Evaluating the textbook English for engineering for students at Hanoi industrial vocational college (HNIVC) = Đánh giá giáo trình Tiếng Anh chuyên ngành Cơ kh

In fact, textbook work approach fits comfortably within teaching English for Specific Purpose TESP since it responds to the learners specific purposes, the students operate in the target

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

HỨA THỊ MAI HOA

EVALUATING THE TEXTBOOK “ENGLISH FOR ENGINEERING” FOR STUDENTS AT HANOI INDUSTRIAL VOCATIONAL COLLEGE (HNIVC)

(ĐÁNH GIÁ GIÁO TRÌNH “TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH CƠ KHÍ” DÀNH CHO SINH VIÊN TRONG TRƯỜNG CAO ĐẲNG NGHỀ

CÔNG NGHIỆP HÀ NỘI)

M.A Minor Thesis

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410

Supervisor: Prof Dr Hoàng Văn Vân

HANOI- 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Declaration……… …… iii

Retention and use of the thesis……… … iv

Acknowledgements……… v

Abstract……… ………… vi

Table of content……… vi

List of abbreviations……… ………… xi

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study……… 1

1.2 Aims of the study……… … 2

1.3 Research questions……… …… … 2

1.4 Scope of the study……… ……… 3

1.5 Methods of the study……… 3

1.6 Design of the study……… ……… 3

1.7 Conclusion……… 4

Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction……… 5

2.2 Materials in language teaching and learning……… 5

2.2.1 Roles of textbooks in EFL/ESL class……… 6

2.2.2 Types of textbooks……… 7

2.3 English for specific purpose ( ESP) 2.3.1 What is ESP? 7

2.3.2 Characteristics of ESP……… 8

2.3.3 Conditions of applying ESP……… ……… 8

2.4 Textbooks evaluation 2.4.1 What is textbooks evaluation? 9

2.4.2 Why textbooks evaluation? ……… 9

2.4.3 Types of textbooks evaluation……… 10

2.4.4 Models for materials evaluation……… 12

2.4.5 Criteria for textbooks evaluation……… 18

2.5 Materials adaptation……… 19

2.6 Conclusion……… 21

Chapter 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction……… 22

3.2.Research methodology……… 22

3.3 Description of teaching ESP and its objectives at HNIVC 3.3.1 Description of the students at HNIVC……… 23

3.3.2 Description of the teachers at HNIVC……… 23

3.33 The teaching and learning ESP at HNIVC……… ……… 24

3.4 Data collection procedures 3.4.1 Document analysis……… ……… 24

3.4.2 Questionnaires……… 24

3.4.2.1 Questionnaires for teachers (Q1)……… 24

3.4.2.2 Questionnaires for students (Q2)……… 26

3.5 Conclusion……… 26

Chapter 4 DATA ANALYSIS 4.1 Introduction……… 27

4.2 Objectives of the course……… …… 27

4.3 Significance of each criterion……… 28

4.3.1 Audience……… 28

4.3.2 The aims of the materials……… ……… 28

4.3.3 The contents of the textbook……… 29

4.3.4 The methodology………

4.4 The realization of each criterion in the textbook “English for Engineering” (EFE) 29 4.4.1 Audience……… 29

4.4.2 The aim of EFE……… 30

4.4.3 The content of EFE……… 30

4.4.4 The methodology……… 31 4.5 Data analysis and discussion

4.5.1 Result……… 31

4.5.2 The appropriateness of the material to the aims of the course 4.5.2.1 The appropriateness of the aims of the coursebook in terms of language aspects 31

4.5.2.2 The appropriateness of the aims of the coursebook in term of language skills… 34

4.5.3 The appropriateness of the material to the content requirements of the course 4.5.3.1 Language points 34

4.5.3.2 Language skills……… 35

4.5.3.3 Text types……… 35

4.5.3.4 Topics……… 35

4.5.3.5 The appropriateness of the content of the coursebook in terms of language aspects……… 35

4.5.3.6 The appropriateness of the content of the courrsebook in terms of language skills……… 36

4.5.3.7 Matching and discussion……… 37

4.5.4 The appropriateness of the material to the methodology requirements of the course 4.5.4.1 Material analysis result……… 37

4.5.4.2 Matching and discussion……… 39

4.6 The teachers' teaching experience and suggestions……… 40

4.7 Conclusion……… 40

Chapter 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 Result obtained……… 41

5.2 Areas for adaptation……… 41

5.3 Suggestions for further study……… 42

5.4 Conclusions……… 43

REFERENCES……… 44 Appendix 1 Evaluation checklist for the teachers' questionnaire……… I Appendix 2 Evaluation checklist for the students‟ questionnaire……… IV Appendix 3 Syllabus design……… IX

Appendix 4 Sample lesson……… XI

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ULIS : University of Language and International Studies

ESP : English for Specific Purpose

TESP : Teaching English for Specific Purpose

HNIVC : Hanoi Industrial Vocational College

EFE : English For Engineering

ESL : English as a Second Language

ESOL : English for Speakers of Other Languages

EFL : English as a Foreign Language

ELT : English Language teaching

TESL : Teaching English as a Second Language

TESOL : Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

TEFL : Teaching English as a Foreign Language

EST : English for Science and Technology

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, we discuss about the rationale that we choose this topic, why this topic is necessary for our career Then, we say the aims of the study and the research questions, these are like the way we go through the research Next, we explore the scope and the methods of the study, and at last, we design the form that we will do during conducting to

work on this thesis

1.1 Rationale of the study

In this thesis, we will look at the textbook which aims to suggest, to the teacher, ways

of going about the task of materials evaluation Generally, the textbook evaluation is so necessary for us as the teachers, because it can give us the chance to know whether the textbook we used is good enough for teaching and learning or whether it can be adapted something Let us now begin by discussing some of the different emphases that can be found

in texts about materials analysis; especially, here we will focus on the textbook of English for Specific Purpose (ESP) While producing our own materials, we should check that ESP materials meet target needs and that the language taught matches the language that the students will use Besides we should put emphasis on the development of specific skills and strategies for operating in the ESP context In fact, textbook work approach fits comfortably within teaching English for Specific Purpose (TESP) since it responds to the learners specific purposes, the students operate in the target language, it is activity and research based, multi-skilled (develops linguistic & research skills), involves learners in both individual and group work, uses authentic material, is set up in collaboration with subject teachers It provides an opportunity for real world and classroom experience to overlap, gives learners a feeling of achievement Besides, this textbook can also encourage positive classroom behaviors such as co-operation, enjoyment, motivation and interest It can be an elegant culmination of the ESP course

Being aware of the importance of the English learning for their students, the Hanoi Industrial Vocational College (HNIVC) and the Faculty of Basic Sciences are always searching for the most suitable materials used as core material And since 2007, the text book

English for Engineering (EFE) edited by Tran Lan Phuong used in teaching ESP at the third

semester for technical students Though the material has been in use at HNIVC for 5 years and applied to technical students since 2007, it has never been formally evaluated So, it is

essential, therefore, that we should establish and apply a wide variety of relevant and contextually appropriate criteria for the evaluation of the textbook to assess its appropriateness against the learning purpose

1.2 Aims of the study

An evaluation of teaching materials helps to identify particular strengths and weaknesses

of the materials The finding of the thesis will be very useful for both the researcher and the

teachers, who are teaching the coursebook “English for Engineering” It will provide the

authorities and the teachers with scientific evidence to improve the quality of the current book used for the second-year students of HNIVC

1.3 Research questions

The thesis will be conducted to answer the following research question :

How does the textbook, used for the second-year students at HNIVC, meet the course

requirements in terms of the aims, the contents and the methodology?

In order to answer the question above, the researcher intents to carry out the

following procedures:

- Reviewing the literature relating to material evaluation and setting up the criteria for

evaluating the material Based on the theoretical framework the researcher analyses the

material;

- Conducting a questionnaire for the students to find out their opinions about the materials

they have learned;

- Conducting a questionnaire for the teacher to find out the opinion about the material they

have used;

- Finally, the researcher makes suggestion and recommendations on the development of the

material

1.4 Scope of the study

Evaluating teaching is complicated work and it needs to take into consideration lots

of different aspects such as materials effectiveness, efficiency, attitudes, specialty, validity, reliability, etc In this study, the researcher just focuses on three criteria which are stated in

the requirements of the students at Hanoi Industrial Vocational College: in terms of the aims,

the content and the methodology in the textbook „ English for Engineering‟

1.5 Methods of the study

To collect the data, the methods used in this thesis are document analysis, survey questionnaires, and informal interviews

Document analysis here refers to the analysis of the materials itself and the requirements of the course

Survey questionnaires specifically designed for both the teachers and the second- year students who have experienced using the book

Informal interview is used to seek for detailed and objective opinions of examples of teachers and students on the material and students‟ needs This method we used when researching some opinions on the aims, the content and the methodology of the teachers and students in our college Therefore, it is not written in the appendix

1.6 Design of the study

The study is organized into five main chapters as follows :

- Chapter 1 Discusses the background to the study and statement of problem, the aims, the

researcher question, the limitations and overview of the thesis;

- Chapter 2 Presents a review of literature, concentrating on the issues related to ESP material evaluation;

- Chapter 3 Describes the research methodology; description of teaching ESP and its objectives at HIVC; the data collection instruments, the subjects as well as the data collection procedures;

- Chapter 4 Discusses findings of the data analysis, objectives of the course; significance of each criterion;

- Chapter 5 Suggests solutions to improve the material and concludes the study

1.7 Conclusion

In this chapter, we showed the procedure that we will do in the thesis; the reason that

we chose this topic; the aims of the study that needs to evaluate this textbook; to conduct the work, we need to give the research questions, whether this question need to analysis during working on the thesis; then we introduced the scope of the study, we focus more on the aims,

the content and the methodology in the textbook when we analysis the data that we collected

for the study; next we discussed about the methods of the study; and finally, the design of the thesis is introduced in order to join all the parts of the thesis closely and consequently

Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction

This chapter gives an overview of the literature of the evaluation materials It introduces the theorical apparatus of the theory of materials in language teaching and learning; roles of textbooks in EFL/ESL class; types of textbooks It includes the definition

of English for specific purpose (ESP), its characteristics and the conditions of applying ESP,

also in this chapter we will describe the textbooks evaluation, why here we need textbook evaluation, the types of textbook evaluation and there obtains the different models for materials evaluation in the literature; a collection of criteria proposed by various researchers; and finally, we say some types of the materials adaptation: addition, deletion/ omission, and

modification/ changing

2.2 Materials in language teaching and learning

ESL (English as a Second Language), ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) all refer to the use or study of English by speakers with a different native language The precise usage, including the different use of the terms ESL and ESOL in different countries, is described below These terms are most commonly used in relation to teaching and learning English, but they may also be used in relation to demographic information ELT (English Language Teaching) is a widely-used teacher-centred term, as in the English language teaching divisions of large publishing houses, ELT training, etc The abbreviations TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language), TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) are also used The literature on the subject of textbook evaluation is not very extensive Various writers have suggested ways of helping teachers in particular to be more sophisticated in their evaluative approach, by positing „checklists‟ based on supposedly generalizable criteria These sometimes elaborate systems use a variety of „scoring‟ methods

to assess how well specific textbooks measure up under scrutiny (see Tucker 1975, van Lier

1979, Allwright 1981, and Williams 1983) Tucker, for example, proposes an ingenious method whereby textbooks are assigned numerical scores, which are then plotted on a „Value Merit Product Graph‟, the object of which is to compare the resulting score curve against an ideal target profile drawn up in advance by the teacher

According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987), textbook evaluation is basically a straightforward, analytical „matching process: matching needs to available solutions‟ Our own view is that this issue is rather more emotive and controversial for teachers; many would agree with Swales (1980) that textbooks, especially course books, represent a „problem‟, and

in extreme cases are examples of educational failure We would like to explore the reasons for such strong reactions, and to put forward possible evaluative solutions We wish to concentrate on course books because, whether we like it or not, these represent for both students and teachers the visible heart of any ELT program The selection of a particular core volume signals an executive educational decision in which there is considerable professional, financial and even political investment This high profile means that the definition and application of systematic criteria for assessing course books are vital Supplementary textbooks and materials on the other hand may not carry the same burden The evaluative criteria for these can to some extent remain implicit, or be allowed to define themselves more informally in the local situation

2.2.1 Roles of textbooks in EFL/ESL class

Back in 1934, McElroy stated that “the textbook is decidedly not the sole condition

of an effective class; quality of teaching is more important” 75 years later, an enormous body of research on the role of the textbook in EFL classrooms has accumulated around the globe, indicating that „successful‟ learning and teaching in primary and secondary EFL school environments is dependent on a wider spectrum of factors, not only on the quality (or quantity) of English language learning materials The importance of the teacher is, of course, undisputed (see, for instance, Butzkamm 2005)

Over the past decades, it has become increasingly clear that context-sensitive EFL instruction requires teachers to take into account many anthropological and sociocultural factors which influence the conditions under which English is taught Currently, global textbooks produced for teaching and learning English as a foreign language in many different countries are criticized for paying too little attention to this, especially for largely failing to assist EFL teachers in bridging the cultural background(s) of „their‟ individual learners and the diversity of English-speaking target language cultures

2.2.2 Types of textbooks

College textbooks come in a variety of shapes and sizes, paperback, spiral bound, or hardcover, but what is most important is finding used copies While all college textbooks are available brand new, hot off the printing press, the brand new versions can cost you double the price of a used textbook For a new college student, money spent on textbooks can easily eat up a month's worth of wages However, there has been a sharp decline in textbook purchasing in the past few years Students are bypassing the typical types of school textbooks and embracing ways to save money on books Many students are now taking to sharing textbooks The more students taking the same class, the easier it is to share the textbook A new type of textbook is becoming readily available Instead of purchasing expensive, heavy textbooks, some colleges and publishers are including free, downloaded textbooks Students simply download the textbook to their computer and print out necessary pages or read the textbook online This is helping students focus on the expense of tuition, room, and board without having to worry about finding inexpensive versions of the textbooks they need

2.3 English for Specific Purpose (ESP)

2.3.1 What is ESP?

ESP has had a relatively long time to mature and so we would expect the ESP community to have a clear idea about what ESP means Strangely, however, this does not seem to be the case Some people described ESP as simply being the teaching of English for any purpose that could be specified Others, however, were more precise, describing it as the teaching of English used in academic studies or the teaching of English for vocational or professional purposes Swales (1985) presents an article by C.L Barber on the nature of Scientific English which was published as early as 1962 But it was the late 1960s and the early 1970s which saw the greatest expansion of research into the nature of particular varieties of English – for example, descriptions of written scientific and technical English by Ewer and Latorre (1969), Swales (1971), Selinker and Trimble (1976) and others Most of the work at this time was in the area of English for Science and Technology (EST) and for a time ESP and EST were regarded as almost synonymous But there were studies in other fields too, such as the analysis of doctors – patient communication by Candlin, Bruton and Learther (1976) In short, the view gained ground that the English needed by a particular group of learners could be identified by analyzing the linguistic characteristics of their

specialist area of work or study … became the guiding principle of ESP (Tom Hutchinson and Alan Waters (1987)

2.3.2 Characteristics of ESP

According to Dudley-Evan (1997), the characteristics of ESP can be described as follow:

Absolute characteristics

1 ESP is defined to meet specific needs of the learners;

2 ESP makes use of underlying methodology and activities of the discipline it serves;

3 ESP is centered on the language appropriate to these activities in terms of grammar, lexis, register, study skills, discourse and genre

Variable characteristics

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

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

3 ESP is likely to be designed for adult learners, either at a tertiary level institution or in a professional work situation It could, however, be for learners at secondary school level;

4 ESP is generally designed for intermediate or advanced students;

5 Most ESP courses assume some basic knowledge of the language systems

2.3.3 Conditions of applying ESP

HNIVC offers students with all ages when they have certified that they finished High School in Vietnam All students will be expected to have the subjects in a college preparatory curriculum, or in an appropriate college course of study, that they can perform well in their future working environment So at HNIVC students need to be trained about their future career as well as English as a means to find a job after graduating After learning

120 lessons for General English, our students will continue learning 60 ESP lessons This can help them for more opportunities to find a better job This is why ESP is taught in this

college

2.4 Textbooks evaluation

2.4.1 What is textbooks evaluation?

In today's classrooms, textbooks serve as tool and tutor, guidebook and gauge Teachers throughout the world use texts to guide their instruction, so textbooks greatly influence how content is delivered Schmidt, McKnight, and Raizen (1997) identified

textbooks as playing an important role in making the leap from intentions and plans to classroom activities, by making content available, organizing it, and setting out learning tasks in a form designed to be appealing to students To make the most effective use of a textbook, however, teachers must decide which textbooks are appropriate for their needs A teacher needs to determine the extent to which a textbook focuses on and is aligned with a coherent set of significant, age-appropriate student learning goals that the teacher, school, or district has identified as integral to the understanding of and progress in a particular academic subject They must also assess how well a textbook's instructional design effectively supports the attainment of those specified learning goals The only way to gain this information is through careful evaluations of textbooks and other curriculum materials

To evaluate a textbook, reviewers examine each content-matched activity in light of the instructional criteria and rate the set of activities according to a prescribed set of indicators and scoring scheme for each one Their findings are presented as profiles of judgments for each learning goal across the set of criteria with evidence provided to support each judgment

2.4.2 Why textbooks evaluation?

Sheldon (1988) has offered several 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 of 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 To make the most effective use of a textbook, however, teachers must decide which textbooks are appropriate for their needs A teacher needs to determine the extent to which a textbook focuses on and is aligned with a coherent set of significant, age-appropriate student learning goals that the teacher, school, or district has identified as integral to the understanding of and progress in a particular academic subject They must also assess how well a textbook's instructional design effectively supports the attainment of those specified learning goals The only way to gain this information is through careful evaluations of

textbooks and other curriculum materials This thesis reveals how well a textbook can support teachers in their efforts to help students learn specific ideas and skills, specifically those in nationally accepted standards and benchmarks This textbook evaluation gives busy educators the solid information they need to make informed choices about which textbooks can help their students improve their knowledge and skills in teaching and learning English

2.4.3 Types of textbooks evaluation

Evaluating materials can be divided into three types : preliminary, formative and summative evaluation

Preliminary evaluation

This kind of evaluation will be normally carried out before a course begins Its aim involves selecting the most appropriate materials from the publications that are available for a particular group of learners At the same time, from the kind of evaluation the evaluators can also identify specific aspects of the materials that require adaptation Is is necessary to have a set of criteria which is ranked in order of priority for making decision

of textbook selection and adaptation (Robinson, 1991)

Summative evaluation

According to Brown (1995) summative evaluation is usually characterized as occurring at the end of the program The purpose for gathering information not capable of improving that particular determine the degree to which the program was successful evaluation is to decisions that result from summative evaluation tend to cause sweeping changes and are fairly large in scale Examples of such decisions might include the cancellation or continued funding of a program to a much more suitable site This leads to the fact that these decisions or judgments often produce so much anxiety and defensiveness in student, teacher, and curriculum makers

Before handling an evaluation project, evaluators have to determine the purpose of the work, i.e determine whether their evaluation would be formative or summative So what type of evaluation should be done to a university language program? It might be noted that most university language program are continuing institutions that do not conveniently come to an end so that summative can not be performed Therefore, a formative evaluation is always a choice when an evaluation to a university language program is needed

Formative evaluation

Scriven (1967) cited in Lynch (1996) first used the term formative evaluation in connection with curriculum development Is was defined as the use of systematic evaluation in the process of curriculum construction, teaching, and learning for the purpose of improving any of these three processes One of key characteristics of formative evaluations is that it takes place during the course of program delivery, and it therefore provides a mechanism for improving the program during the course of the program delivery Brown (1995) adds that the types of decisions that result from formative evaluation are numerous and relatively small in scale because such decisions are mean to result in modifications and fine tuning of existing curriculum Formative evaluation can

be built into the curriculum during its development and implementation When planners make such evaluation a regular part of the curriculum, they are in the enviable position of constantly being able to gather and analyze information to be used in changing , developing, and upgrading their program

The role of formative and summative evaluation is proved to be essential to any language training program, however, both two types of evaluation seem to be very unfamiliar to nearly all of the language program in particular and educational programs in Vietnam At HNIVC, this evaluation project is the first program evaluation that has ever been done though a lot of adjustments to the program have occurred The purpose of this evaluation project is to improve the current course book for students of HNIVC, so the type of evaluation chosen for the project is formative evaluation

2.4.4 Models for materials evaluation

Many authors have introduced different models for materials evaluation in the literature However, depending on purpose and kinds of materials evaluation, one should choose an appropriate model For example, in order to select the most suitable materials using both macro and micro evaluation, Donough and Shaw' model (1993) can be utilized

In order to carry out a materials evaluation at micro laver, the model suggested by Ellis (1993) can be employed The models defined by Hutchinson and Waters (1993) and by Cunningsworth (1995) aim to carry out a macro- evaluation, and to investigate the suitability of the materials to the learners' needs and the syllabus requirements A short description of each model will be presented in the following sections:

Evaluation model by Mc Donough and Shaw (a combination of macro and micro – evaluation)

In 1993, Donough and Shaw suggest their materials evaluation It is a three- stage model that is called external evaluation, internal evaluation, and overall evaluation (see Figure 1) This model is based on the view that it is useful for teachers to perform and external evaluation of materials so that they can gain an overview of organizational principles involved, then move to a detailed internal evaluation of the materials to see how far the materials match up to what the author claims as well as to the aim and objective of a given teaching program Accordingly, external evaluation is considered as a preliminary evaluation or a macro- evaluation It is an examination of the claims made for the whole materials by the author or publisher These claims can be made somewhere on the cover of the book, in the instructions, or even in the table of contents The evaluation

at this stage helps to identify whether the material is potentially appropriate

The internal evaluation stage (micro – evaluation) requires an in-depth look oat two

or more units to examine what will actually be presented ” inside” the materials themselves and whether the claims made by the author are the one found in internal evaluation

The next step is overall evaluation of the materials It examines the suitability of the materials on such numbers of factors as the usability, the generalizability, adaptability, and flexibility factors This model is shown as figure 1 From figure 1 it is clear that the internal stage will be carried out when the materials have been evaluated to be potentially appropriate in the external evaluation If the findings at this stage show that the materials are inappropriate, the evaluation will be finished quite early

Macro - evaluation inappropriate/ potentially appropriate

(External)

Exit Micro - evaluation inappropriate/ appropriate adopt/select (Internal)

Exit Figure 1 Materials evaluation model of Mc Donough and Shaw (1993)

Evaluation model by Ellis (a micro- evaluation)

Ellis (1997) believes that the evaluation of language teaching materials has been primarily predictive and have focused on whole sets of materials There is a need for more thought to be given to how teachers can evaluate the materials they use retrospectively on

a day- by- day basis Therefore he suggests a model that can be best carried out a series of micro-evaluations In this model, a detailed empirical evaluation and evaluating tasks in language teaching are focused on The aim of the model is to identify the match between task planned and task in use According to Ellis, some dimensions used for macro evaluation such as approach, purpose, focus, scope, evaluator, types of information can be applied in micro evaluation process Ellis introduces the following steps when this model

is applied:

1 choosing a task to follow;

2 describing the task with requires the specification of the content of a task in term of input, procedures, language activities, and out come;

3 planning the evaluation with reference to the dimensions above;

4 collecting information (before the task is used, while it is being used and/ or on completion of the task) about how the task was performed, what learning took place

as a result of performing the task, and teacher's and learner's opinions about the task;

5 analyzing information collected qualitatively and quantitatively;

6 reaching conclusions relating to what has been discovered as a result of the evaluation of the task, and making recommendations for future teaching;

7 writing report

Evaluation model by Cunningsworth

Cunningsworth (1984) gives a checklist of criteria in which he suggests examining many aspects for the course such as linguistic factors of the materials in term of language content, topics, skills, methodology, and so on According to Cunningworths (1984), examination of language content should focus on the appropriateness of the grammars, structures, functions, and vocabulary presented in the materials to the requirements He also thinks that the topics should be interesting, various, and sophisticated in content Also, these topics should help students to expand the awareness within their language

level Regarding the skills introduced in the materials, the questions about whether the four skills are adequately covered and whether they are suitable to the course aims and syllabus requirements and so on should be answered Additionally, the question about methodology of the materials should find out whether they are appropriate to the learning- teaching situation, and what techniques are used for presenting new language items, how different skills are taught

Evaluation model by Hutchinson and Water (a macro – evaluation)

Hutchinson and Waters (1993) define materials evaluation as “a matter of judging the fitness of something for a particular purpose” According to them an evaluation should be served a certain need, and lighted by resources available Therefore, evaluation is basically a matching process: matching needs to available solutions In this view, an evaluation can be split into four major steps They are described in the model below (see figure 2)

Figure 2 Materials evaluation model of Huchinson and Waters (1993)

In this process, firstly, the evaluator will set out the criteria on which the evaluation is based Additionally, among defined criteria, he can mention on his own preferred ones The second step is to determine the subjective analysis It is the time to analyze the requirements of the course in aspects related to the criteria According to Hutchinson and

Define criteria

On what bases will you judge materials?

Which criteria will be more important?

Objective Analysis

How does the material being evaluated realize the criteria?

Subjective analysis

What realization of the criteria do

you want in your course?

Matching

How far does the material match your needs?

Waters (1993), the subjective analysis should not be considered as a fixed set of requirements The evaluator should use the materials evaluation process as a means of questioning and developing his own ideas as to what is required After a subjective analysis, an objective analysis needs to be carried out This is the stage to analysis the materials in term of the selected criteria Finally, the finding of which are used to compare with the materials requirements in the fourth step in order to evaluate and determine the matching the materials and the requirement In this model, it can be seen that three options may happen after the evaluation process: the materials may not meet ant requirements When the materials partially mismatch the requirements in some criteria Hutchinson and Waters think that the evaluator should consider the more important criteria to the various people concerned (teachers, students, sponsors), and choose the easier criteria to adapt

Hutchinson and Waters (1993) also propose their own checklist of criteria for objective and subjective analyses The purpose of the checklist is for evaluating English teaching materials by focusing on such big issues as the audience, the aims, the content, the methodology, and other criteria including price, and availability

Aims

In any language course, the aims of the course must be defined clearly At the same time, matching the aims of the materials and the objectives of the course is

necessary to be carried out in materials evaluation process

Content

Content is one of the most important elements of the materials With the purpose of evaluating materials, Hutchinson and Waters (1993) state that it is necessary to examine if the content of the materials is suitable to the content prescribed in terms of language points, macro- skills and their proportion, micro skills, as well as the kind of texts In many cases, the aspects of subject matter areas, learners' level of knowledge, type of topic and how those topics are presented are also considered Last but not least, the evaluation needs to learn about whether the way the content is organized and sequenced within the course units, throughout the course is appropriate or not

Methodology

Hutchinson and Waters (1993) suggest many aspects dealing with material methodology that need to be evaluated Firstly, the evaluation must indicate whether the theories of learning on which the course based on are in line with the ones of the materials Secondly, the aspects of the learners' attitude to expectations about learning English should be considered Thirdly, it is necessary to determine whether the kinds of exercises / tasks included in the materials are suited to the course requirements Teaching- learning techniques are another aspect that needs to be evaluated At this time, evaluators must decide whether the teaching – learning techniques that can be used with the materials are those required by the course and suitable to the learners Moreover, the materials evaluation should take the aspects such as teaching aids, and guidance support for teaching Finally, it is necessary to determine if the materials are flexible so that they can be used in different order to suit the teaching contexts

Other Criteria

Apart from the criteria mentioned above, Hutchinson and Waters also suggest some those criteria such as the price and availability of the materials These issues are considered as practical concerns and they must be acknowledged They may be one of the deciding factors in textbook selection In fact, not all textbooks can be purchased by students because of their high price and scarcity in the local market Sometimes it is the

purchase that becomes economic burden faced by students Therefore, materials may be evaluated by these criteria

2.4.5 Criteria for textbooks evaluation

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 Cunningsworth (1995) and Ellis (1997) have suggested that there are three different types of material evaluation They argue that 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 The other types of textbook evaluation are the „in-use‟ evaluation designed to examine material that is currently being used, and the „retrospective‟ or „post-use‟ (reflective) evaluation of a textbook that has been used in any respected institution This particular study can be classified as the „retrospective‟ type of evaluation in which an attempt is made to check the characteristics of the textbooks under study against a collection of criteria proposed by various researchers

We know that evaluate the textbook materials is very important for the educators who will make plans to develop the teaching and learning matter, and the teachers who directly introduce the knowledge to the learners As mentioned above, there are a lot of types to evaluate the materials, but here we will choose the Hutchinson and Waters (1993) model,

because it is suitable to our scope and the objectives of study

2.5 Materials adaptation

Materials adaptation means matching materials with the learner‟s needs, the teacher‟s demands and administration‟s purpose To adapt materials we have to consider five major factors

(1) Addition: Addition is an adaptation procedure which involves supplementation of extra

linguistic items and activities to make up for the inadequacy/ insufficiency of materials Addition of extra materials is necessary/ applicable/ appropriate when the following

situations are faced:

 Areas are not covered sufficiently

 Texts/pictures/tasks are not provided

 Texts/pictures/tasks are fewer than needed

 Tasks are limited in scope

 Tasks are of limited range

(2) Deletion/ Omission: Deletion is an adaptation procedure which involves removal of

some of the linguistic items and activities which are found to be extra and unnecessary So, deletion is a process in which materials are taken out rather than added Materials should be reduced through omission when the following situations are faced:

 Learners are clear about a language point

 Learners are competent in a skill

 There are too many tasks on a particular area/point

 The item/ area concerned is not a priority

 The item/ task is not well designed

 The item/ task is not well-suited to its aim(s)

 The topic is not appropriate for learners

(3) Modification/ Changing: Modification means changes in different aspects of materials,

such as linguistic level, exercises, assessment system and so on Modification of materials is applicable/ appropriate in the following situations:

 Texts are of inappropriate length

 Materials are inappropriate to the aim

 Materials are inappropriate to the learners‟ age/ experience

 Materials are unclear, confusing or misleading

 Tasks are badly designed

(4) Simplification: This procedure is employed to make materials less complicated or easier

to understand If the language teaching material is found to be difficult or mechanical for the target learner, it (material) can be made suitable for the learner through the process of

simplification

(5) Rearrangement/ Re- ordering: Rearrangement is a procedure of materials adaptation

through which different parts of a course book are arranged in a different order or sequence Rearrangement of materials helps to make them comparatively more interesting and

appropriate for the learner as well as the teacher Learners may reorder materials by:

 Matching their aims

 Using a practice task for lead-in and elicitation

 Revising an area earlier than the course book does

 Comparing and contrast areas

 Providing thematic unity

 Providing an appropriate follow-up

2.6 Conclusion

In chapter 2, we tried to review the literature of the material evaluation Why we need textbook evaluation We remind the types of textbook that the students use everyday; we would expect the ESP community to have a clear idea about what ESP means; the characteristics of ESP; the conditions of applying ESP in HNIVC, why our students need to learn ESP To evaluate a textbook, reviewers examine each content-matched activity of each special book To make the most effective use of a textbook, however, teachers must decide which textbooks are appropriate for their needs Here we say about three types of textbooks evaluation: preliminary, formative and summative evaluation and why we choose formative evaluation for this project Depending on purpose and kinds of materials evaluation, we use the Hutchinson and Waters (1993) model to evaluate our English teaching material

Chapter 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction

In this chapter, some research methodologies are introduced for our project: document analysis and questionnaire Then we describe the teaching and learning ESP and its objectives at Hanoi Industrial Vocational College (HNIVC) After that, this chapter says about data collection procedures: how to do the document analysis; and finally, we discuss about questionnaires for the teachers and for the students to discover whether this textbook can be taught and learned

3.2 Research methodology

In this study, the researcher employed two of the instruments: document analysis and questionnaire We realized that they are suitable with our evaluative purpose and time for our research They will be detailed in the next chapter According to Robinson‟s model, we can describe these methods as follow:

Document analysis: Document analysis is use of “content analysis and other techniques

to analysis and summarize printed materials and existing information” (Taylor & Steel, 1996) The purpose of using this instrument is to utilize any preexisting information that may be available The documents that need to be analysis “can include data sources within a program such as the materials under the evaluation, the course syllabus, the curriculum, or external data source” (Brown, 1995)

Questionnaire: Questionnaire aims to seek evidence of the teachers‟ and the students‟

opinions about the aim, content and methodology of the material Questionnaires are chosen because they allow wider sampling, they ask everybody the same questions and they are time-saving technique to collect information from a large respondents at the same time (Wallace, 1998) The respondents would feel more comfortable and willing to fill the questionnaires than they were asked to answer the questions directly during a face to face interview Also questionnaire with closed question can help analysis the data straightforwardly and conveniently

3.3 Description of teaching ESP and its objectives at HNIVC

3.3.1 Description of the Students at HNIVC

Students at Hanoi Industrial Vocational College graduated from High School in Vietnam They come to HNIVC:

- To learn and train their future job;

- To learn about English and ESP;

- to encourage an awareness of English for Technical knowledge;

- to collect printed and visual materials from the media in various languages in addition

to English;

- to conduct interviews and organize the close relation between ESP and their own knowledge through ESP texts; to exercise note-taking;

- to design questionnaires; to make oral presentation and reporting

3.3.2 Description of the teachers at HNIVC

At HNIVC, there are 6 English teachers; age from 28 to 48 Because ESP teachers did not have sufficient technical background and teacher training, qualified teachers to teach ESP are lacking All teachers indicated that there are no in-service ESP training courses available, especially for technical purposes Three of the six teachers had attended General English training courses, which provided TEFL/ TESL training, or sometimes, multi-media or Teaching English for Children In other words, teachers are inadequately trained to teach ESP Generally, ESP teachers are primarily the teachers of General English When transferring from General English to ESP teaching, they might have encountered several difficulties One is a difference of attitude difficulty, between literature and science in particular Therefore, ESP teachers need to orient themselves to a new environment for which they are not well-prepared

3.3.3 The teaching and learning ESP at HNIVC

As far as English is concerned, HNIVC considered General English to be the main focus, rather than technical English This is due mainly to the subjects they teach, mostly General English One of the HNIVC emphasised that General English should be the basis, then technical English will be easier to focus on A similar view was expressed by teachers Five

of the six teachers argued that General English should be concentrated on and supplemented

with technical knowledge From the surveys, the majority of English teachers in colleges of technology supported this view This was also confirmed by informal interviews whose learners‟ needs analysis and survey indicated that the learners concern language proficiency

level more than technical knowledge

3.4 Data collection procedures

3.4.1 Document analysis

Document analysis is a technique used to gather requirements during the requirements elicitation phase of a project It describes the act of reviewing the existing documentation of comparable business processes or systems in order to extract pieces of information that are relevant to the current project, and therefore should be consider projects requirements It means that, for this thesis, we need to collect materials from the library; the experience teachers that use this book or know about the career mentioned in the book; and

the students who learns this book regularly

3.4.2 Questionnaires

According to the aim, the content and the methodology of the course, we conduct some questions for the teachers and for the students Most of them are the same because we want to explore their opinions about one question; only some questions are distinguished to discover whether this textbook can be taught or it can be learned After using this book, we give these questionnaires to the teachers and the students in our college We also translate the questions for students into Vietnamese in order to show them the exact meaning we want to ask them and they can answer what they think about these questions

3.4.2.1 Questionnaires for teachers

The questionnaire for the teachers (see appendix 1) was also carried out simultaneously with the questionnaire for the students It was divided into three sections and

The second section consists of ten questions to find out the content of EFE In this section, we want to know whether the teachers agree or not about the content of the textbook corresponding the requirement of the course; the grammar presented in the coursebook was enough for the students to learn or the structures introduced in the coursebook were adequate to the students' need

The last section contains seven questions about methodology that teachers use when they utilize this textbook These questions are so important because we need to know how the teachers use this book and whether they think it can be acceptable to teach

It depends much on the teachers‟ methods to transmit the textbook‟s knowledge to the students and how the students react at the lessons

In this questionnaire, the questions were designed to find out the teachers' analyses towards the textbook relating to the suitability of the textbook to requirements of the course in terms of the aims, the content, and the methodology The scales used in the teachers‟ questionnaire were as same as those used in the students‟ questionnaire This would make it easier for the researcher to compare students‟ and teachers' views later They were also asked if they faced any difficulty in teaching the textbook, and to make suggestions for the improvement of the materials The purpose of these sections was to suggest procedures to help the teachers exploit the textbook more effectively

3.4.2.2 Questionnaires for students (Q2)

The questionnaire for students (see appendix 2) consisted of 3 parts with 27 questions The first part consisted of 10 questions They were designed to find out the students' evaluation in terms of suitability of the ESP textbook to the aims and objectives of the course; whether students perceive the aims of the materials; the students were required to answer if they are provided or deleted any tasks and exercises, what parts they thought were most suitable to their level and what were least suitable

The second part included 10 questions in order to collect the students' information relating to suitability of the textbook to the content requirements of the textbook in terms

of grammar, structures, vocabulary; the structures introduced in the coursebook were adequate to the students' need In fact we need to know, whether the students can perceive all the knowledge and can apply them in their real working condition

In the third part, seven questions were used to send to the students to analyze suitability

of the textbook to the methodology requirements of the course: how they understand the

materials in the textbook through the lessons; whether the techniques the teachers used are appropriate to them

3.5 Conclusion

The view of the research methodologies that we have outlined in this chapter relates the way that we do for this thesis The model we chose here is Robinson‟s, it means: document analysis and questionnaire Then we showed the description of teaching ESP and its objectives; description of the students and the teachers at Hanoi Industrial Vocational College Next the teaching and learning ESP at HNIVC; the data collection procedures; we discussed about document analysis, it is a technique used to gather requirements of a project and the questionnaires According to the aim, the content and the methodology of the course,

we conduct some questions for the teachers and for students to discover that this textbook can be taught or it can be learned

Chapter 4 DATA ANALYSIS 4.1 Introduction

The data analysis is the analysis about the data that we gather for this thesis As mentioned above, we collect the data by analyzing the documents and through the questionnaire; so first, we say about the objectives of the course; second, the significance

of each criterion from Hutchinson and Water‟s model, we rearrange our project for the following criteria: the audience, the aim of materials, the contents of the textbook and the methodology that we use while teaching; next, according to this model, we compare the realization of each criterion in the textbook “EFE”; then we make the data analysis and discussion: the appropriateness of the material to the aims, the content and the methodology requirements of the course; and finally, we discuss about the teachers'

teaching experience and suggestions

4.1 Objectives of the course

Its objectives include:

 To develop an understanding about the factors that led to the emergence of ESP and the forces, both theoretical and applied, that have shaped its subsequent development;

 To assist students develop needs assessments and genre analyses for specific groups

of learners;

 To provide guidelines to adapt or create authentic ESP materials in a chosen professional or occupational area and to critically evaluate currently available materials, including technology-based ones;

 To become knowledgeable about assessment procedures appropriate for ESP and apply this knowledge in developing course and lesson evaluation plans in their professional or occupational area

4.2 Significance of each criterion

From all the models for materials evaluations above we realize that the evaluation

model by Hutchinson and Water (a macro – evaluation) is the most suitable for our

assessment of this textbook It means that we will rearrange our work for the following criteria:

 The audience;

 The aim of materials;

 The contents of the textbook;

 The methodology that we use while teaching

4.2.1 Audience

According to Hutchinson and Waters, one of the most important factors is learner The overall aim of course or a program is to meet the needs of a particular group of learners English teaching materials in general must be selected or designed based on those needs

In order to evaluate materials on what criterion, there is so much different information dealing with students should be regarded such as ages , sex, study, knowledge of English, education background , interests, and so on

4.2.2 The aims of the materials

According to the ESP curriculum specifications, students need to be familiar with the main scientific concepts and ideas of science in English as well as the register and related vocabulary This means that students are expected to have a comprehensive knowledge on the topics and themes in ESP Mackay & Mountford (1978) added that it is evident where science is taught in English or science reference materials are in English, students need to acquire a considerably higher standard of language proficiency to enable them to comprehend and manipulate difficult intellectual material The main aim of the English for Specific Purposes textbooks is to prepare students for study in a particular discipline

It may also be used in technical colleges, on in-sessional courses, or by postgraduate students Finally, information on getting qualified and finding an ESL teaching job will help those wishing to enter the profession

4.2.3 The contents of the textbook

The main concern is effective learning and how this can best be achieved in ESP courses In the content, the author can describe the procedure of the learning course, the aim of each unit and the demand for each stage of the textbook The ESP syllabus gives