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Luận văn tiếng Anh: An evaluation of the text book "New English File Pre-intermediate" for the first year non-English majored students at University of Social Sciences and Humanities; suggestions for book use and adaptation = Đánh giá giáo trình “New English File Pre-intermediate” dành cho sinh viên không chuyên Tiếng Anh năm thứ nhất Trường Đại học Khoa Học Xã Hội và Nhân Văn; những đề xuất sử dụng sách và hiệu chỉnh .M.A Thesis Linguistics: 60 14 10
Nhà xuất bản: University of Languages and International Studies
Ngày: 2011
Chủ đề: Tiếng Anh
Phương pháp giảng dạy
Tiếng Anh chuyên ngành
Miêu tả: 42 p. + CD-ROM
M.A.Thesis English Teaching Methodology -- University of Languages and International Studies. Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 2011
There is no doubt that material evaluation is one of the essential components in the teaching and learning process of any languages. From this fact, the thesis was conducted to evaluate the material “New English File pre-intermediate” which is in current use for the first year non- English major students at University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH) since 2010 with a view to suggesting practical recommendations for future improvements of the material. As a result, the course book “New English File Pre-intermediate” will be used more effectively by both teachers and students at USSH. The data collection instruments employed in this study were questionnaires for teachers and students, teachers’ interviews and teacher’s weekly self- reports. In this thesis, the material is analyzed based on the criteria proposed by Hutchinson & Waters (1987), Cunningsworth’s (1995), Tomlinson’s (1998) and Mc Grath’s ( 2002) frameworks in order to investigate how the material reveals students’ needs and interests. Research findings have addressed some strengths and weaknesses of the material that enable the author to conclude that the material responds to students’ needs and interests. Based on the findings, the suggestions would be given for better application of the material through adaptation techniques like addition, deletion, replacement, and reorder and combination
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration ..................................................................................................................................i
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................ii
Abstract .................................................................................................................................... iii
Table of contents .......................................................................................................................iv
List of abbreviations ............................................................................................................... viii
List of figures and tables ....................................................................................................... viii
PART A: INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………. 1
1. Rationale for the thesis …………………………………………………………….. 1
2. Aims of the thesis ………………………………………………………………….. 1
3. The significance of the thesis………………………………………………………. 2
4. Scope of the thesis………………………………………………………………….. 2
5. Methods of the study……………………………………………………………….. 2
6. Design of the study………………………………………………………………… 3
PART B: DEVELOPMENT………………………………………………………... 4
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………. 4
1.1. Text book, coursebook and materials…………………………………………. 4
1.1.1. Definitions ……………………………………………………………………………… 4
1.1.2. The roles of Course-book …………………………………………………………… 5
1.2. Materials evaluation…………………………………………………………… 6
1.2.1. Definition ……………………………………………………………………... 6
1.2.2. Purposes of materials evaluation and the importance of materials evaluation 7
1.2.2.1. Purposes……………………………………………………………………………… 7v
1.2.2.2. The importance………………………………………………………………………. 7
1.2.3. Types of materials evaluation…………………………………………………. 7
1.2.4. Material evaluators …………………………………………………………… 8
1.2.5. Models for Materials evaluation ……………………………………………… 9
1.2.5.1. Evaluation by Ellis (1997)…………………………………………………………. 9
1.2.5.2. Evaluation by McDonough and Shaw (1993)…………………………………… 10
1.2.5.3. Evaluation by Hutchinson and Water (1987) …………………………………… 10
1.2.6. Criteria for Materials evaluation……………………………………………… 11
1.2.7. Need analysis…………………………………………………………………. 14
1.2.8. Materials adaptation………………………………………………………….. 16
1.3. Suitability of the present study in the research area…………………………. 18
CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY…………………………………. 20
2.1. Description of the context………………………………………………………. 20
2.1.1. The setting………………………………………………………………………………. 20
2.1.2. Course material………………………………………………………………………… 21
2.1 3. Course objectives………………………………………………………………………. 23
2.1.4. Course assessment……………………………………………………………………... 23
2.2. Research methodology ………………………………………………………… 23
2.2.1. Subjects ………………………………………………………………………………… 23
2.2.2. Instruments ……………………………………………………………………………... 23
2.2.3. Methods and procedures ……………………………………………………………… 24
CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS DISCUSSION…………….. 26
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3.1. Data analysis ……………………………………………………………………. 26
3.1.1. Overall rating of the course book New English File pre-intermediate………… 26
3.1.2.Teachers’ and students’ preference of the course book New English File pre –
intermediate…………………………………………………………………………………….
26
3.1.3. What teachers and students do not like about the book…………………………… 27
3.1.4. The decision to choose the book for future use…………………………………… 27
3.1.5. Does the material provide students with the opportunity to develop their
communicative competence?.........................................................................................
27
3.1.6. The language points available in this material…………………………………… 28
3.1.7.The participants’ opinions about language skills in the book New English File
pre-intermediate……………………………………………………………………………….
29
3.1.8. What do you think about the topics in this material?.......................................... 30
3.1.9. The update information of the book ……………………………………………… 30
3.1.10. Class time …………………………………………………………………………….. 31
3.1.11. Teachers and students’ preferences for the topics in New English File preintermediate……………………………………………………………………………………..
31
3.1.12. Teachers’ suggestions for the materials improvement …………………………. 32
3.2. Summary of major findings …………………………………………………… 34
3.3. Recommendation for future material improvements ………………………... 35
3.3.1. Why teachers have to adapt the book ………………………………………… 35
3.3.2. Adaptation Techniques……………………………………………………….. 36
3.3.2.1. Addition……………………………………………………………………………….. 36
3.3.2.2. Deletion ………………………………………………………………………………. 36
3.3.2.3. Replacement …………………………………………………………………………. 36vii
3.3.2.4. Reorder or combination…………………………………………………………….. 36
PART C: CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………… 38
1. The Conclusion of the study…………………………………………………. 38
2. Limitation and suggestions for future research………………………………. 39
REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………… 41
APPENDICE………………………………………………………………………… I
Appendix 1……………………………………………………………………………. I
Appendix 2…………………………………………………………………………… VI
Appendix 3……………………………………………………………………………. VII
Appendix 4……………………………………………………………………………. XIII
Appendix 5……………………………………………………………………………. XVIII
Appendix 6…………………………………………………………………………… XXI
Appendix 7……………………………………………………………………………. XXV
PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale for the thesis
There are many factors leading to learning English successfully including: teachers,
suitable course book choice, learning objectives, and environment and ect. Among which,
choosing an effective course book is always related to the objectives defined. How to
evaluate the course book so that we know whether our aims are well- matched with the
chosen book or not is really a demanding task. At the present, I am teaching English for
the first year non- English majored students. Two years ago, I taught New Way A- the
third edition. But since 2010, I have taught them New English File – from elementary to
pre-intermediate, and intermediate. One notable thing is that all the universities among the
Vietnam national University of Languages and International Studies have chosen New
English File from elementary to upper intermediate. According to Marji Napper (2006), the
author who reviews the New English File pre-intermediate, the book is comprehensive,
well-organised, and provides materials for a good progression through this level. That is
the first reason motivating me to investigate the effectiveness of the book after teaching.
With the growth of computer- assisted language learning, students have an access to many
sources of learning materials. It is essential that teachers make use of the assessment tools
to evaluate materials so that their students can have an opportunity to learn the highest
quality books providing students both communicative competence and diverse learning
experience. However, most of teachers have not been adequately trained in the selection
process and how to make the best choice of text suitable for learners. That research gap
inspires me to choose textbook evaluation as topic for this master thesis.
Last but not least, it is true that teachers teach students to learn English best when teachers
have profound knowledge of what their students really expect when learning English.
For all- above reasons, I will choose my minor thesis “ An Evaluation of New English
file – pre- intermediate for the first year non- English majored students at University
of Social Sciences and Humanities; Suggestions for book use and adaptation”
2. Aims of the thesis
The primary goal of this thesis is to evaluate the textbook New English File preintermediate from both lecturers and students’ viewpoints and then investigate the ways2
teachers adapt the book so that the book meets students’ needs and interests. To achieve
the aims of the thesis, the following research questions are proposed.
(a) To what extent does New English File Pre-intermediate satisfy students’ needs and
interests?
(b) What improvements should be made to the material to meet the students’ needs and
interests?
3. The significance of the thesis
The results of the thesis will provide useful information not only for the researcher, the
course books designers but also for the teaching staff and the first- year non- English major
students at University of Social Sciences and humanities. In addition, the findings are
regarded as the bases for recommendations of teaching New English File series more
successful. Last but not least, the research results are hoped to make small contribution to
the field of materials evaluation.
4. Scope of the thesis
At the present, a set of New English File is being taught at University of Social Sciences
and Humanities. The researcher, who is in charge of teaching New English File preintermediate, teaches the first year students. That is the reason why the thesis will firstly
focus on evaluating the post use of course book New English File – pre-intermediate.
Secondly, due to the limit of the minor thesis, the course book will be evaluated in terms
of language providing and skills developing
5. Methods of the study
According to research type, this thesis is categorized as an action research. To support the
research with varied and valid data, the author combined both qualitative and quantitative
approaches. As the study deals with two questions: (1) To what extent does New English
File Pre-intermediate satisfy students’ needs? ; (2) What improvements should be made to
the material to meet students’ needs? The following methods will be employed to collect
data for the study:
Survey – questionnaires: Two sets of questionnaires on New English File preintermediate evaluation designed for both teachers and the first –year students who have
experienced using the book
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Teachers’ informal interviews: Interviews were conducted with the author’s colleagues
who teach the second semester of the school year 2010-2011 for their assessment of the
book and their suggestions for better use of the material.
Teacher’ weekly self- reports: A free writing report is gradually produced by the
research weekly after finishing teaching each unit to record her judgments on each file.
The items in the questionnaires are based on the checklists of Hutchinson & Waters
(1987), Cunningsworth’s (1995), Tomlinson’s (1998) and Mc Grath’s ( 2002) frameworks
and basic principles for evaluating ELT textbook. These criteria when applied in the study
are adapted suitably with the context of University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
6. Design of the study
There are three main parts in this thesis: introduction, development, and conclusion.
The introduction comprises the rationale, the aims, the significance, the scope, and the
design of the study.
The development consists of three chapters
Chapter one provides a theoretical background related to materials evaluations. It discusses
the functions and types of materials in language teaching and learning and present major
issues of materials evaluation: definitions, purposes, and types of materials evaluation,
materials evaluators, models for materials evaluation, criteria for materials evaluation, as
well as material adaptation.
Chapter two concentrates on research methodology used in the thesis comprising a brief
introduction of current English teaching and learning at University of Social Sciences and
Humanities, research methods, and the data collection procedures.
Chapter three shows the findings of data analysis of the research and makes suggestions
for the material improvement.
The conclusion gives a brief summary of what discussed in the study and recommends
room for further research.4
PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
It is common knowledge that in order to conduct a research, the related bases should be
looked at. Therefore, this chapter gives a brief overview of the literature relevant to the
research.
1.1. Text book, coursebook and materials
1.1.1. Definitions
Materials:
Most people associate the term “language learning materials” with coursebooks because
that has been their main experience of using materials. However, according to Brian
Tomlinson (2005), the term is used to refer to anything which is used by teachers or
learners to facilitate the learning of a language. Materials could obviously be cassettes,
videos, CD-Roms, dictionaries, grammar books, readers, workbooks or photocopied
exercises. They could also be newspapers, food packages, photographs, live talks by
invited native speakers, instructions given by a teacher, tasks written on cards or
discussions between learners. In other words, they can be anything which is deliberately
used to increase the learners’ knowledge and or experience of the language. It is obvious
that teachers who are materials developers can choose different sources of input to help
their students learn the most effectively.
To do book evaluation in a correct way, first defining characteristics and giving a good
definition about course book is necessary. A coursebook is a book which provides the core
materials for a course. It aims to provide as much as possible in one book and is designed
so that it could serve as the only book which the learners necessarily use during a course.
Such a book usually includes work on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, functions, and
the skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. Although the definition which Ur
(1996: 183) has given is a simple one, it is very useful and easy to understand. It reads as
follows:
The term ‘course book’ means, a text book of which the teacher and each student has a
copy and which is in principle to be followed systematically as the basis for a language
course. Therefore, from the above definition one can get that a course book must have at
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least being available in the hand of students and teachers, and used systematically in a
course of study, and a course of study in this article refers to an English course of study.
According to McGrath (2002), the term “course book” refers to a textbook on which a
course is based, therefore, the terms “course book” and “textbook” in my study will be
used interchangeably by the researcher.
1.1.2. The roles of Course-book
Textbooks are a key component in most language programs. According to Richards (2005),
the use of commercial textbooks in teaching has given us the following principal
advantages: firstly, they provide structure and syllabus for a program because thanks to
textbooks, a language program has a central core and learners may receive a syllabus that
has been systematically planned and developed. Secondly, they Giúp standardize
instruction. It is obvious that textbooks used in a program can ensure that students in
different classes receive similar content and therefore can be tested in the same way.
Thirdly, course books maintain quality. If a well – developed textbook is used, students are
exposed to materials that have been tried and tested, that are based on sound learning
principles, and that are paced appropriately. Fourthly, they provide a variety of learning
resources. Textbooks are often accompanied by workbooks, CDs and cassettes, videos,
CDROMs, and comprehensive teaching guides, providing a rich and varied resource for
teachers and learners. Fifthly, they are efficient: they save teachers’ time, enabling teachers
to devote time to teaching rather than material’s production. Sixthly, they can provide
effective language models and input as textbooks can provide support for teachers whose
first languages are not English and who may not be able to generate accurate language
input on their own. Moreover, they can train teachers. If teachers have limited teaching
experience, a textbook together with the teachers’ manual can serve as a medium of initial
teacher training. Finally, textbooks are visually appealing. It is the fact that commercial
books usually have high standards of design and production and hence are appealing to
teachers and learners. However, there are also potential negative effects of using textbooks.
Firstly, they may contain inauthentic language because texts, dialogues, and other aspects
of content to be specially written to incorporate teaching points and are often not
representative of real language use. Secondly, they may distort content. It is clear that
textbooks often present an idealized view of the world or fail to represent real issues. In
order to make textbooks acceptable in many different contexts controversial topics are6
avoided and instead an idealized white middle class view of the world is portrayed as the
norm. What is more, textbooks may not reflect students’ needs since textbooks are often
written for global markets they often do not reflect the interests and needs of students and
hence may require adaptation. In addition, they can deskill teachers. If teachers use
textbooks as the primary source of their teaching, leaving the textbooks and teachers’
manual to make the major instructional decisions for them the teachers’ role can become
reduced to that of a technician whose primary function is to present materials prepared by
others. The final drawback is that they are expensive.
To sum up, textbooks supply us with both advantages and disadvantages. The matter is
when using textbook which have some negative consequences, remedial action should be
taken, e.g. by adapting or supplementing books or providing appropriate guidance and
support for teachers in how to use them appropriately.
1.2. Materials evaluation
1.2.1. Definition
As a key area in English language teaching, the significance of material design and
evaluation has grown steadily since materials, especially authentic materials are not simply
the everyday tools of the language teachers; they are an embodiment of the aims and
methods of a particular teaching or learning situation Evaluation is basically a matching
process, which concerns matching learners’ needs to available solutions (Hutchinson and
Waters 1987:97). Low (1987: 21) reminds us that “teachers generally need to screen
materials, in order to predict their suitability for particular classes”. Moreover, material
evaluation, according to Brian Tomlinson (2005), is regarded as the systematic appraisal of
the value of materials in relation to their objectives and to the objectives of the learners
using them.
However, the following definition seems to be a comprehensive one to suit the views and
the aims of the research.
“Evaluation is the systematic collection and analysis of all relevant information necessary
to promote the improvement of a curriculum, and assess its effectiveness and efficiency, as
well as the participants’ attitudes within the context of the particular institutions involved.”
(Brown, 1995: 218)
Briefly, different authors have different ways of defining what the materials evaluation is.
In my view, these authors share the view that materials evaluation is a matching process
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between the learners’ needs and designers’ purposes with a view to improving the teaching
– learning contexts when choosing a course book. I myself find the definition given by
Brown (1995: 218) is the most comprehensive and applicable in my research context at
University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
1.2.2. Purposes of materials evaluation and the importance of materials evaluation
1.2.2.1. Purposes
When we evaluate any materials, we want to identify the good points and bad points of the
materials in use. After we use them in the classroom for a long time, we need to evaluate
teaching materials so that we can know whether the materials match with the teaching
context or not. According to Ellis (1997), there are two primary reasons why we carry out
material evaluation. Firstly, there may be a need to choose among the materials available
the most suitable ones to use for a particular situation. Secondly, there can be a need for
materials evaluation to determine whether the material, which has been chosen, works for
that situation after it has been used for a period of time. This may Giúp in deciding whether
to use the materials again or replace it with a better one.
1.2.2.2. The importance
It is said that a learner without a course book is more teacher - dependent. While
developing materials for a class is a challenging job, now there is a variety of textbooks
available on the market each with a different methodology and syllabus, it can be much
more difficult to choose the best suitable book for a particular teaching situation. Hence, in
this situation the importance of book evaluation is clear. A thorough evaluation paves the
way for teaching staff of each organization and policy makers to have this ability to
discriminate amongst all the available books in the market. After considering weak points
as well as strong points of each book, educators can choose the most appropriate book.
Thus, through identifying strengths and weaknesses in textbooks, optimum use can be
made of strong points, and weaker points can be adapted or substituted from other books
(Cunningsworth 1995: 14).
1.2.3. Types of materials evaluation
There is a variety of classifications of materials evaluation by different authors. Robinson
(1991: 59) classifies materials evaluation into three types: preliminary, summative and8
formative while McGraph divides materials evaluation into three stages: pre- use, in- use
and post- use evaluation. Although different terms are used to indicate types of materials
evaluation, these terms are fundamentally similar.
Preliminary or pre- use evaluation often takes place before the course starts with the aim to
select the materials most suitable for the particular group of learners and for the aims of the
course.
Formative or in- use evaluation occurs during the learning process, the result obtained can
be used to modify what is being done or in other words, such results may suggest the
development of the material in the future.
Summative or post- use evaluation is normally conducted when the course is finished with
this evaluation will lead to the decision whether to repeat or use the materials again or not.
According to Cunningsworth (1995), pre- use evaluation tends to be the most difficult
kind since there is no actual experience of using the course book. From another
perspective, in-use evaluation is a kind of evaluation for suitability, involving, matching
the course book against a specific requirement including the learner’s objective, the
learner’s background, the resources available, etc. On the other hand, post-use evaluation
refers to an assessment of a textbook’s fitness over a period of continual use which helps
teachers to decide whether to use the same textbook in future or not.
In brief, there are various kinds of materials evaluation. Therefore, the evaluators have to
determine what type of materials evaluation will be appropriate with their context. For
University of Social Sciences and Humanities, New English has been employed for two
years, the researcher decided to use summative or post- use evaluation to determine
whether this material is effective or not and offer some suggestions for further
improvement.
1.2.4. Material evaluators
According to Robinson (1991), Tomlinson (1998), Richards (2001), and Dudley – Evan &
St. John (1998), evaluators can be either outsiders or insiders.
Outsiders are those who have not been involved in the program such as consultants,
inspectors, and administrators. Accordingly, they may not fully understand the teaching
and learning situation in which the evaluation is being carried out. Moreover, it may take
them more time to be aware of the local situation such as learners’ needs, facilities, and
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time constraints so it may be difficult for them to make truly judgments and
recommendations of the program.
The insiders, in contrast, are those who have been directly involved in the language –
teaching program such as teachers, students, course, materials designers. Therefore, they
can provide the most valid information in the evaluation process. In addition, 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, Richards (2001) states that the involvement of the
insiders plays an important part in the success of evaluation because “as a consequence,
they will have greater degree of commitment to acting on its results” (p.296). He also adds
that the teachers can watch out for when the materials are being used. Consequently, they
can know exactly the extent that the materials work for their purposes and they make
modifications to improve the effectiveness of the materials. However, there are also
disadvantages to insiders when they are “too close and involved” (Dudley-Evan and St.
John, 1998, p.131) so the evaluation may be influenced by their subjective viewpoints and
their teaching experience.
1.2.5. Models for Materials evaluation
Although there are many different models for materials adaptation, the most commonly
models are suggested by Ellis (1997), McDonough & Shaw (1993), and Hutchinson and
Water ( 1987).
1.2.5.1. Evaluation by Ellis (1997)
This is a micro – evaluation. In this model, Ellis suggests the practice of a detailed
empirical evaluation and focuses on evaluation at the task level with reference to its actual
teaching and learning context. The steps are as follows:
1. Choosing the task to follow;
2. Describing the task with specification of input, procedures, language activities and
outcomes;
3. Planning the evaluation with reference to the dimensions above;
4. Collecting information before, while and after the task was used, and what how the task
performed;
CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
As the study was conducted at English department of University of Social Sciences and
Humanity, it is vital for the author firstly to give brief description of the teaching and
learning context including the course book used, the teachers as well as non- English
majors. Then the research method - the heart of the chapter will be described. It consists of
subjects, research instruments, and procedures of data collection.
2.1. Description of the context
2.1.1. The setting
The study was conducted at University of Social Sciences and Humanities that trains a
variety of students’ majors such as tourists guides, journalists, librarians and teachers.
There are many foreign languages like English, French, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
Among which English is a compulsory subject with 13 credits at University of Social
Sciences and Humanities and it has the biggest learners though most students are not
majored in English. In the first year, they learn New English file elementary and New
English file pre-intermediate. In the second year, they learn New English File intermediate.
In the third year, they do not have to study English except high quality students. The high
quality students learn ILETS for one fifteen week semester. As soon as they finish their
semester, they take the ILETS exams. As for normal classes, they are not going to take any
English exams in the fourth year. Each academic year falls into two semesters, each lasting
15 weeks, and finishing with end of term examinations. For the first two years, which
means the first four semesters, students are taught basic language skills namely listening,
speaking, reading, writing and grammar. They learn each level in four semesters of the first
two years. During fifteen weeks of each New English File, the course is organized in two
meetings a week, each 25 – student class has to attend four hours of English a day. In each
meeting, teacher teaches listening, reading, writing, speaking, and grammar integratedly.
The teaching and learning New English File series follow the learner- center approach,
aiming at developing students’ English communicative competence.
Usually three or four English teachers are responsible for a class with different
backgrounds of students. Most students have learned English since the third grade whereas
some have learned other languages like French, Chinese, or Russian. Therefore students
with different English knowledge seem to learn in different classes with various students
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depending on the time they register the course. It is the fact that students are not learned in
the same English classes in four semesters. It is easy to understand this because most
students come from different majors with different timetables. This brings them both the
positive and negative effects. The good points are that they have been exposed to various
teaching methods of English as well as types of partners. They have certain difficulties
however, such as the gap between excellent and poor students, multi- level English classes,
and studying methods.
2.1.2. Course material
As the focus of the study on New English File pre-intermediate students’ book, the
researcher gives more information about this book. New English File –pre-intermediate is
designed by Clive Oxenden, Christina Latham-Koenig, Paul Seligson in 2010. New
English File Pre-Intermediate consists of a Student’s Book, Teacher’s Book, Work Book
with key booklet, Student’s MultiROM (PC and Mac compatible), class audio CDs and
video.
The Student's book is a general English text which is designed for group classes but which
can be effectively adapted for one-to-one teaching. There are nine units, all except the last
divided into four teaching sections. Each teaching section covers a grammar point. At the
end of each unit there’s a “Practical English” section, which puts the grammar and
vocabulary into a practical context and gives the student the opportunity to practice.
Further practice is provided on the MultiROM disc and the video. A more substantial
writing exercise (for example: an e-mail, a letter or a description) and a well-designed
revise and check section are also included at the end of each unit.
There is a strong emphasis on pronunciation and word and sentence stress throughout this
series and the Pre-Intermediate level is no exception. As you would expect from a text with
this focus, the listening exercises are well thought out with a good mix of comprehension,
production (repeating words for pronunciation and sentences for stress). The Student’s
Book also contains grammar and vocabulary banks, extra communication exercises and
tape scripts of the class audio CD’s.
In the view of the researcher, the Workbook is the almost comprehensive in comparison
with other books in the market because it gives the students the chance to practice in all the
grammar structures and vocabulary from the main text. However, the class work and22
homework may overload for students except some the students who are particularly keen
on. Hence, it is best to set homework selectively otherwise the amount of marking becomes
impracticable or the students start to suffer from homework overload and the focus of their
language learning turns to formulating plausible excuses for not doing it.
The Teacher’s Book contains the answers and a suggested lesson plan for each teaching
section. The lesson plans come with optional lead-ins, suggested methods for the
presentation of the grammar points and the exercises. They also contain specific and
comprehensive references to the supplementary materials like the video and the Student’s
Workbook. There are also photocopiable activities which can be used for reinforcing
language points or for reviewing them later.
With two teaching year experience, as for teachers, the book has guided us to teach English
effectively and interestingly. To students, I have found that photocopiable activities
motivate students of all levels to enjoy doing them and consolidate the grammar and
structures they work very well.
The student’s MultiROm disc provides listen, repeat and answer exercises when used in a
CD player and quizzes, vocabulary and video sequences when on a computer.
The video “presents functional and everyday language” to the student. Points at which it
can be used during lessons are flagged as “Study Links” in the Teacher’s Book. The
second section of each episode the main functional section is reproduced on the
MultiROM so that the student can practice at home. The language is clearly presented in
useful situations and you can, of course, choose whether or not to display the subtitles. To
be honest, I found the video with its studio minimalist presentation style disappointing. It’s
true that there’s nothing to distract one from the language, which is and should be the main
focus, but I think videos should be visually stimulating and this is a missed opportunity for
getting the student involved and excited a bit like visual Ryvita.
The last, however, is a minor criticism. Overall, I think this is a very good pre-intermediate
level text. It is sound, challenging, and stimulating for the student and can be easily
tailored to meet an individual student’s needs. The supplementary exercises and activities
are easily set up, the students enjoy them, and they work. From the teacher’s point of view,
it is very well organized and there is enough variety and range to appeal to most general
English students at this level.
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2.1 3. Course objectives
By the end of this semester, the students are supposed to gain common objectives as
follows: Firstly, students can understand a variety of sentences as well as common
expressions of daily topic conversation. Secondly, learners are capable of communicating
in simple situations through direct information exchanges. Moreover, after finishing the
course, students have ability to describe their appearance, personality, daily activities as
well as show their opinions of problems directly associated with their life.
2.1.4. Course assessment
There are four kinds of assessment in the course including attendance accounting for 10 %,
progress test 1( listening, reading and grammar in 50 minutes making up 20 % ), the
progress two ( speaking test with 10 % – students choose a card and discuss with their
partner and answers questions raised by teachers) and the final assessment occupying 60
% ( the 100 minute test consisting of listening, writing, reading and grammar)
2.2. Research methodology
2.2.1. Subjects
The subjects involved in this study were 200 first year non English majors and 10 English
teachers. The research is carried out on only the first year students of school year 2010-
2011. Among them, only samples of the students are randomly picked up. They include
both male and female students but the female outnumbered the male, ranging from the age
of 18 to 22. Most of them learned English for seven years. However, they have different
levels of English proficiency because they come from different places in Vietnam with
different background knowledge. The students under study have finished their first term
and second term of the first year at USSH. Therefore, they are supposed to be at preintermediate level of English proficiency. Regarding English teachers, most of them have
had more than one year in teaching New English File at English department. All of them
have B.A degree while five of them have M.A degree in Education or linguistics. The
teachers who have graduated are studying MA courses or preparing to learn MA course in
the future. The teachers here are the samples of the teacher population who have been
working actively with the material.
2.2.2. Instruments
The main means of data in this thesis is two sets of questionnaires designed for the
teachers and the students. The questionnaires were designed with a mixture of closed and24
open- ended questions. The questionnaires aimed mainly to survey students’ evaluation of
the textbook and their opinion towards improving the materials. Brown & Rogers (2002:
142) state “ Surveys are any procedures used to gather and describe the characteristics,
attitudes, views, opinions and so forth of students, teachers, administrators or any other
people who are important to a study.” Therefore, participants could be free to express their
thoughts about the items raised in the questionnaires.
The objectives of the questionnaires: The survey was designed to accomplish the following
objectives:
Compare the general assessment of the students and their teachers about the Course
book New English File pre-intermediate
Identify and assess the gaps for improvement in teaching and learning textbook
New English File pre-intermediate
It is hoped that the evaluation checklist would be of good use to other colleges or
universities if they would like to choose same means of instrument for their own materials.
The steps of designing the questionnaires were displayed as follows:
Write the first draft and Consult colleague’s opinions
Pilot the questionnaires by sending them to colleagues
Consult supervisor’s opinions
Edit and write complete questionnaires
Translate the questionnaires into Vietnamese
Deliver the questionnaires
2.2.3. Methods and procedures
The study follows a qualitative research approach to describe qualitatively the different
ways in which the students and the teachers experience, understand, and evaluate the book
New English File Pre –intermediate. In terms of research category, this thesis can also be
regarded as sort of action research whose aims to improve the quality of instructional
materials.
Respondents were requested to answer the close- ended and open- ended questionnaires
including the rankings of different aspects by four categories in the questionnaires.
Additional spaces were provided for participants to make any further comments.
The analysis procedure of survey results was presented in the following steps.
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In the first step, the questionnaires were designed elaborately concentrating on the aspects
that play a vital role in course book evaluation. Thanks to the constructive suggestions of
the supervisors as well as the consultancy of other colleagues, the pilot survey
questionnaires were edited to ensure their clarity, conciseness, and validity. At the second
stage, the author duplicated the questionnaires and delivered them to the targeted teachers
and students. In order to limit the drawbacks of this method, the respondents were
requested to complete and return on the spot to the researcher after one hour. At the third
step, the researcher firstly worked out both set of questionnaires spontaneously to analyze
the data collected from the questionnaires. The data were coded into charts of various
classifications. Then the researcher summed up and changed all the items with choices into
percentage. Thirdly, for each category, these figures were graphically co- shown on the
charts to make comparison. As for open questions and close- ended questions, the author
analyzed based on general summary and gave explanations using the author’s own
experience and responses from the informants.
As a result, all the analyses were combined to answer the research questions respectively.26
CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS DISCUSSION
This section presents firstly how the respondents assessed the book New English File with
the Giúp of survey questionnaire, teachers’ interview. After that, the results will be
discussed.
3.1. Data analysis
3.1.1. Overall rating of the course book New English File pre-intermediate
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
poor fair good excellent
teachers' comments
students'comments
Figure 3. 1. Teachers’ and students’ assessment of the book New English File- pre
intermediate
When being asked to have overall rates on the course book, teachers, and students have
different views about the course book New English File pre-intermediate. While a
minority of teachers assessed the book “poor, fair and excellent” with 6.7 %, 6.7 % and
13.3 % respectively, nearly 50 % of students assess the book “fair”. Although teachers and
students have various rate of book assessment, they share some viewpoints. Most of the
participants commended the book “good” with high percentage (73.3 % for the teachers
and 50 % for the students). From the figure, it is evident that the book New English File
has satisfied both teachers’ and students’ needs. It means that the material is suitable for
both the course, and learners’ expectations.
3.1.2.Teachers’ and students’ preference of the course book New English File pre –
intermediate
In general, there are many striking differences between teachers’ and students’ likes about
.3.2. Adaptation Techniques
3.3.2.1. Addition
As discussed in the chapter two, there are two ways of addition: qualitative and
quantitative techniques. As for the course book New English File pre-intermediate, the
researcher chooses the qualitative way because it serves certain purposes. Firstly, the
material should add the vocabulary practice exercises, such as word- formation; gap- fills
and match the words with their definition so that students have more opportunity to expose
to language use. Secondly, it is important that writing, speaking and pronunciation
activities should be more added. More exercises for these sections such as transforming
sentences, write paragraphs should be designed for writing. The same should be done for
speaking like role- play, sample conversations and picture description. It is vital that the
book’ guidelines are added and instructions for teachers to teach skills critically.
3.3.2.2. Deletion
Deletion means cutting one or more steps within an activities or omitting a whole activity
or even a whole lesson and making up for a more suitable one to meet the objectives of the
whole unit. In this material, teachers should delete some tasks or exercises, put them into
the home work assignment and afterwards design some other proper tasks or exercises.
For example, in file 1C, the students have to learn to use the present continuous and its
topic is art. Because the topic is so abstract and clothes in the pictures are quite traditional,
teachers can omit the whole picture and choose other pictures that are modern and familiar
to students. Then, teachers ask students to match the pictures and present continuous
sentences. Next, teacher explains carefully the present continuous tense to students.
3.3.2.3. Replacement
Through my experience, the course book is sometimes inappropriate for the first year
students’ age and experience. For example, in file 2C fifty of Pop, the students have to
learn the question words through quizzes containing questions about famous singers many
years ago. With this section, students find it hard to answer because it is not suitable for
their generation. Therefore, in any file with unfamiliar topics, teachers should replace with
a more proper one to make learning English enjoyable.
3.3.2.4. Reorder or combination
It is truly that the book does not always have three stages for each skill. It is vital that
students are given the chance to activate what they know about one topic and then discuss
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the problem after they have some input. In other words, teachers give students opportunity
to revise their background knowledge as well as express their opinions in an appropriate
follow – up.
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Nhà xuất bản: University of Languages and International Studies
Ngày: 2011
Chủ đề: Tiếng Anh
Phương pháp giảng dạy
Tiếng Anh chuyên ngành
Miêu tả: 42 p. + CD-ROM
M.A.Thesis English Teaching Methodology -- University of Languages and International Studies. Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 2011
There is no doubt that material evaluation is one of the essential components in the teaching and learning process of any languages. From this fact, the thesis was conducted to evaluate the material “New English File pre-intermediate” which is in current use for the first year non- English major students at University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH) since 2010 with a view to suggesting practical recommendations for future improvements of the material. As a result, the course book “New English File Pre-intermediate” will be used more effectively by both teachers and students at USSH. The data collection instruments employed in this study were questionnaires for teachers and students, teachers’ interviews and teacher’s weekly self- reports. In this thesis, the material is analyzed based on the criteria proposed by Hutchinson & Waters (1987), Cunningsworth’s (1995), Tomlinson’s (1998) and Mc Grath’s ( 2002) frameworks in order to investigate how the material reveals students’ needs and interests. Research findings have addressed some strengths and weaknesses of the material that enable the author to conclude that the material responds to students’ needs and interests. Based on the findings, the suggestions would be given for better application of the material through adaptation techniques like addition, deletion, replacement, and reorder and combination
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration ..................................................................................................................................i
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................ii
Abstract .................................................................................................................................... iii
Table of contents .......................................................................................................................iv
List of abbreviations ............................................................................................................... viii
List of figures and tables ....................................................................................................... viii
PART A: INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………. 1
1. Rationale for the thesis …………………………………………………………….. 1
2. Aims of the thesis ………………………………………………………………….. 1
3. The significance of the thesis………………………………………………………. 2
4. Scope of the thesis………………………………………………………………….. 2
5. Methods of the study……………………………………………………………….. 2
6. Design of the study………………………………………………………………… 3
PART B: DEVELOPMENT………………………………………………………... 4
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………. 4
1.1. Text book, coursebook and materials…………………………………………. 4
1.1.1. Definitions ……………………………………………………………………………… 4
1.1.2. The roles of Course-book …………………………………………………………… 5
1.2. Materials evaluation…………………………………………………………… 6
1.2.1. Definition ……………………………………………………………………... 6
1.2.2. Purposes of materials evaluation and the importance of materials evaluation 7
1.2.2.1. Purposes……………………………………………………………………………… 7v
1.2.2.2. The importance………………………………………………………………………. 7
1.2.3. Types of materials evaluation…………………………………………………. 7
1.2.4. Material evaluators …………………………………………………………… 8
1.2.5. Models for Materials evaluation ……………………………………………… 9
1.2.5.1. Evaluation by Ellis (1997)…………………………………………………………. 9
1.2.5.2. Evaluation by McDonough and Shaw (1993)…………………………………… 10
1.2.5.3. Evaluation by Hutchinson and Water (1987) …………………………………… 10
1.2.6. Criteria for Materials evaluation……………………………………………… 11
1.2.7. Need analysis…………………………………………………………………. 14
1.2.8. Materials adaptation………………………………………………………….. 16
1.3. Suitability of the present study in the research area…………………………. 18
CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY…………………………………. 20
2.1. Description of the context………………………………………………………. 20
2.1.1. The setting………………………………………………………………………………. 20
2.1.2. Course material………………………………………………………………………… 21
2.1 3. Course objectives………………………………………………………………………. 23
2.1.4. Course assessment……………………………………………………………………... 23
2.2. Research methodology ………………………………………………………… 23
2.2.1. Subjects ………………………………………………………………………………… 23
2.2.2. Instruments ……………………………………………………………………………... 23
2.2.3. Methods and procedures ……………………………………………………………… 24
CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS DISCUSSION…………….. 26
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3.1. Data analysis ……………………………………………………………………. 26
3.1.1. Overall rating of the course book New English File pre-intermediate………… 26
3.1.2.Teachers’ and students’ preference of the course book New English File pre –
intermediate…………………………………………………………………………………….
26
3.1.3. What teachers and students do not like about the book…………………………… 27
3.1.4. The decision to choose the book for future use…………………………………… 27
3.1.5. Does the material provide students with the opportunity to develop their
communicative competence?.........................................................................................
27
3.1.6. The language points available in this material…………………………………… 28
3.1.7.The participants’ opinions about language skills in the book New English File
pre-intermediate……………………………………………………………………………….
29
3.1.8. What do you think about the topics in this material?.......................................... 30
3.1.9. The update information of the book ……………………………………………… 30
3.1.10. Class time …………………………………………………………………………….. 31
3.1.11. Teachers and students’ preferences for the topics in New English File preintermediate……………………………………………………………………………………..
31
3.1.12. Teachers’ suggestions for the materials improvement …………………………. 32
3.2. Summary of major findings …………………………………………………… 34
3.3. Recommendation for future material improvements ………………………... 35
3.3.1. Why teachers have to adapt the book ………………………………………… 35
3.3.2. Adaptation Techniques……………………………………………………….. 36
3.3.2.1. Addition……………………………………………………………………………….. 36
3.3.2.2. Deletion ………………………………………………………………………………. 36
3.3.2.3. Replacement …………………………………………………………………………. 36vii
3.3.2.4. Reorder or combination…………………………………………………………….. 36
PART C: CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………… 38
1. The Conclusion of the study…………………………………………………. 38
2. Limitation and suggestions for future research………………………………. 39
REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………… 41
APPENDICE………………………………………………………………………… I
Appendix 1……………………………………………………………………………. I
Appendix 2…………………………………………………………………………… VI
Appendix 3……………………………………………………………………………. VII
Appendix 4……………………………………………………………………………. XIII
Appendix 5……………………………………………………………………………. XVIII
Appendix 6…………………………………………………………………………… XXI
Appendix 7……………………………………………………………………………. XXV
PART A: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale for the thesis
There are many factors leading to learning English successfully including: teachers,
suitable course book choice, learning objectives, and environment and ect. Among which,
choosing an effective course book is always related to the objectives defined. How to
evaluate the course book so that we know whether our aims are well- matched with the
chosen book or not is really a demanding task. At the present, I am teaching English for
the first year non- English majored students. Two years ago, I taught New Way A- the
third edition. But since 2010, I have taught them New English File – from elementary to
pre-intermediate, and intermediate. One notable thing is that all the universities among the
Vietnam national University of Languages and International Studies have chosen New
English File from elementary to upper intermediate. According to Marji Napper (2006), the
author who reviews the New English File pre-intermediate, the book is comprehensive,
well-organised, and provides materials for a good progression through this level. That is
the first reason motivating me to investigate the effectiveness of the book after teaching.
With the growth of computer- assisted language learning, students have an access to many
sources of learning materials. It is essential that teachers make use of the assessment tools
to evaluate materials so that their students can have an opportunity to learn the highest
quality books providing students both communicative competence and diverse learning
experience. However, most of teachers have not been adequately trained in the selection
process and how to make the best choice of text suitable for learners. That research gap
inspires me to choose textbook evaluation as topic for this master thesis.
Last but not least, it is true that teachers teach students to learn English best when teachers
have profound knowledge of what their students really expect when learning English.
For all- above reasons, I will choose my minor thesis “ An Evaluation of New English
file – pre- intermediate for the first year non- English majored students at University
of Social Sciences and Humanities; Suggestions for book use and adaptation”
2. Aims of the thesis
The primary goal of this thesis is to evaluate the textbook New English File preintermediate from both lecturers and students’ viewpoints and then investigate the ways2
teachers adapt the book so that the book meets students’ needs and interests. To achieve
the aims of the thesis, the following research questions are proposed.
(a) To what extent does New English File Pre-intermediate satisfy students’ needs and
interests?
(b) What improvements should be made to the material to meet the students’ needs and
interests?
3. The significance of the thesis
The results of the thesis will provide useful information not only for the researcher, the
course books designers but also for the teaching staff and the first- year non- English major
students at University of Social Sciences and humanities. In addition, the findings are
regarded as the bases for recommendations of teaching New English File series more
successful. Last but not least, the research results are hoped to make small contribution to
the field of materials evaluation.
4. Scope of the thesis
At the present, a set of New English File is being taught at University of Social Sciences
and Humanities. The researcher, who is in charge of teaching New English File preintermediate, teaches the first year students. That is the reason why the thesis will firstly
focus on evaluating the post use of course book New English File – pre-intermediate.
Secondly, due to the limit of the minor thesis, the course book will be evaluated in terms
of language providing and skills developing
5. Methods of the study
According to research type, this thesis is categorized as an action research. To support the
research with varied and valid data, the author combined both qualitative and quantitative
approaches. As the study deals with two questions: (1) To what extent does New English
File Pre-intermediate satisfy students’ needs? ; (2) What improvements should be made to
the material to meet students’ needs? The following methods will be employed to collect
data for the study:
Survey – questionnaires: Two sets of questionnaires on New English File preintermediate evaluation designed for both teachers and the first –year students who have
experienced using the book
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Teachers’ informal interviews: Interviews were conducted with the author’s colleagues
who teach the second semester of the school year 2010-2011 for their assessment of the
book and their suggestions for better use of the material.
Teacher’ weekly self- reports: A free writing report is gradually produced by the
research weekly after finishing teaching each unit to record her judgments on each file.
The items in the questionnaires are based on the checklists of Hutchinson & Waters
(1987), Cunningsworth’s (1995), Tomlinson’s (1998) and Mc Grath’s ( 2002) frameworks
and basic principles for evaluating ELT textbook. These criteria when applied in the study
are adapted suitably with the context of University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
6. Design of the study
There are three main parts in this thesis: introduction, development, and conclusion.
The introduction comprises the rationale, the aims, the significance, the scope, and the
design of the study.
The development consists of three chapters
Chapter one provides a theoretical background related to materials evaluations. It discusses
the functions and types of materials in language teaching and learning and present major
issues of materials evaluation: definitions, purposes, and types of materials evaluation,
materials evaluators, models for materials evaluation, criteria for materials evaluation, as
well as material adaptation.
Chapter two concentrates on research methodology used in the thesis comprising a brief
introduction of current English teaching and learning at University of Social Sciences and
Humanities, research methods, and the data collection procedures.
Chapter three shows the findings of data analysis of the research and makes suggestions
for the material improvement.
The conclusion gives a brief summary of what discussed in the study and recommends
room for further research.4
PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
It is common knowledge that in order to conduct a research, the related bases should be
looked at. Therefore, this chapter gives a brief overview of the literature relevant to the
research.
1.1. Text book, coursebook and materials
1.1.1. Definitions
Materials:
Most people associate the term “language learning materials” with coursebooks because
that has been their main experience of using materials. However, according to Brian
Tomlinson (2005), the term is used to refer to anything which is used by teachers or
learners to facilitate the learning of a language. Materials could obviously be cassettes,
videos, CD-Roms, dictionaries, grammar books, readers, workbooks or photocopied
exercises. They could also be newspapers, food packages, photographs, live talks by
invited native speakers, instructions given by a teacher, tasks written on cards or
discussions between learners. In other words, they can be anything which is deliberately
used to increase the learners’ knowledge and or experience of the language. It is obvious
that teachers who are materials developers can choose different sources of input to help
their students learn the most effectively.
To do book evaluation in a correct way, first defining characteristics and giving a good
definition about course book is necessary. A coursebook is a book which provides the core
materials for a course. It aims to provide as much as possible in one book and is designed
so that it could serve as the only book which the learners necessarily use during a course.
Such a book usually includes work on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, functions, and
the skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. Although the definition which Ur
(1996: 183) has given is a simple one, it is very useful and easy to understand. It reads as
follows:
The term ‘course book’ means, a text book of which the teacher and each student has a
copy and which is in principle to be followed systematically as the basis for a language
course. Therefore, from the above definition one can get that a course book must have at
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least being available in the hand of students and teachers, and used systematically in a
course of study, and a course of study in this article refers to an English course of study.
According to McGrath (2002), the term “course book” refers to a textbook on which a
course is based, therefore, the terms “course book” and “textbook” in my study will be
used interchangeably by the researcher.
1.1.2. The roles of Course-book
Textbooks are a key component in most language programs. According to Richards (2005),
the use of commercial textbooks in teaching has given us the following principal
advantages: firstly, they provide structure and syllabus for a program because thanks to
textbooks, a language program has a central core and learners may receive a syllabus that
has been systematically planned and developed. Secondly, they Giúp standardize
instruction. It is obvious that textbooks used in a program can ensure that students in
different classes receive similar content and therefore can be tested in the same way.
Thirdly, course books maintain quality. If a well – developed textbook is used, students are
exposed to materials that have been tried and tested, that are based on sound learning
principles, and that are paced appropriately. Fourthly, they provide a variety of learning
resources. Textbooks are often accompanied by workbooks, CDs and cassettes, videos,
CDROMs, and comprehensive teaching guides, providing a rich and varied resource for
teachers and learners. Fifthly, they are efficient: they save teachers’ time, enabling teachers
to devote time to teaching rather than material’s production. Sixthly, they can provide
effective language models and input as textbooks can provide support for teachers whose
first languages are not English and who may not be able to generate accurate language
input on their own. Moreover, they can train teachers. If teachers have limited teaching
experience, a textbook together with the teachers’ manual can serve as a medium of initial
teacher training. Finally, textbooks are visually appealing. It is the fact that commercial
books usually have high standards of design and production and hence are appealing to
teachers and learners. However, there are also potential negative effects of using textbooks.
Firstly, they may contain inauthentic language because texts, dialogues, and other aspects
of content to be specially written to incorporate teaching points and are often not
representative of real language use. Secondly, they may distort content. It is clear that
textbooks often present an idealized view of the world or fail to represent real issues. In
order to make textbooks acceptable in many different contexts controversial topics are6
avoided and instead an idealized white middle class view of the world is portrayed as the
norm. What is more, textbooks may not reflect students’ needs since textbooks are often
written for global markets they often do not reflect the interests and needs of students and
hence may require adaptation. In addition, they can deskill teachers. If teachers use
textbooks as the primary source of their teaching, leaving the textbooks and teachers’
manual to make the major instructional decisions for them the teachers’ role can become
reduced to that of a technician whose primary function is to present materials prepared by
others. The final drawback is that they are expensive.
To sum up, textbooks supply us with both advantages and disadvantages. The matter is
when using textbook which have some negative consequences, remedial action should be
taken, e.g. by adapting or supplementing books or providing appropriate guidance and
support for teachers in how to use them appropriately.
1.2. Materials evaluation
1.2.1. Definition
As a key area in English language teaching, the significance of material design and
evaluation has grown steadily since materials, especially authentic materials are not simply
the everyday tools of the language teachers; they are an embodiment of the aims and
methods of a particular teaching or learning situation Evaluation is basically a matching
process, which concerns matching learners’ needs to available solutions (Hutchinson and
Waters 1987:97). Low (1987: 21) reminds us that “teachers generally need to screen
materials, in order to predict their suitability for particular classes”. Moreover, material
evaluation, according to Brian Tomlinson (2005), is regarded as the systematic appraisal of
the value of materials in relation to their objectives and to the objectives of the learners
using them.
However, the following definition seems to be a comprehensive one to suit the views and
the aims of the research.
“Evaluation is the systematic collection and analysis of all relevant information necessary
to promote the improvement of a curriculum, and assess its effectiveness and efficiency, as
well as the participants’ attitudes within the context of the particular institutions involved.”
(Brown, 1995: 218)
Briefly, different authors have different ways of defining what the materials evaluation is.
In my view, these authors share the view that materials evaluation is a matching process
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between the learners’ needs and designers’ purposes with a view to improving the teaching
– learning contexts when choosing a course book. I myself find the definition given by
Brown (1995: 218) is the most comprehensive and applicable in my research context at
University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
1.2.2. Purposes of materials evaluation and the importance of materials evaluation
1.2.2.1. Purposes
When we evaluate any materials, we want to identify the good points and bad points of the
materials in use. After we use them in the classroom for a long time, we need to evaluate
teaching materials so that we can know whether the materials match with the teaching
context or not. According to Ellis (1997), there are two primary reasons why we carry out
material evaluation. Firstly, there may be a need to choose among the materials available
the most suitable ones to use for a particular situation. Secondly, there can be a need for
materials evaluation to determine whether the material, which has been chosen, works for
that situation after it has been used for a period of time. This may Giúp in deciding whether
to use the materials again or replace it with a better one.
1.2.2.2. The importance
It is said that a learner without a course book is more teacher - dependent. While
developing materials for a class is a challenging job, now there is a variety of textbooks
available on the market each with a different methodology and syllabus, it can be much
more difficult to choose the best suitable book for a particular teaching situation. Hence, in
this situation the importance of book evaluation is clear. A thorough evaluation paves the
way for teaching staff of each organization and policy makers to have this ability to
discriminate amongst all the available books in the market. After considering weak points
as well as strong points of each book, educators can choose the most appropriate book.
Thus, through identifying strengths and weaknesses in textbooks, optimum use can be
made of strong points, and weaker points can be adapted or substituted from other books
(Cunningsworth 1995: 14).
1.2.3. Types of materials evaluation
There is a variety of classifications of materials evaluation by different authors. Robinson
(1991: 59) classifies materials evaluation into three types: preliminary, summative and8
formative while McGraph divides materials evaluation into three stages: pre- use, in- use
and post- use evaluation. Although different terms are used to indicate types of materials
evaluation, these terms are fundamentally similar.
Preliminary or pre- use evaluation often takes place before the course starts with the aim to
select the materials most suitable for the particular group of learners and for the aims of the
course.
Formative or in- use evaluation occurs during the learning process, the result obtained can
be used to modify what is being done or in other words, such results may suggest the
development of the material in the future.
Summative or post- use evaluation is normally conducted when the course is finished with
this evaluation will lead to the decision whether to repeat or use the materials again or not.
According to Cunningsworth (1995), pre- use evaluation tends to be the most difficult
kind since there is no actual experience of using the course book. From another
perspective, in-use evaluation is a kind of evaluation for suitability, involving, matching
the course book against a specific requirement including the learner’s objective, the
learner’s background, the resources available, etc. On the other hand, post-use evaluation
refers to an assessment of a textbook’s fitness over a period of continual use which helps
teachers to decide whether to use the same textbook in future or not.
In brief, there are various kinds of materials evaluation. Therefore, the evaluators have to
determine what type of materials evaluation will be appropriate with their context. For
University of Social Sciences and Humanities, New English has been employed for two
years, the researcher decided to use summative or post- use evaluation to determine
whether this material is effective or not and offer some suggestions for further
improvement.
1.2.4. Material evaluators
According to Robinson (1991), Tomlinson (1998), Richards (2001), and Dudley – Evan &
St. John (1998), evaluators can be either outsiders or insiders.
Outsiders are those who have not been involved in the program such as consultants,
inspectors, and administrators. Accordingly, they may not fully understand the teaching
and learning situation in which the evaluation is being carried out. Moreover, it may take
them more time to be aware of the local situation such as learners’ needs, facilities, and
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time constraints so it may be difficult for them to make truly judgments and
recommendations of the program.
The insiders, in contrast, are those who have been directly involved in the language –
teaching program such as teachers, students, course, materials designers. Therefore, they
can provide the most valid information in the evaluation process. In addition, 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, Richards (2001) states that the involvement of the
insiders plays an important part in the success of evaluation because “as a consequence,
they will have greater degree of commitment to acting on its results” (p.296). He also adds
that the teachers can watch out for when the materials are being used. Consequently, they
can know exactly the extent that the materials work for their purposes and they make
modifications to improve the effectiveness of the materials. However, there are also
disadvantages to insiders when they are “too close and involved” (Dudley-Evan and St.
John, 1998, p.131) so the evaluation may be influenced by their subjective viewpoints and
their teaching experience.
1.2.5. Models for Materials evaluation
Although there are many different models for materials adaptation, the most commonly
models are suggested by Ellis (1997), McDonough & Shaw (1993), and Hutchinson and
Water ( 1987).
1.2.5.1. Evaluation by Ellis (1997)
This is a micro – evaluation. In this model, Ellis suggests the practice of a detailed
empirical evaluation and focuses on evaluation at the task level with reference to its actual
teaching and learning context. The steps are as follows:
1. Choosing the task to follow;
2. Describing the task with specification of input, procedures, language activities and
outcomes;
3. Planning the evaluation with reference to the dimensions above;
4. Collecting information before, while and after the task was used, and what how the task
performed;
CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
As the study was conducted at English department of University of Social Sciences and
Humanity, it is vital for the author firstly to give brief description of the teaching and
learning context including the course book used, the teachers as well as non- English
majors. Then the research method - the heart of the chapter will be described. It consists of
subjects, research instruments, and procedures of data collection.
2.1. Description of the context
2.1.1. The setting
The study was conducted at University of Social Sciences and Humanities that trains a
variety of students’ majors such as tourists guides, journalists, librarians and teachers.
There are many foreign languages like English, French, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
Among which English is a compulsory subject with 13 credits at University of Social
Sciences and Humanities and it has the biggest learners though most students are not
majored in English. In the first year, they learn New English file elementary and New
English file pre-intermediate. In the second year, they learn New English File intermediate.
In the third year, they do not have to study English except high quality students. The high
quality students learn ILETS for one fifteen week semester. As soon as they finish their
semester, they take the ILETS exams. As for normal classes, they are not going to take any
English exams in the fourth year. Each academic year falls into two semesters, each lasting
15 weeks, and finishing with end of term examinations. For the first two years, which
means the first four semesters, students are taught basic language skills namely listening,
speaking, reading, writing and grammar. They learn each level in four semesters of the first
two years. During fifteen weeks of each New English File, the course is organized in two
meetings a week, each 25 – student class has to attend four hours of English a day. In each
meeting, teacher teaches listening, reading, writing, speaking, and grammar integratedly.
The teaching and learning New English File series follow the learner- center approach,
aiming at developing students’ English communicative competence.
Usually three or four English teachers are responsible for a class with different
backgrounds of students. Most students have learned English since the third grade whereas
some have learned other languages like French, Chinese, or Russian. Therefore students
with different English knowledge seem to learn in different classes with various students
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depending on the time they register the course. It is the fact that students are not learned in
the same English classes in four semesters. It is easy to understand this because most
students come from different majors with different timetables. This brings them both the
positive and negative effects. The good points are that they have been exposed to various
teaching methods of English as well as types of partners. They have certain difficulties
however, such as the gap between excellent and poor students, multi- level English classes,
and studying methods.
2.1.2. Course material
As the focus of the study on New English File pre-intermediate students’ book, the
researcher gives more information about this book. New English File –pre-intermediate is
designed by Clive Oxenden, Christina Latham-Koenig, Paul Seligson in 2010. New
English File Pre-Intermediate consists of a Student’s Book, Teacher’s Book, Work Book
with key booklet, Student’s MultiROM (PC and Mac compatible), class audio CDs and
video.
The Student's book is a general English text which is designed for group classes but which
can be effectively adapted for one-to-one teaching. There are nine units, all except the last
divided into four teaching sections. Each teaching section covers a grammar point. At the
end of each unit there’s a “Practical English” section, which puts the grammar and
vocabulary into a practical context and gives the student the opportunity to practice.
Further practice is provided on the MultiROM disc and the video. A more substantial
writing exercise (for example: an e-mail, a letter or a description) and a well-designed
revise and check section are also included at the end of each unit.
There is a strong emphasis on pronunciation and word and sentence stress throughout this
series and the Pre-Intermediate level is no exception. As you would expect from a text with
this focus, the listening exercises are well thought out with a good mix of comprehension,
production (repeating words for pronunciation and sentences for stress). The Student’s
Book also contains grammar and vocabulary banks, extra communication exercises and
tape scripts of the class audio CD’s.
In the view of the researcher, the Workbook is the almost comprehensive in comparison
with other books in the market because it gives the students the chance to practice in all the
grammar structures and vocabulary from the main text. However, the class work and22
homework may overload for students except some the students who are particularly keen
on. Hence, it is best to set homework selectively otherwise the amount of marking becomes
impracticable or the students start to suffer from homework overload and the focus of their
language learning turns to formulating plausible excuses for not doing it.
The Teacher’s Book contains the answers and a suggested lesson plan for each teaching
section. The lesson plans come with optional lead-ins, suggested methods for the
presentation of the grammar points and the exercises. They also contain specific and
comprehensive references to the supplementary materials like the video and the Student’s
Workbook. There are also photocopiable activities which can be used for reinforcing
language points or for reviewing them later.
With two teaching year experience, as for teachers, the book has guided us to teach English
effectively and interestingly. To students, I have found that photocopiable activities
motivate students of all levels to enjoy doing them and consolidate the grammar and
structures they work very well.
The student’s MultiROm disc provides listen, repeat and answer exercises when used in a
CD player and quizzes, vocabulary and video sequences when on a computer.
The video “presents functional and everyday language” to the student. Points at which it
can be used during lessons are flagged as “Study Links” in the Teacher’s Book. The
second section of each episode the main functional section is reproduced on the
MultiROM so that the student can practice at home. The language is clearly presented in
useful situations and you can, of course, choose whether or not to display the subtitles. To
be honest, I found the video with its studio minimalist presentation style disappointing. It’s
true that there’s nothing to distract one from the language, which is and should be the main
focus, but I think videos should be visually stimulating and this is a missed opportunity for
getting the student involved and excited a bit like visual Ryvita.
The last, however, is a minor criticism. Overall, I think this is a very good pre-intermediate
level text. It is sound, challenging, and stimulating for the student and can be easily
tailored to meet an individual student’s needs. The supplementary exercises and activities
are easily set up, the students enjoy them, and they work. From the teacher’s point of view,
it is very well organized and there is enough variety and range to appeal to most general
English students at this level.
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2.1 3. Course objectives
By the end of this semester, the students are supposed to gain common objectives as
follows: Firstly, students can understand a variety of sentences as well as common
expressions of daily topic conversation. Secondly, learners are capable of communicating
in simple situations through direct information exchanges. Moreover, after finishing the
course, students have ability to describe their appearance, personality, daily activities as
well as show their opinions of problems directly associated with their life.
2.1.4. Course assessment
There are four kinds of assessment in the course including attendance accounting for 10 %,
progress test 1( listening, reading and grammar in 50 minutes making up 20 % ), the
progress two ( speaking test with 10 % – students choose a card and discuss with their
partner and answers questions raised by teachers) and the final assessment occupying 60
% ( the 100 minute test consisting of listening, writing, reading and grammar)
2.2. Research methodology
2.2.1. Subjects
The subjects involved in this study were 200 first year non English majors and 10 English
teachers. The research is carried out on only the first year students of school year 2010-
2011. Among them, only samples of the students are randomly picked up. They include
both male and female students but the female outnumbered the male, ranging from the age
of 18 to 22. Most of them learned English for seven years. However, they have different
levels of English proficiency because they come from different places in Vietnam with
different background knowledge. The students under study have finished their first term
and second term of the first year at USSH. Therefore, they are supposed to be at preintermediate level of English proficiency. Regarding English teachers, most of them have
had more than one year in teaching New English File at English department. All of them
have B.A degree while five of them have M.A degree in Education or linguistics. The
teachers who have graduated are studying MA courses or preparing to learn MA course in
the future. The teachers here are the samples of the teacher population who have been
working actively with the material.
2.2.2. Instruments
The main means of data in this thesis is two sets of questionnaires designed for the
teachers and the students. The questionnaires were designed with a mixture of closed and24
open- ended questions. The questionnaires aimed mainly to survey students’ evaluation of
the textbook and their opinion towards improving the materials. Brown & Rogers (2002:
142) state “ Surveys are any procedures used to gather and describe the characteristics,
attitudes, views, opinions and so forth of students, teachers, administrators or any other
people who are important to a study.” Therefore, participants could be free to express their
thoughts about the items raised in the questionnaires.
The objectives of the questionnaires: The survey was designed to accomplish the following
objectives:
Compare the general assessment of the students and their teachers about the Course
book New English File pre-intermediate
Identify and assess the gaps for improvement in teaching and learning textbook
New English File pre-intermediate
It is hoped that the evaluation checklist would be of good use to other colleges or
universities if they would like to choose same means of instrument for their own materials.
The steps of designing the questionnaires were displayed as follows:
Write the first draft and Consult colleague’s opinions
Pilot the questionnaires by sending them to colleagues
Consult supervisor’s opinions
Edit and write complete questionnaires
Translate the questionnaires into Vietnamese
Deliver the questionnaires
2.2.3. Methods and procedures
The study follows a qualitative research approach to describe qualitatively the different
ways in which the students and the teachers experience, understand, and evaluate the book
New English File Pre –intermediate. In terms of research category, this thesis can also be
regarded as sort of action research whose aims to improve the quality of instructional
materials.
Respondents were requested to answer the close- ended and open- ended questionnaires
including the rankings of different aspects by four categories in the questionnaires.
Additional spaces were provided for participants to make any further comments.
The analysis procedure of survey results was presented in the following steps.
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In the first step, the questionnaires were designed elaborately concentrating on the aspects
that play a vital role in course book evaluation. Thanks to the constructive suggestions of
the supervisors as well as the consultancy of other colleagues, the pilot survey
questionnaires were edited to ensure their clarity, conciseness, and validity. At the second
stage, the author duplicated the questionnaires and delivered them to the targeted teachers
and students. In order to limit the drawbacks of this method, the respondents were
requested to complete and return on the spot to the researcher after one hour. At the third
step, the researcher firstly worked out both set of questionnaires spontaneously to analyze
the data collected from the questionnaires. The data were coded into charts of various
classifications. Then the researcher summed up and changed all the items with choices into
percentage. Thirdly, for each category, these figures were graphically co- shown on the
charts to make comparison. As for open questions and close- ended questions, the author
analyzed based on general summary and gave explanations using the author’s own
experience and responses from the informants.
As a result, all the analyses were combined to answer the research questions respectively.26
CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS DISCUSSION
This section presents firstly how the respondents assessed the book New English File with
the Giúp of survey questionnaire, teachers’ interview. After that, the results will be
discussed.
3.1. Data analysis
3.1.1. Overall rating of the course book New English File pre-intermediate
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
poor fair good excellent
teachers' comments
students'comments
Figure 3. 1. Teachers’ and students’ assessment of the book New English File- pre
intermediate
When being asked to have overall rates on the course book, teachers, and students have
different views about the course book New English File pre-intermediate. While a
minority of teachers assessed the book “poor, fair and excellent” with 6.7 %, 6.7 % and
13.3 % respectively, nearly 50 % of students assess the book “fair”. Although teachers and
students have various rate of book assessment, they share some viewpoints. Most of the
participants commended the book “good” with high percentage (73.3 % for the teachers
and 50 % for the students). From the figure, it is evident that the book New English File
has satisfied both teachers’ and students’ needs. It means that the material is suitable for
both the course, and learners’ expectations.
3.1.2.Teachers’ and students’ preference of the course book New English File pre –
intermediate
In general, there are many striking differences between teachers’ and students’ likes about
.3.2. Adaptation Techniques
3.3.2.1. Addition
As discussed in the chapter two, there are two ways of addition: qualitative and
quantitative techniques. As for the course book New English File pre-intermediate, the
researcher chooses the qualitative way because it serves certain purposes. Firstly, the
material should add the vocabulary practice exercises, such as word- formation; gap- fills
and match the words with their definition so that students have more opportunity to expose
to language use. Secondly, it is important that writing, speaking and pronunciation
activities should be more added. More exercises for these sections such as transforming
sentences, write paragraphs should be designed for writing. The same should be done for
speaking like role- play, sample conversations and picture description. It is vital that the
book’ guidelines are added and instructions for teachers to teach skills critically.
3.3.2.2. Deletion
Deletion means cutting one or more steps within an activities or omitting a whole activity
or even a whole lesson and making up for a more suitable one to meet the objectives of the
whole unit. In this material, teachers should delete some tasks or exercises, put them into
the home work assignment and afterwards design some other proper tasks or exercises.
For example, in file 1C, the students have to learn to use the present continuous and its
topic is art. Because the topic is so abstract and clothes in the pictures are quite traditional,
teachers can omit the whole picture and choose other pictures that are modern and familiar
to students. Then, teachers ask students to match the pictures and present continuous
sentences. Next, teacher explains carefully the present continuous tense to students.
3.3.2.3. Replacement
Through my experience, the course book is sometimes inappropriate for the first year
students’ age and experience. For example, in file 2C fifty of Pop, the students have to
learn the question words through quizzes containing questions about famous singers many
years ago. With this section, students find it hard to answer because it is not suitable for
their generation. Therefore, in any file with unfamiliar topics, teachers should replace with
a more proper one to make learning English enjoyable.
3.3.2.4. Reorder or combination
It is truly that the book does not always have three stages for each skill. It is vital that
students are given the chance to activate what they know about one topic and then discuss
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the problem after they have some input. In other words, teachers give students opportunity
to revise their background knowledge as well as express their opinions in an appropriate
follow – up.
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