An Evaluation of the book Target Pet for the first year non-English majors at Vinh University from the perspective of teachers and students

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY Pham Thi Luong Giang AN EVALUATION OF THE BOOK “TARGET PET” FOR THE 1 ST YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJORS AT VINH UNIVESITY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF TEACHERS AND STUDENTS Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language (TESOL) Code: 60 14 01 11 MASTER’S THESIS IN EDUCATION Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Kim Anh, MA. Vinh, 2014 i STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I certify my authorship of the M. A thesis submitted today entitled:“ An evaluation of the book Target Pet for 1 st year non-English majors at Vinh university” in terms of the statement of requirement for the thesis and the field study reports in TESOL program has been performed and interpreted solely by myself, except where otherwise acknowledged and that this minor or any part of the same had not been submitted for any other form for the fulfillment of any other degrees or qualifications. Vinh, August 27, 2014 Author’s signature Pham Thi Luong Giang ii ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to evaluate the suitability of the book “Target Pet” to the non-English majors’ needs, level and learning goals and the requirements of the course in relation to aims, content, and methodology from the perspective of students and teachers at Vinh university. To achieve the above purpose, qualitative and quantitative research methods in forms of questionnaires, materials analysis are used. In this sequence, the material in use is analyzed basing on the criteria suggested by Hutchinson and Waters’ (1987) with an aim to determine how the material realizes the course requirements. A survey on the teachers' and students’ opinions about the extent to which the material meets the requirements of the course in terms of the aims, content and methodology is conducted. Research results have revealed some strengths and weaknesses of the material which allows the author to conclude that to some extent the book has not fulfilled the course aims, content and methodology in improving listening and speaking skills. Based on the findings, the study offers recommendations on material adaptation such as addition, deletion, and replacement that should be made to remedy the weaknesses of the material so that the students can benefit more from it in future courses. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Many people have helped me complete this thesis. First, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Anh, for her patient guidance, helpful suggestions, encouragement and constructive supervision in the course of writing this research. Without her help, this work would have been impossible. My thanks also come to Dr. Tran Ba Tien, the FLD’s Dean, who gave me the chance and the time to come to the end of this study. I also would like to acknowledge my gratitude to Ms. Tran Thi Phuong Thao, who has been helpful and supportive to me during the completion of my thesis. I would like to take this opportunity to express my thankfulness to all of my English colleagues and students at Vinh University for their great help and kind cooperation in completing the questionnaires for the thesis. Finally, my special appreciation goes out to all the teachers who taught me during the two-year course. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS 4.1.1.3. Comments on the material evaluation in term of aims li Sequence of content lviii The content of the material does not go from easier to more difficult level. As can be seen from the organization of content, the material is divided into three parts: vocabulary, language focus and exam practice. These parts are repeated throughout the book. Therefore, recycling the learned knowledge is available. Accordingly, it is reasonable to state that the sequence of content completely fits the course specification lviii 4.1.2.3 Comments on material evaluation in term of content lviii 4.3. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MATERIAL IMPROVEMENT lxxviii 5.3. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY lxxxiii 5.4. SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER STUDY lxxxiv REFERENCES lxxxv APPENDIX 2 VIII III. Materials X v LIST OF FIGURES REFERENCES lxxxv vi LIST OF TABLES REFERENCES lxxxv CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1. RATIONALE OF THE STUDY Course books have a great effect on the process of language teaching and learning as suitable materials can stimulate effective teaching and learning. Thus, to have a successful language- teaching program, it is essential to have good course books, especially in Vietnamese setting. English has been taught at Vinh University for a long time, and English course books for non-English majored students have been changed from time to time to be appropriate for the training objectives as well as the students’ needs. Although many textbooks are available on the market, it is really difficult to choose the materials that meet the needs of non-English major students whose English proficiency is comparatively varied. In 2008 Vietnam issued Government Decision 1400, the goal of which is: “To renovate thoroughly the tasks of teaching and learning foreign languages within the national educational system". Ministry of Education and Training's National Foreign Language 2020 Project, or Project 2020 for short, was created in 2010 to implement this national renovation. Among the objectives of the project is establishing regional foreign language centers as a major strategy to address teacher development and language teaching quality throughout the country. Under Project 2020, Vietnam expects to enable a majority of students to use a foreign language, especially English, confidently in their study, daily vii communication, and work by 2020. According to this project, non-English majored students when graduating from Vinh university are projected to achieve the third- highest level of English referring to the Vietnamese Language Proficiency Framework (6 levels compatible with the Common European Framework). Because of these reasons, the teachers of English at Vinh University have decided to use the textbook “Target Pet” for the first year non- English majors in the credit-based system. To my best knowledge there has been no research on the course book to examine how well the materials being in use match the students’ needs and the course requirements in terms of aims, content and methodology. Therefore, I conduct this study entitled “An evaluation of the book “Target Pet” for the 1 st year non- English majors at Vinh University from the perspective of teachers and students” with the ambition that it will not only help improve the material’s quality but also enhance the learning efficiency as well as stimulate students’ interest in language learning. 1.2. AIMS OF THE STUDY The aims of the study are as follow: + to assess the suitability of the course book to the level and the needs of the students and the requirements of the course in relation to aims, content, and methodology from the perspective of students and teachers. + to evaluate the effectiveness of the course book in helping the students achieve the goals and objectives from the perspective of students and teachers. + to suggest the material adaptations in responding to the course requirements and students’ needs. 1.3. RESEARCH QUESTIONS viii In order to meet the aims of the study, the following research questions are generated: 1. How far does the book “Target Pet” match the 1 st year non - English majors’ level, needs and the course requirements in relation to aims, content, and methodology at Vinh university? 2. What adaptations should be made to the book “Target Pet” to make it more effective in response to the course requirements and the non - English majors’ needs? 1.4. SCOPE OF THE STUDY The study is based on Hutchinson and Waters’ (1987) criteria for evaluating the book “Target Pet” in use for the first year non-English majors at Vinh University with focus on the three following criteria: aims of the material, content of the material, and methodology 1.5. ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY The thesis consists of the following parts: Chapter 1. Introduction This part provides the rationale, the aims, the scope, research questions and organiztion of the thesis. Chapter 2: Literature Review and Theoretical Background Theoretical background related to the topic and surveys of articles, books and other resources relevant to the study topic will be presented. This part also provides description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work quoted. Chapter 3. Methodology ix This part presents the detailed procedure of the study: the methodology, population selection, data collection and analysis. Chapter 4. Findings and Discussions The part discusses the findings of the study; points out the strengths and weaknesses of the book “Target Pet”, and offers the recommendations for the material supplements and adaptations. Chapter 5. Conclusion The conclusion provides a summary of all the major parts being presented in the study, the conclusions drawn out and suggestions for further research. x [...]... terms of aims, content and methodology at Vinh university prior to the introduction of the textbook to the language program 2.3 SUMMARY In this chapter, the literature on materials evaluation is reviewed A variety of materials evaluation such as the definition, roles and purposes of materials evaluation, types of materials evaluation, materials evaluators, models and criteria for materials evaluation and. .. results From the above definitions of evaluation, it can be seen that material evaluation involves the determination of what needs to be evaluated, the objectives and requirements of the materials, and the judgments of the value of the materials being evaluated in relation to the objectives and the requirements determined 2.1.4.2 Types of Materials Evaluation It is possible to apply basic principles of material... for materials evaluation that any evaluator should concern: the audience, the aims, the content, and the methodology - The audience of the materials: the evaluator should obtain information about and from learners to find out whether the materials are suitable to the students age, knowledge of English, interest and so on - Aims of the materials: the evaluator has to check if the materials match the. .. questionnaires and conducted interviews with 239 English teachers in Taiwan to survey teachers' evaluation and selection of the elementary English textbooks and the degree of satisfaction towards the textbooks (student’s book, workbook and teacher’s book) He mainly focused on teachers evaluation of the elementary English textbooks, including student’s book, workbook and teacher’s book and the teaching aids, the. .. methods of learning, that is, they control the content, methods, and procedures of learning Students learn what is presented in the textbook, and the way the textbook presents material is the way students learn it The educational philosophy of the textbook will influence the class and the learning process Therefore, in most situations, materials are the center of instruction and one of the most important... involved in the language-teaching program such as teachers, students, course and materials designers Therefore, they can provide the most valid information in the evaluation process Also, their understanding of cultural and political factors of the institution in which the evaluation takes place would enhance the reliability of judgments and recommendations To stress the role of the insiders as evaluators,... to the limited scope of a thesis, the insiders, especially, the teachers have been chosen as material evaluators because they have been teaching this material so they understand clearly about the material, the teaching context and the learners Their opinion and their evaluation, therefore, are critical to the improvement of the material in particular and of teaching and learning in general Also, the. .. Emphasizing the role of materials, he states that The teaching materials can serve as basis for much of language input that the learners receive and as the source for much of the language practice that occurs in the classroom.” Richards (2001: 251) further explains that materials provide “basis for the content of the lesson, balance of skills taught, and the kind of language practice students take... short, materials adaptation plays an important part in the process of language teaching and learning It makes the teaching materials more relevant to the needs of students and to the objectives of the course, and therefore, would stimulate the effectiveness of teaching and learning 2.2 LITERATURE REVIEW So far, a number of studies on materials evaluation in ELT have been conducted both in the world and. .. desirability of the materials In short, there are different types of materials evaluation so when making an evaluation, the evaluators have to determine what type of materials evaluation will be suitable with their work As for Vinh University situation, it is the first time the book Target Pet has been used The researcher decided to use formative/ in–use evaluation with an aim to determine whether this material . OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING VINH UNIVERSITY Pham Thi Luong Giang AN EVALUATION OF THE BOOK TARGET PET FOR THE 1 ST YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJORS AT VINH UNIVESITY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF TEACHERS AND. authorship of the M. A thesis submitted today entitled:“ An evaluation of the book Target Pet for 1 st year non-English majors at Vinh university in terms of the statement of requirement for the thesis. Therefore, I conduct this study entitled An evaluation of the book Target Pet for the 1 st year non- English majors at Vinh University from the perspective of teachers and students with the