologies, introduce change gradually, and create scaffolding upon which teachers can build a more creative methodology of their own

As Cunningsworth (1984:15) states „course materials for English should be seen as the teacher‟s servant and not his master‟ which leads to the issue of how to evaluate, select and adapt teaching materials to meet our teaching and students‟ learning needs in order to maximize learning potentials

2.2 Textbook Evaluation

2 2 1 Definition

There are many definitions of evaluation; fundamentally evaluation is asking questions and acting on the responses Evaluation is a whole process which begins with determining what information to gather and ends with bringing about change in current activities or influencing ones According to the Longman of Contemporary English (2001), the most basic definition is „the act of considering something to decide how useful or valuable it is‟ Hutchinson and Waters (1987:96) also point out that „Evaluation is a matter of judging the fitness of something for a particular purpose‟ Cunningsworth (1984:64) further explains

„… that the process of evaluation could not be a purely mechanical one that professional judgment was involved at every stage.‟ „Professional judgment, found on understanding of the rational of language learning and backed up by practical experience, lies at the base of evaluation procedure.‟

Evaluation of textbooks is also considered to function as a kind of educational judgment Evaluation implies judgment-making which therefore also means that evaluation is subjective When we compare a description of a textbook with a description

of a context in order to establish in a preliminary way whether that textbook might be suitable for that context we are evaluating

Low (1987, p 21) states that “teachers generally need to screen materials, in order to predict their suitability for particular classes” Thus, in this study, the evaluation of the

textbook English 11 in Phan Dinh Phung secondary school is to be conducted with an

attempt to find out the fitness of the textbook against students‟ level and interests

2 2 2 The reasons to evaluate textbook

The idea of evaluating textbooks is seen by some to be closely linked to the selection of textbooks The evaluation helps the selection, which serves as an important decision-making process, as Sheldon (1988) puts it He has offered some reasons for textbook evaluation He suggests that „the selection of an ELT textbook often signals an important administrative and educational decision in which there is considerable professional, financial, or even political investment.‟ A thorough evaluation, therefore, would enable the managerial and teaching staff of a specific institution or organization to discriminate between all of the available textbooks on the market Moreover, it would provide for a sense of familiarity with a book's content thus assisting educators in identifying the particular strengths and weaknesses in textbooks already in use This would go a long way

in ultimately assisting teachers with making optimum use of a book's strong points and recognizing the shortcomings of certain exercises, tasks, and entire texts

Hutchinson (1987) points out an interactive view of materials evaluation He emphasizes the deeper level of materials evaluation by asking the question why materials are the way they are He claims that „… materials evaluation plays such an important role

in language teaching that its potential for influencing the way teachers operate is considerable Materials evaluation can and should be a two-way process which enables teachers not just to select a textbook, but also to develop their awareness of their own teaching/learning situation.‟ (ibid: 37-38)

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 move beyond impressionistic assessments and it helps them to acquire useful, accurate, systematic, and contextual insights into the overall nature of textbook material Textbook evaluation, therefore, can potentially be a particularly worthwhile means of conducting action research as well as a form of professional empowerment and improvement Similarly, textbook evaluation can also be a valuable component of teacher training programs for it serves the dual purpose of making student teachers aware of important features to look for in textbooks while familiarizing them with a wide range of published language instruction materials

2 2 3 Types of textbook evaluation

In terms of when to evaluate a course book, Cunningsworth (1995, p 14) and Ellis (1997) point out that pre-use evaluation, in-use evaluation and post-use evaluation are engendered

2.2.3.1 Pre-use evaluation

The most common form is probably the 'predictive' or 'pre-use' evaluation that is designed to examine the future or potential performance of a textbook Pre-use evaluation tends to be the most difficult kind since there is no actual experience of using the course book

2.2.3.2 In-use evaluation

The other types of textbook evaluation are the 'in-use' evaluation designed to examine material that is currently being used In-use evaluation is a kind of evaluation for

suitability, involving “matching the course book against a specific requirement including the learners‟ objectives, the learners‟ background, the resources available, etc” (Cunningsworth, 1995, p 14)

In-use textbook evaluation, which relies heavily on conscientious record-keeping and evidence-based reflection, is concerned not only with the evaluation of the original material, but also its adaptability to different contexts

2.2.3.3 Post-use evaluation

Post-use evaluation refers to an assessment of a textbook‟s fitness over a period of continual use At this stage, it should be possible to assess in a more comprehensive way the effects of using the textbook Evaluation of this kind can be practical in helping to decide whether to use the same textbook on future occasions

This study will report on a survey that was conducted at Phan Dinh Phung High School

in Hanoi for the purposes of evaluating a textbook English 11 that is being used in this school Thus, this study can be classified as the „in-use‟ type of evaluation The main purpose of this evaluation is to validate the merit of the book based on its users‟ opinions

2 2 4 Textbook evaluators

In acknowledgement of a predictable them/us dichotomy evaluators have been divided into insiders (e.g teachers, students, course and material designers) and outsiders (those who are not involved in the program, for example, consultants, inspectors, and administrators) It is not difficult to imagine that outsiders may carry with them the idea of impartiality, but may also have to accept criticism on the grounds of a lack of familiarity with local conditions They may find it difficult to overcome the surprisingly pejorative term "expert" which often carries an implication of unsuitability and is often modified by the term "so-called" Insiders may be said to have a vested interest but may have a detailed knowledge of history, developments, sequences, chronology, systems and above all, personalities (In passing it may be important to note that outsiders may also have a vested interest: it is, however, likely to be different in nature Both outsiders and insiders will find themselves working in a complex environment involving power relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.) At the very least there may be a feeling among "insiders" that the expertise of "outsiders" has been acquired from contexts that are to a greater or lesser extent alien or inappropriate The issue of who is to evaluate cannot be separated from the relevant political situation and a range of other factors that might be difficult to predict and

will be as varied as the number of stakeholders operating around a particular context As Rea-Dickins (1994) has written, "The contributions of different stakeholders (those who either make a decision or who are affected by that decision) raise a range of interesting but complex issues that have to do with notions of "objectivity", "subjectivity", "power-relationships", the relative "value" of outsider and insider information, the "use" of evaluation data and so forth." (p75)

Both insider and outsider doing the evaluation have pros and cons It is described clearly in the following table

Insiders doing the evaluation Outsiders doing the evaluation

Benefits

 Can have a deep understanding of

project and its context

 Likely to be developed trust with staff

and community groups involved

 Part of the organizational structure

 A way of developing evaluation skills,

critical reflection

 Less costly

Benefits

 Bring an outsider's perspective

 Can be viewed by funders as a providing a more independent evaluation

 Can provide a fresh look at the project

 Provide evaluation expertise & experience from other evaluations

 Can free up more time for the doing of the project

 Greater cost considerations

 Can have less knowledge of project and organizational and political environment

 Not part of normal organizational structure

 May require time to develop trust among staff and participant

In short, whether outsiders or insiders carry out the evaluation depends on the purposes

of the evaluation and on the facilities as well as the constraints of the situation in which the evaluation happens

2 2 5 Methods of textbook evaluation

Three basic methods can be discerned in the literature on textbook evaluation For

convenience, these will be referred to as the impressionistic method, the checklist method

and the in-depth method (McGrath, 2002)

2.2.5.1 The impressionistic method

The impressionistic method is concerned to obtain a general impression of the material and involves glancing at the publisher's blurb (i.e the brief description of the book on the back cover) and content pages of each textbook (for an indication of the syllabus-type and coverage), and then skimming throughout the book looking at various features of it such as organization, topics, layout and visuals This kind of overview is of course inadequate if it constitutes the sole basis for textbook evaluation and selection

2.2.5.2 The check-list method

The checklist method contrasts system (objectivity) with impression (subjectivity) Compared to the two other alternatives, impressionistic evaluation and in-depth evaluation, the checklist has at least four advantages: it is systematic which ensures that all elements that are deemed to be important are considered, it is cost effective which permits a good deal of information to be recorded in a relatively short space of time; the information is recorded in a convenient format which allows for easy comparison between competing sets

of material; and it is explicit, and, provides the categories that are well understood by all involved in the evaluation while offers a common framework for decision making (McGrath, 2002)

The checklist method is advocated by most experts For instance, Tomlinson (1998) supports the use of this method and maintains that one of the most obvious sources for guidance in analyzing materials is the large number of frameworks which exist to aim in the evaluation of a textbook However, as he mentions the checklist typically contains implicit assumptions about what desirable materials should look like, and each of these areas might be debatable while also limit their applicability

2.2.5.3 The in-depth method

In-depth techniques go beneath the publisher's and author's claims It considers the kind

of language description, underlying assumptions about learning or values on which the materials are based or, in a broader sense, whether the materials seem likely to live up to the claims that are being made for them (McGrath, 2002)

2 2 6 Criteria for textbook evaluation

Although Sheldon (1988) suggests that no general list of criteria can ever really be applied to all teaching and learning contexts without considerable modification, most of these standardized evaluation checklists contain similar components that can be used as helpful starting points for ELT practitioners in a wide variety of situations Preeminent theorists in the field of ELT textbook design and analysis, such as Williams (1983), Sheldon (1988), Brown (1995), Cunningsworth (1995) and Harmer (1996) all agree, for instance, that evaluation checklists should have some criteria pertaining to the physical characteristics of textbooks such as layout, organizational, and logistical characteristics Other important criteria that should be incorporated are those that assess

a textbook's methodology, aims, and approaches and the degree to which a set of materials

is not only teachable but also fits the needs of the individual teacher's approach as well as the organization's overall curriculum Moreover, criteria should analyze the specific language, functions, grammar, and skills content that are covered by a particular textbook,

as well as the relevance of linguistic items to the prevailing socio-cultural environment Finally, textbook evaluations should include criteria that pertain to the representation of cultural and gender components, in addition to the extent to which the linguistic items, subjects, content, and topics match up to students' personalities, backgrounds, needs, and interests as well as those of the teacher and/or institution

It is beneficial to consider some guidelines for evaluation Sheldon (1988) presents a checklist that includes two main categories: factual details and factors Factual details contain the title, author, publisher, price, physical size, duration of the course, target learner, teacher, and skill Factors include rationale, availability, user definition, layout/graphics, accessibility, linkage, selection/grading, physical characteristics, appropriacy, authenticity, sufficiency, cultural bias, educational validity, stimulus/practical revision, flexibility, guidance, and overall value for money

Ur (1996) presents a set of general criteria for assessing any language-teaching textbooks which composes nineteen features These features include: objectives being

explicitly laid out in an introduction and implemented in the material, approach educationally and socially to the target community, clear attractive layout and easy print to read, appropriate visual materials available, interesting topics and tasks, varied topics and tasks, clear instructions, systematic coverage of syllabus, clearly organized and graded content, periodic review and test sections, plenty of authentic language, good pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar explanation and practice, fluency practice in all four skills, encouraging learners to develop their own learning strategies and to become independent, adequate guidance for teacher; audio cassettes, and being readily available locally

Robinett (1978 cited in Brown, 2001) introduces another checklist The main categories

of this checklist are as follows: goals of the course, background of the students, approach, language skills, general content, quality of practice material, sequencing, vocabulary, general sociolinguistic factors, format, accompanying materials and teacher‟s guide Byrd (2001 cited in Celce-Murcia, 2001) develops a checklist that includes 4 main evaluative categories: the fit between the textbook and the curriculum, the fit between the textbook and the students, the fit between the textbook and the teachers, and overall evaluation of the fit of the book for the course in the program

From the sets of criteria by Sheldon, Ur, Robinett mentioned above, it is remarkable that all checklists are well-structured and reliable However, it takes a lot of time and efforts to follow these checklists when carrying out textbook evaluation In reality in Vietnam and in the scope of a minor thesis, Byrd's checklist seems to be more user-friendly and easier to follow

2.3 Previous Research on textbook evaluation

There are a lot of studies carried out by researchers from many different countries to evaluate textbook being taught in their countries Each study is made use of different approach However, they all have aims to determine the overall pedagogical value and suitability of the book toward the specific language program

“Evaluating an EFL Textbook – A new English course” by Jiazhi Wang (2007) is a study on evaluating one particular EFL course book, A New English Course, used by university English major students in China After a brief introduction of the situation of EFL teaching materials in China and a description of the course book itself, an evaluation

of one unit of the course book is carried out from both the micro and macro perspectives

The method used in this research is document analysis By evaluating the teaching material, the researcher gives ideas to adjust, modify and eventually improve the material

“Textbook evaluation and ELT management – A South Korean Case Study” by David

R A Litz (2005) discusses and describes the intricate and complex evaluation process that was undertaken at Sung Kyun Kwan University in Suwon, South Korea in 2000-2001 for a textbook (English Firsthand 2) that was being used in this particular learning environment This study applies a wide variety of relevant and contextually appropriate criteria for the evaluation of the textbooks that are being used in the language classrooms to find out whether contents of the textbooks are of an acceptable standard or level of quality and appropriate to the learners for whom they are being used Doing this research, a series of textbook evaluation questionnaires had been created and provided to the instructors and students at the conclusion of the first year of the course They contained questions that pertained to the practical considerations (price, accessories, methodology etc.), layout and design, range and balance of activities, skills appropriateness and integration, social and cultural considerations, subject content, and language types represented in the textbook An additional component of the study consisted of a student 'needs analysis' that was conducted at the same time as the textbook evaluation survey

“Evaluation of EFL Materials Taught at Iranian Public High Schools” by Ali Jahangard (2007) evaluates four EFL textbooks which have been prescribed for use in Iranian high schools by the Ministry of Education The merits and demerits of the textbooks are discussed in detail with reference to 13 common features extracted from different material evaluation checklists The study then gives some suggestions to alleviate some of the shortcomings encountered in the textbooks

“An evaluation of the piloted English 10 – Textbook 2 at Nguyen Tat Thanh High School” by Nguyen Thu Huong Lan (2004) is aimed to evaluate the textbook in terms of objectives, content, methodology to determine whether it truly reflects the objectives prescribed by MOET for the course and students‟ level of English It also provides contribution to the improvement of the textbook to enhance the effectiveness of the material

From all studies mentioned above, it can be stated that with the same purpose to evaluate the effectiveness of the material in use and offer suggestions to improve the

material in use, the researchers have different criteria and methods to conduct researches The researcher of this study also finds out suitable criteria and method to do research

2.4 Textbook Adaptation

2.4.1 Definition

Definition of adaptation can be unhelpfully broad Madsen and Bowen (1978) claim that

“Every teacher is in a very sense an adapter of the material he uses” (p vii) According to Tomlinson (1998b:xi), material adaptation means making changes to materials in order to improve them or to make them more suitable for a particular type of learner Adaptation can include reducing, adding, omitting, modifying and supplementing Most teachers adapt materials every time they use a textbook in order to maximize the value of the book for their particular learners

2 4.2 The purpose of adapting textbook

McGrath (2002:64) states that the two most frequently cited purposes for adaptation are

as follows:

1 to make the material more suitable for the circumstances in which it is being used, i.e

to mould it to the needs and interests of learners, the teacher‟s own capabilities and such constraints as time, or as McDonough and Shaw (1993:85) put it: „to maximize the appropriacy of teaching materials in context, by changing some of the internal characteristics of a course book to better suit our particular circumstances‟;

2 to compensate for any intrinsic deficiencies in the material, such as linguistic

inaccuracies, out-of-datedness, lack of authenticity or lack of variety

2 4.3 Methods to adapt textbook

Despite the great effort that textbook writers make to meet the needs of the intended users, textbooks are subject to adaptation when they are actually used in the classroom After all, most commercial textbooks are not written for any particular class Maley (1998:281) suggests the following options to adapt materials:

• omission: the teacher leaves out things deemed inappropriate, offensive, ductive, etc., for the particular group

unpro-• addition: where there seems to be inadequate coverage, teachers may decide to add

to textbooks, either in the form of texts or exercise material

• reduction: where the teacher shortens an activity to give it less weight or emphasis

• extension: where an activity is lengthened in order to give it an additional sion (For example, a vocabulary activity is extended to draw attention to some syntactic patterning.)

dimen-• rewriting/modification: teacher may occasionally decide to rewrite material, cially exercise material, to make it more appropriate, more “communicative”, more demanding, more accessible to their students, etc

espe-• replacement: text or exercise material which is considered inadequate, for whatever reason, may be replaced by more suitable material This is often culled from other resource materials

• re-ordering: teachers may decide that the order in which the textbooks are presented

is not suitable for their students They can then decide to plot a different course through the textbooks from the one the writer has laid down

• branching: teachers may decide to add options to the existing activity or to suggest alternative pathways through the activities (For example, an experiential route or an analytical route.)

2.5 Summary

This chapter has reviewed theories related to the textbook and the roles it plays in the process of teaching and learning as well as important issues of textbook evaluation that need to be considered when conducting textbook evaluation It has also reviewed some of the previous research on textbook evaluation in different contexts in the world The last section of this chapter presents some theoretical discussions about textbook adaptation All

of these serve as a basis for carrying out an evaluation of the textbook at a specific secondary school presented in the next chapter

Chapter 3 Research Methodology

This chapter describes the research method in this thesis It presents a discussion on how to conduct an evaluation of the textbook with the aim to improve effectiveness of the

textbook for future use The chapter includes research design, setting, participants, data collection instruments, data collection procedures

3.1 Research Design

This study is aimed at evaluating the textbook English 11 taught at Phan Dinh Phung High School, Hanoi in terms of objectives, content and methodology This evaluation research was conducted while the teachers and students have been using the textbook to determine whether the textbook has worked well in this school and what should be adapted for better use in the future The researcher combines a triangulation of methods: document analysis, survey questionnaires and classroom observation It is believed that a combination of different methods to collect data will provide more reliable and valid information for the evaluation

3.2 Setting

In the 2007-2008 academic year, the new English textbook for grade 11 was officially used nationwide in every secondary school in Vietnam It is governed by the MOET that English is a compulsory subject in the syllabus for learners at all secondary schools and only textbooks published by EPH are officially used

The study was conducted at Phan Dinh Phung High School in Hanoi, where English 11 was piloted and now the new textbook English 11 is being taught There are 15 classes in grade 11 in this school The size of the class is rather large Each class has 45 students It is obvious that due to large-class size, there are some negative effects on teaching and learning English in the school

Besides major subjects such as Maths and Literature, English is also considered as a core subject in this school More than half of the students major in English The teaching and learning English which is received much care from managerial board of the school is expected to act well

3.3 Participants

The school now has ten English teachers aged between 25 and 53 All of them are female They all graduated from English Department, University of Language and International Studies, VNU Their teaching experience at secondary school ranged from 3

to 30 years All of them have experienced teaching English 11 All of the teachers are willing and enthusiastic toward their teaching

The school has 675 students in grade 11 All of the students in this school started learning English since they were in grade 3 Therefore, they have rather good competence

of English Among 675 students, 300 students major in the natural science subjects and the rest of students major in the foreign language, English Because the students who major in the foreign language have good compentence in English, they learn English 11 much better than other students in this school and in other schools in Vietnam; the researcher didn‟t asked them to do a survey The students whose major subjects are natural science ones do not major in English so their English language competence is on average which is the same level as students‟ in other secondary schools nationwide When choosing 300 students from natural science classes as partcipants of the study, the result seems more reliable and may reflect the reality of teaching and learning English in secondary schools in Vietnam

3.4 Data Collection Instruments

In this part, the researcher described the instruments for collecting data that were used

in the research and presented the strength of the research methods chosen in order to explain the reason for choosing these research methods for the study of evaluating the textbook The instruments consist of document analysis, survey questionnaires and classroom observation

3.4.1 Document analysis

This research method is said to bring an important source of data for evaluation and it forms “an essential part of the data for an evaluation exercise” (Robinson, 1991:71)

In this thesis, document analysis is a very suitable method to collect the data because the purposes of the thesis is evaluating Textbook English 11 at Phan Dinh Phung secondary school, Hanoi to find out whether the textbook is suitable to MOET requirements for the course The evaluator conducted an analysis of the textbook English

11 and compared it to the curriculum of the course prescribed by MOET in order to find out the answer (Appendices 1 and 2)

3.4.2 Survey questionnaires

Survey questionnaires are also important instruments for collecting data They have many significant advantages As indicated by Gilliham, 2000, they are less pressure on respondents, not under pressure of interview bias and analysis of answers is straightforward

In this thesis, survey questionnaires were designed to collect the teachers‟ and students‟ opinions and attitudes toward the textbook they are using The teachers and students were requested to complete the questionnaires relating to contents and methodology in the textbook

The researcher made use of two sets of survey questionnaires, one for the teachers and the other for the students A thirty-item questionnaire was designed to collect ideas of teachers It was categorized into five main parts The first part consisted of 7 questions from 1 to 7 to find out whether the textbook suits the teachers in Methodology These seven questions were aimed to find out whether tasks in Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing and Language Focus helped teachers carry out the teaching easily and successfully Part 2 included five questions to collect teachers‟ opinions on the suitability

of the textbook for them in term of Language Types; Five questions in part 3 were to find out the appropriateness of the textbook for the teachers in term of Activities; The next three questions in part 4 were to investigate the suitability of the textbook for the teachers

in term of Skills; the appropriateness of the textbook for the teachers in term of Subjects and contents were identified by four questions in next part and finally questions were to find out teachers‟ opinions about what should be adapted in the textbook (Appendix 3) Another twelve-item questionnaire was given to students in the natural science classes to collect their opinions The questions were to find out whether the subjects and contents; skills; activities, language, and social knowledge included in the textbook suited their level and interested them The survey questionnaires for students were written in Vietnamese to

make sure that all students could understand the questions without any difficulty and could answer them with high reliability (Appendix 4)

The teachers and students are requested to complete the questionnaires and return them

to the researcher Then the researcher generated and analyzed the data and displayed in forms of tables and charts

The researcher came to 5 different classes Each class the researcher observed different periods: Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing and Language Focus The purpose of the classroom observation is to find out whether the textbook interests students at Phan Dinh Phung secondary school in Hanoi and whether the textbook suits students‟ level The researcher observed the students and took notes of the classroom activities and students‟ involvement in these activities After each observation was completed, the researcher shared the observation notes and interpretations with the teachers to confirm the answers

3.5 Data Collection Procedures

As being mentioned in the previous part, three instruments were employed to collect data for this thesis: document analysis, survey questionnaire and classroom observation First, the researcher analyzed the textbook against the requirements set by MOET Then the researcher observed the classes and at the same time the researcher gave out the questionnaires to students and teachers After collecting the questionnaires, the researcher analyzed and compared the results with the information gained from classroom observation

3.6 Summary

This chapter has provided a description of research design It has also described the setting and participants used in this study In addition, it has presented clearly the data

collection instruments and data collection procedures

Chapter 4 Data Analysis and discussion

This chapter presents and discusses the findings that are resulted from the analysis of three types of data collection: document analysis, survey questionnaire and classroom observation

4.1 Document Analysis

In order to decide whether the textbook English 11 follows the curriculum prescribed

by MOET, it is necessary to look at the curriculum (Appendix 1) and the description of the contents in the textbook (Appendix 2) It is clearly seen that the contents of this textbook mostly match the items the curriculum prescribed in terms of topics, grammatical points, competences

According to the curriculum, there are 6 themes with 16 topics in English 11 as follows: Friendship, Personal experiences, Parties, Volunteer work, Illiteracy, Competitions, Population, Celebrations, Postal and telecommunication services, Nature in danger, Sources of energy, The Asian Games, Hobbies, Entertainment, Space Conquest, Wonders

of the world In the textbook English 11, these 16 topics are written in the contents of 16 units

In terms of vocabulary, all of the new words that are presented in the curriculum are written in the glossary in the textbook

However, some requirements of the course are not dealt with in the textbook which are grammatical points and competences

In terms of grammatical points, some were not integrated in the textbook listed below: -Perfect infinitive

- Relative clauses with prepositions

- Degrees of certainty

In terms of competences, some are targeted to be acquired by the students but were not included in the textbook:

- Discuss qualities for true friendship

- Write a letter to ask for and give information about competitions

- Express satisfaction and dissatisfaction towards postal services

- Describe population development

- Talk about types and sources of energy

- Talk about possibilities of events

Whereas, several competences are not required but were employed as new inputs:

- Making requests

- Interpreting statistics on population from a chart

- Talking about sports results

Moreover, pronunciation is not required but is included in the textbook

Basically, comparison between the contents in the textbook and the requirements of the course by MOET reveals that there are just few items missing so it can be concluded that the textbook meets the requirements in terms of topics, grammatical points, competences However, in order to say whether the textbook is suitable to students and teachers or not, the researcher relied mainly on the teachers‟ and students‟ opinions collected by the survey questionnaires

4.2 Survey questionnaire

4.2 1 Questionnaires for teachers

Questionnaires for teachers (Appendix 3) were completed by 10 teachers of English who have been teaching English at Phan Dinh Phung secondary school, Hanoi The data collected were analyzed and described below

4.2.1.1 Methodology

In this part, there are six questions related to methodology The targeted teachers were asked to state their views toward their teaching methodology The results are described in the following table

1 (Highly disagree)

2 3 4 5 (Highly

agree)

1 By teaching tasks in Pre-reading, you

interest your students in the topics they

are going to learn

20% 80%

2 By teaching tasks in while-reading,

you help your students acquire

knowledge to understand the reading

texts

10% 90%

3 You taught tasks in post-reading easily

because you only help your students

consolidate what they have learnt

10% 20% 70%

4 By teaching tasks in Pre-listening you

provide your students some key words to

do the tasks in while-listening stages

10% 80% 10%

5 By teaching tasks in while-listening,

you help your students acquire

knowledge to understand listening texts

6 You taught tasks in post-listening

easily because your students only show

their understanding in the form of writing

or speaking

7 In Speaking section, teachers always

ask the students to work in pairs and

groups to discuss topics and they can

speak about topics they have learnt

30% 70%

8 In Writing section, teachers provide

the students the models of the writing and

ideas necessary for the writing

70% 10% 20%

9 In Language Focus section, teachers

help the students understand grammar

points and practise them in

communicative situation

Table 1 Teachers’ opinions about methodology in the textbook

From the table above, it can be seen that all teachers thought that they were interested in teaching the tasks in pre-reading to the students Tasks in these parts motivated students very much because they were introduced the topics and asked to give their ideas of the topics through a lot of good and vivid illustrations Moreover, to do the tasks well, the students had to brainstorm and used their background knowledge The atmostphere in the classes was very amusing Based on data collected and informal interactions with the teachers at Phan Dinh Phung secondary school, Hanoi, the tasks in these parts gave good and clear instructions and were not very difficult so students did the tasks very well When being asked about tasks in while-reading, nine out of ten teachers (90%) admitted that they found no difficulty in teaching tasks in while-reading because their students learnt reading skills since they were in grade 6, they got used to varieties of reading tasks such as comprehension questions, word meanings in context, multiple-choice, True/False, title matching, etc They have also enriched their basic vocabulary for eight years of learning English Moreover, all of tasks 1 in while-reading in the textbook checked students the meanings of new words so students not only knew the usage of new words in the contexts and knew the meanings of new words to understand the reading texts as well

70% of the teachers shared the same opinion that it was not very difficult to teach tasks

in post-reading Tasks in post-reading were very interesting and motivating which made students more active in the class In some units, tasks required students to summarise what they had learnt in written or spoken form and then compared their opinions with their friends Students were very competitive because they could show their understanding In some units, students were required to use their knowledge to solve the problem which arose in the reading text Students were very interested because they had opportunities to use their background knowledge to solve the problem and compared what they had known

to what they had read In some units, students were required to answer the questions about themselves related to personal information These questions became very motivating because students would know more about their friends In sum, students understood the reading texts and could do the post-reading well so the teachers found it easily to teach When being asked about the tasks in pre-listening, the teachers stated that they helped students to do the tasks in while-listening more easily In some units, the students were provided with cultural knowledge presented in while-listening so they have less difficulty

in doing tasks Especially in Listen and repeat, the teachers provided students with new

words in the listening texts which helped students very much to do the tasks in listening The teachers showed their high satisfaction with tasks pre-listening and suggested there were no changes in these parts

while-On the contrary, nine out of ten teachers questioned said that they found it difficult to teach listening tasks in while-listening Although students were given new words and structures and sometimes cultural knowledge included in the listening text, students did not

do tasks well Some said that there was so much information in the listening texts and students got confused, For example, in unit 1, students were required to listen two conversations, Lan‟s talk and Long‟s talk and students had difficulty in understanding both conversations and did the tasks in only a period In unit 6, there were a lot of events and people took part in the events for students to remember Listening text in unit 7 was the same degree of difficulty Some said that comprehension questions in the listening texts were difficult and they had to modify these tasks For example, task 2 in unit 7 was modified in multiple-choice questions Task 2 in unit 10 was modified in the gap–filling passage From observing class, the researcher also found that there were forty-five students

in each class and students were not allowed to used headphones for listening so the large number of students and inadequate equipment were also the reason for bad listening results

Although there was only only one task in post-listening which required students to show their understanding in the form of writing or speaking, most of the teachers (90%) claimed that they taught these parts not easily and took them much time for preparation With the students‟ current level of English at Phan Dinh Phung secondary school, they could not speak out or write what they had listened correctly and fluently without being guided and time for post-listening tasks was not much so teachers had to redesign the task Teachers asked students to answer the questions and then spoke again or rewrote Sometimes the teachers provided students with words/structures or ideas and asked students to speak or write Only by using guided cues could students did post-listening correctly

It is clearly seen from the above table that all teachers (100%) agreed that speaking tasks in the textbook such as reporting the results, role-play, practising the dialogue, acting out the conversations, interviewing, etc gave students opportunities to work individually,

in pairs and groups Teachers also added that task instructions in this part were good and clear The tasks included structures, main and supporting ideas for the topics so students

did not have much difficulty in finding new ideas to speak out They only made up sentences and passages and then spoke about topics they have learnt As a result, teachers could carry out the teaching easily without much preparation

The data from above table shows that high percentage of the teachers (70%) disagree that tasks in writing section provided the students with the models of the writing and ideas necessary for the writing so teachers had difficulty in guiding their students to write There were few units including models of writing Some difficult types of writing such as writing

a reply letter, describing a chart, describing a celebration, writing a letter to express satisfaction, writing a biography, students‟ level of English was not good enough to write a complete compostition in a correct form and format without models so teachers took much time to give and explain their students good samples of writing

With respect to language focus, many teachers (70%) proved dissatisfied because exercises in this section were sometimes not typical for the language points needed to be practised Moreover, exercises focused on correctness of language usage so teachers only asked students to check the correctness when doing these exercises The teachers couldn‟t ask students to practise grammar points in communicative contexts with these types of exercises Thus, the teachers thought of communicative situations for students to practise using the language points learnt

In conclusion, it can be seen from the data and discussions above that the textbook English 11 is partly appropriate to teachers at Phan Dinh Phung High School, Hanoi in terms of methodology In reading and speaking, tasks were relatively suitable and teachers could use for teaching without difficulty However, in listening and language focus, it required some modifications so that teachers could adapt for the teaching more easily 4.2.1.2 Language types

Under “language type” the textbook questionnaires for teachers asked five questions about language types in the textbook The results as follows:

1 (Highly disagree)