Teachers and students evaluation of english 1 1 textbook in use at vietnam university of commerce

1 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** ĐOÀN PHƯƠNG NGÂN TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ EVALUATION OF ENGLISH 1.1 TEXTBOOK IN USE AT VIETNAM UNIVERSITY OF COMMERCE ĐÁNH GIÁCỦA GIÁO VIÊN VÀ SINH VIÊN VỀ GIÁO TRÌNH TIẾNG ANH 1.1 ĐANG SỬDUNGG̣ TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC THƯƠNG MẠI M.A Minor Programme Thesis English Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Hanoi - 2010 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** ĐOÀN PHƯƠNG NGÂN TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ EVALUATION OF ENGLISH 1.1 TEXTBOOK IN USE AT VIETNAM UNIVERSITY OF COMMERCE ĐÁNH GIÁCỦA GIÁO VIÊN VÀ SINH VIÊN VỀ GIÁO TRÌNH TIẾNG ANH 1.1 ĐANG SỬDUNGG̣ TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC THƯƠNG MẠI M.A Minor Programme Thesis English Teaching Methodology Code: 60 14 10 Supervisor: Nguyễn Minh Huệ, M.A Hanoi - 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements…………… ……………………………………………… Declaration…………… ……………………………………………………… Abstract…………………………………………………………………………… Table of contents………………………………………………………………… List of Abbreviations…………………………………………………………… List of Tables …………………………………………………………………… List of Figures and Charts……………………………………………………… viii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………… 1.1 Rationale of the study………………………………………………………… 1.2 Aims of the study……………………………………………………………… 1.3 Research questions…………………………………………………………… 1.4 Scope of the study…………………………………………………………… 1.5 Significance of the study……………………………………………………… 1.6 Overview of the paper ……………………………………………………… CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ……………………………… 2.1 Materials……………………………………………………………………… 2.1.1 Definition ………………………………………………………………… 2.1.2 Categories of materials …………………………………………………… 2.2 Material evaluation …………………………………………………………… 2.2.1 Definitions of material evaluation …………………………… 2.2.2 Types of material evaluation ………………………………… 2.2.3 Purposes of material evaluation ……………………………… 2.2.4 Approaches to material evaluation …………………………… 2.2.5 Principles for material evaluation …………………………… 2.2.6 Models for material evaluation ……………………………… 2.2.7 Criteria for material evaluation ……………………………… CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY……………………………………… 3.1 An introduction to English 1.1 course and English 1.1 textbook…………… 3.1.1 English 1.1 course …………………………………………… 3.1.2 English 1.1 textbook ………………………………………… 3.2 Participants…………………………………………………………………… 3.3 Data collection instruments ………………………………………………… 3.3.1 Questionnaires ………………………………………………… 3.3.1.1 Student questionnaire…………………………………………………… 3.3.1.2 Teacher questionnaire …………………………………………………… 3.3.2 Interviews……………………………………………………… 3.4 Procedures …………………………………………………………………… 3.5 Data analysis ………………………………………………………………… CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ……………… 4.1 4.1.1 Results and discussion………………………………………………………… Questionnaire results ………………………………………… 4.1.1.1 Student questionnaire results …………………………………………… 4.1.1.2 Teacher questionnaire results …………………………………………… 4.1.2 Follow-up interview results …………………………………… 4.1.2.1 Student follow-up interview results ……………………………………… 4.1.2.2 Teacher follow-up interview results ……………………………………… 4.2 Major findings ………………………………………………………………… 4.2.1 Summary of main findings…………………………………… 4.2.2 Strengths and weaknesses of the textbook …………………… CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION…………………………………………… 5.1 Summary……………………………………………………………………… 5.2 Limitations of the study……………………………………………………… 5.3 Implications …… ………………… ……………………………………… 5.4 Recommendations for further studies.……………………………………… Reference………………………………………………………………………… Appendix 1……………………………………………………………………… Appendix 2……………………………………………………………………… Appendix 3……………………………………………………………………… Appendix 4……………………………………………………………………… LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 Description of Student Participants 3.2 Description of Teacher Participants 4.1 Students‟ Evaluation of the Textbook Aims 4.2 Students‟ Evaluation of the Textbook Design and Organization 4.3 Students‟ Attitudes toward the Textbook Topics 4.4: Students‟ Opinions on the Textbook Language Content 4.5: Students‟ Evaluation of the Textbook Language Skills 4.6 Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbook Aims and Approach 4.7 Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbook Design and Organization 4.8 Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbook Topics 4.9 Teachers‟ Opinions on the Textbook Language Content 4.10 Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbook Language Skills 10 LIST OF FIGURES AND CHARTS Figures and Charts Figure 2.1: The Materials Evaluation Model of Hutchinson and Waters (1987: 98) Figure 2.2: A preliminary framework for materials analysis and action by Littlejohn (1998) Chart 4.1: Students‟ main studying purposes for the course Chart 4.2: Teachers‟ Opinions on Purposes of the Course 11 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study The textbook, a key component in most language programs, is one of the major teaching and learning resources used both inside and outside the classroom (Richard 2005) It has an enormous influence on what is taught in class and how it is taught In Tyson‟s research (1997), he found “those new and in-experienced teachers, or those who lack adequate time for lesson planning, may actually teach from the first page of the textbook to the last, skipping little or nothing” (p 89) Due to its very important role, selecting a right textbook for an English course is not an easy task for each EFL teacher Nguyen (2007) reviews all the advantages and disadvantages of using the textbook in her research On the one hand, the textbook offers certain advantages like instruction and assessment standardization (Richard 2005), providing syllabus for a program (Cunningsworth 1995), receiving students‟ credibility (Sheldon 1988) and making an effective resource for learning in the classroom and self-directed learning (Cunningsworth 1995) On the other hand, it also shows several reservations like being able to control the methods, processes, and procedures of classroom practice and „deskill‟ teachers (Allwright 1982); and not suiting all classrooms as it is written for global market (Richard 2005) Being aware of all the above advantages and disadvantages, the teachers at English Department, University of Commerce carefully selected content for English 1.1 textbook, which is used for English 1.1 course, the first English course for the students at this university The content selection for the textbook is based on the course objectives, students‟ levels and their needs and the course length Sources of the textbook are Business Basics (2000) written by David Grand and Robert Mc Larty, published by Oxford Press, and Market Leader (2004) written by David Cotton, David Falvey and Simon Kent, published by Longman This textbook has been in use at Vietnam University of Commerce since 2008 It has, undeniably, contributed greatly to the English language teaching and learning there, but for some unanticipated problems, it remains unsatisfactory As a matter of fact, no research on evaluation of this textbook had been carried out to see how far it suited the course Thus, 12 this study was conducted to evaluate the textbook and suggest ways to improve the quality of the textbook as well as the course 1.2 Aims of the study This study is aimed at evaluating English 1.1 textbook used at Vietnam University of Commerce from perspectives of teachers and students It is designed to find the strengths and weaknesses of the textbook, and also suggest some solutions for further improvement of the textbook which undoubtedly will enhance the learning efficiency as well as stimulate students‟ interest in the language learning process 1.3 Research questions In order to meet the aims of the study, the following research questions are generated: What are the strengths of English 1.1 textbook from the perspective of teachers and students at Vietnam University of Commerce? What are the weaknesses of English 1.1 textbook from the perspective of teachers and students at Vietnam University of Commerce? 1.4 Scope of the study As its name “ Teachers’ and Students’ Evaluation of English 1.1 Textbook in Use at University of Commerce” suggests, the thesis will focus on the communicative nature of the English 1.1 textbook and the ease of its use from the perspectives of teachers and students in the studied context The textbook will be evaluated under certain categories namely aims and approach, design and organization, topic, language content and language skills 1.5 Significance of the study The findings of the thesis give teachers and students at Vietnam University of Commerce a comprehensive look at their textbook They have a systematic evaluation of the book which “may even constitute the main source of language input that learners receive and the basis for language practice that occurs both inside and outside the classroom” (Nguyen 13 2007) Practically, those findings are beneficial to both teachers and course designers in improving the quality of the course 1.6 Overview of the paper The study consists of five chapters as follows: Chapter introduces the background to the thesis, the aims, significance, scope and methods of the thesis Chapter is a review of literature on material evaluation Chapter presents an overview of English 1.1 course and English 1.1 textbook, and describes the methodologies employed in the study Chapter analyses data and discusses the findings of the study Chapter concludes the study ……………………………………………………………….…… 23 The texts are long enough ……………………………………………………………….…… 24 The material helps comprehension by, for example, setting the 55 scene, providing background information, giving pre-reading questions …………………………………………………………………… 25 The difficulty level of the texts and their tasks is suitable to you ……………………………………………………………….…… 26 The listening material is set in a meaningful context ……………………………………………………………….…… 27 The recordings are well-recorded ……………………………………………………………….…… 28 There are enough pre-listening tasks, questions, etc ……………………………………………………………….…… 29 The difficulty level of listening tasks is suitable to you ……………………………………………………………….…… 30 The speaking tasks are various ……………………………………………………………….…… 31 There are elements of genuine communication ……………………………………………………………….…… 32 The difficulty level of speaking tasks is suitable to you ……………………………………………………………….…… This is the end of the questionnaire Thank you very much! 56 APPENDIX 2: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS (Vietnamese version) Phiếu điều tra thiết kế nhằm thu thập thông tin đánh giá sinh viên English 1.1 Câu trả lời bạn giúp nhiều việc đánh giá, chỉnh lý giáo trình Danh tính bạn khơng tiết lộ phần phân tích số liệu Xin chân thành cám ơn bạn! Xin bạn điền thông tin vào chỗ trống Khoa:……………………………………………………………………………… Tuổi:…… Giới tính:……… Số năm bạn học tiếng Anh:……………… Mục đích học bạn học phần gì? Bạn đánh dấu (√) nhiều đáp án   A Nhằm nâng cao ngữ pháp tiếng Anh B Nhằm mở rộng vốn từ  C Nhằm phát triển kỹ giao tiếp (kỹ nghe nói)  D Nhằm phát triển bốn kỹ Mục đích khác (nếu có)………………… ……………………… Đối với câu từ đến 32, xin bạn đánh dấu (√) vào ô thể quan điểm bạn dựa theo giá trị đây: SD= Phản đối kịch liệ t N= Trung lập D= Phản đối A= Đồng ý SA= Cực kỳ đồng ý Xin đánh dấu (và một) ô không để trống câu Ngồi bạn giải thích rõ cho đánh giá khoảng trống câu Xin cám ơn! Mục tiêu sách Cuốn sách đáp ứng mục tiêu khoá học …………………………………………………………………… Thiết kế bố cục sách: SD D N A SA      57 Cách thiết kế sách hút …………………………………………………………………… Cuốn sách có bố cục rõ ràng (ví dụ, theo cấu trúc, chức năng, chủ đề, kỹ năng, v.v….) ……………………………………………………………….…… Nội dung sách trình bầy logic sở độ khó (theo mức độ khó tăng dần?) …………………………………………………………………… Cuốn sách có đủ số lượng ôn tập ……………………………………………………………….…… Các chủ đề sách Các chủ đề sách thú vị ……………………………………………………………….…… Cuốn sách có đa dạng chủ đề ……………………………………………………………….…… Mức độ khó chủ đề phù hợp với bạn ……………………………………………………………….…… 10 Các chủ đề giúp bạn mở rộng kiến thức làm giầu kinh nghiệm ……………………………………………………………….…… 11 Bạn liên hệ đến hồn cảnh văn hố xã hội trình bày sách ……………………………………………………………….…… Phần nội dung ngôn ngữ sách 12 Cuốn sách cung cấp cho bạn thơng tin cập nhật ……………………………………………………………….…… 13 Mức độ khó phần ngữ pháp phù hợp với bạn ……………………………………………………………….…… 58 14 Mức độ khó phần từ vựng phù hợp với bạn                ……………………………………………………………….…… 15 Có đủ số lượng tập từ vựng ……………………………………………………………….…… 16 Cuốn sách cung cấp đủ tập luyện phát âm ……………………………………………………………….…… 17 Cuốn sách đưa vào phần cấu trúc quy tắc sử dụng ngôn ngữ cao mức độ câu (sentence level), ví dụ: làm để tham gia vào nói chuyện (conversation), làm để xác đoạn đọc  định ý ……………………………………………………………….…… Các kỹ ngôn ngữ sách SD 18 Bốn kỹ (nghe, nói đọc, viết) phân bổ đầy đủ sách ……………………………………………………………….…… 19 Cuốn sách cung cấp tài liệu dành cho kỹ phối hợp (kết hợp luyện nhiều kỹ hoạt động, ví dụ đọc – nói, nghe – nói, v.v…) ……………………………………………………………….…… 20 Cuốn sách cung cấp đủ tập viết ……………………………………………………………….…… 21 Bài đọc sử dụng nhằm giới thiệu kiến thức ngôn ngữ (ngữ pháp từ vựng), ôn tập kiến thức học ……………………………………………………………….…… 22 Phần đọc tập trung vào việc phát triển kỹ chiến lược đọc hiểu ……………………………………………………………….…… 23 Độ dài đọc hợp lý D N A SA ……………………………………………………………….…… 24 Phần đọc trợ giúp đọc hiểu cách tạo bối cảnh, cung cấp 59 kiến thức nền, hay hỏi câu hỏi trước đọc (pre-reading questions) …………………………………………………………………… SD D N A SA 25 Bài đọc hoạt động liên quan phù hợp với bạn                                         ……………………………………………………………….…… 26 Bối cảnh phần nghe dễ hiểu với bạn ……………………………………………………………….…… 27 Các đoạn băng có chất lượng âm tốt ……………………………………………………………….…… 28 Có câu hỏi hoạt động trước nghe ……………………………………………………………….…… 29 Độ khó phần nghe phù hợp với bạn ……………………………………………………………….…… 30 Cuốn sách có hoạt động nói đa dạng ……………………………………………………………….…… 31 Các yếu tố giao tiếp thực tế có luyện tập ……………………………………………………………….…… 32 Mức độ khó phần nghe phù hợp với bạn ……………………………………………………………….…… This is the end of the questionnaire Thank you very much! 60 APPENDIX 3: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS This questionnaire is designed to collect information about teachers’ evaluation of the textbook English 1.1 Your assistance in responding to the following questions is appreciated You can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data In completing these questions, please choose the answer by checking the box next to your choice or expressing your ideas in the blanks Thank you very much in advance Your sex: ……………………………………………………………………… Your qualification:……………………………………………………………… Your years of teaching English:……………………………………………… What are the purposes of this course? You can choose more than one answer   A To improve your students‟ English basic grammar B To broaden your students‟ vocabulary  C To improve your students‟ communicative skills (listening and speaking  skills) D To improve all four language skills  Other purposes (if any)…………………………………… ………… For statements from to 34, please check (√) the box that best reflects your opinion using this scale: SD= Strongly Disagree D= Disagree N=Neutral A=Agree SA= Strongly Agree Please check one (and only one) box for each statement and don’t leave out any of them You can explain your choice in the blank below each statement Thank you very much! The textbook aims and approaches The textbook meets the course aims …………………………………………………………………… CLT approach, which is taken by the textbook, is appropriate to your teaching situation ……………………………………………………………….… 61 The textbook design and organization: The material is attractive …………………………………………………………………… The book has a clear organizational structure (E.g according to structures, functions, topics, skills, etc.) ……………………………………………………………….…… The content is presented logically on the basis of complexity …………………………………………………………………… There are an adequate number of review units ……………………………………………………………….…… The textbook topics The topics are interesting ……………………………………………………………….…… The textbook includes enough variety and range of topics ……………………………………………………………….…… 10 The difficulty level of the topics is suitable to your students ……………………………………………………………….…… 11 The topics help expand your students‟ knowledge and enrich their experience ……………………………………………………………….…… 12 Your students can relate to the social and cultural contexts presented in the book ……………………………………………………………….…… The textbook language content 13 The textbook provides your students with updated information ……………………………………………………………….…… 14 The difficulty level of the grammar in the textbook is suitable 62 to your students ……………………………………………………………….…… 15 The difficulty level of the vocabulary exercises is suitable to your students ……………………………………………………………….…… 16 There are enough vocabulary exercises ……………………………………………………………….…… 17 The textbook includes enough material for pronunciation work ……………………………………………………………….…… 18 The textbook deals with the structuring and conventions of language use above sentence level, e.g how to take part in conversations, how to identify the main points in a reading passage ……………………………………………………………….…… The textbook language skills 19 Four skills are adequately covered in the textbook ……………………………………………………………….…… 20 There is enough material for integrated skills work ……………………………………………………………….…… 21 There are enough writing tasks ……………………………………………………………….…… 22 The reading text is used for introducing new language items (grammar and vocabulary), consolidating language work ……………………………………………………………….…… 23 There is a focus on the development of reading skills and strategies ……………………………………………………………….…… 24 The texts are long enough ……………………………………………………………….…… 63 25 The texts are authentic 26 The material helps comprehension by, for example, setting the scene, providing background information, giving pre-reading questions ……………………………………………………………….…… 27 The difficulty level of the texts and their tasks is suitable to your students ……………………………………………………………….…… 28 The listening material is set in a meaningful context ……………………………………………………………….…… 29 The recordings are well-recorded ……………………………………………………………….…… 30 There are enough pre-listening tasks, questions, etc ……………………………………………………………….…… 31 The difficulty level of listening tasks is suitable to your students ……………………………………………………………….…… 32 The speaking tasks are various ……………………………………………………………….…… 33 There are elements of genuine communication ……………………………………………………………….…… 34 The difficulty level of speaking tasks is suitable to your students ……………………………………………………………….…… This is the end of the questionnaire Thank you very much! ... Students? ?? Evaluation of English 1. 1 Textbook in Use at University of Commerce? ?? suggests, the thesis will focus on the communicative nature of the English 1. 1 textbook and the ease of its use from the... What are the weaknesses of English 1. 1 textbook from the perspective of teachers and students at Vietnam University of Commerce? 1. 4 Scope of the study As its name “ Teachers? ?? and Students? ?? Evaluation. .. pre -use, in- use and post -use evaluation Preliminary or pre -use evaluation establishes potential suitability of the materials Formative or in- use evaluation examines how materials really work in