what criteria do instructors appear to use to evaluate a textbook a thesis presented by shahla ...

109 Pages·2001·0.66 MB·English

WHAT CRITERIA DO INSTRUCTORS APPEAR TO USE TO EVALUATE A
TEXTBOOK
A THESIS PRESENTED BY
SHAHLA GARAYEVA
TO THE INSTITUTE OF ECONOMICS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS
IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
BILKENT UNIVERSITY
JULY 2001
ABSTRACT
Title: What Criteria do Instructors Appear to Use to Evaluate
a Textbook
Author: Shahla Garayeva
Thesis Chairperson: Dr. William Snyder
Bilkent University, MA TEFL Program
Committee Members: Dr. James Stalker
Dr. Hossein Nassaji
Bilkent University, MA TEFL Program
The purpose of this study was to find out what criteria teachers use to
evaluate a textbook they were using and whether the criteria they use vary in terms of
variables like age, sex, and length and types of ELT experience. The research also
investigated the ways teachers use the textbook evaluation criteria which was
suggested by the scholars and analysed this use in terms of variables like age, sex,
and length and types of ELT experiences. The research was conducted at TOMER at
Ankara University. The participants were 46 English teachers from the language
centre, TOMER.
Data were collected through two questionnaires. The first questionnaire
consisted of eight open-ended questions and aimed to discover the teachers’ criteria
for textbook evaluation. The second questionnaire consisted of 47 Likert type
questions and aimed to find out the ways the teachers use the criteria suggested by
scholars. Part one in each questionnaire collected demographic data, as the
population for each questionnaire was different.
The research questions of the study were as follows:
1. What criteria do instructors appear to use to evaluate a
textbook in terms of physical appearance, organisation, content, tasks and
activities and supporting resources?
2. Do the textbook evaluation criteria reported by teachers vary
depending on their age, sex, length and types of ELT experience?
3. Does the use of criteria suggested by scholars vary depending
on the teachers’ sex, age, length and types of ELT experience?
The results of the study revealed the teachers’ criteria for textbook evaluation
in the categories of the physical appearance, organisation, content, tasks and
activities and supporting resources of the textbook. The categories derived from the
literature. The results of the second research question which analysed the findings of
the first questionnaire in terms of the variables of sex, age, length and types of ELT
experience found that and the variables of sex and type of experience showed
differences, but the others didn’t.
The third research question analysed the results of the second questionnaire in
terms of the variables of age, sex, and length and types of ELT experiences. All four
variables showed differences in each of the major criteria group studied: physical
appearance, content, tasks and activities, and supporting resources. The highest
number of significant differences fall into length of experience.
The study discovered many differences in the teachers’ perceptions of
criteria in terms of variables, which become difficult to explain. So, the research
recommends further research questions to be investigated.
iv
BILKENT UNIVERSITY
INSTITUTE OF ECONOMICS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
MA THESIS EXAMINATION RESULT FORM
July 10, 2001
The examining committee appointed by the Institute of Economics and Social
Sciences for the thesis examination of the MA TEFL student
Shahla Garayeva
has read the thesis of the student.
The committee has decided that the thesis of the student is satisfactory.
Thesis Title: What Criteria do Instructors Appear to Use to Evaluate a
Textbook
Thesis Advisor: Dr. James Stalker
Bilkent University MA TEFL Program
Committee Members: Dr. Hossain Nassaji
Bilkent University MA TEFL Program
Dr. William Snyder
Bilkent University MA TEFL Program
v
We certify that we have read this thesis and that in our combined opinion it is
fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Masters of Arts.
______________________
Dr. William Snyder
(Chair)
_____________________
Dr. James Stalker
(Committee member)
_____________________
Dr. Hossein Nassaji
(Committee member)
Approved for the
Institute of Economics and Social Sciences
__________________________________
Kürşat Aydoğan
Director
Institute of Economics and Social Sciences
vi
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my thesis advisor, Dr. James Stalker for his continuous
feedback and invaluable guidance throughout the study. I would like to express my
gratitude to Dr. Hossein Nassaji for his support and to Dr. William Snyder for his
moral support.
I must express my love and sincere thanks to all my classmates for being
positive and understanding during the program.
I feel indebted to my friend from MA TEFL program, Meltem Coşkuner, who
was kind and understanding during the program to all of us, especially to me.
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………..1
Background of the Study..............................................................................1
Statement of Problem....................................................................................6
Purpose of the Study.....................................................................................7
Significance of the Study..............................................................................8
Overview of the Study..................................................................................8
CHAPTER II. LITERATURE REVIEW ………………………………………….10
Reasons for Textbook Evaluation...............................................................10
What is Evaluation?....................................................................................13
Who Should Evaluate?...............................................................................15
The Criteria Suggested by Research Studies..............................................17
Practical Considerations as a Criterion in Textbook Evaluation.............17
Design as a Criterion in Textbook Evaluation........................................19
The Tasks and Activities as Criteria in Textbook Evaluation.................21
Content as a Criterion in Textbook Evaluation.......................................23
Language Skills as a Criterion in Textbook Evaluation..........................24
Culture as a Criterion in Textbook Evaluation........................................26
Guidance as a Criterion in Textbook Evaluation....................................28
Conclusion..................................................................................................30
CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY ………………………………………………….32
Introduction.................................................................................................32
Participants.................................................................................................32
Instruments and Materials...........................................................................34
Questionnaires.........................................................................................35
Questionnaire 1....................................................................................35
Questionnaire 2....................................................................................35
Data Collection Procedure..........................................................................37
Data Analysis..............................................................................................37
CHAPTER IV. DATA ANALYSES ……………………………………………….38
Introduction.................................................................................................38
The Results of the First Questionnaire.......................................................38
Practical Considerations..........................................................................38
Organisation............................................................................................40
Content....................................................................................................42
Tasks and Activities................................................................................43
Supporting Resources..............................................................................45
Workbook.............................................................................................45
Student’s Book.....................................................................................48
Teacher’s Guide...................................................................................50
Comments................................................................................................51
Demographic Variables..............................................................................52
Sex...........................................................................................................52
Types of ELT Experience........................................................................54
The Results of the Second Questionnaire...................................................56
Length of Experience Factor...................................................................57
Tasks and Activities.............................................................................57
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Content.................................................................................................61
Supporting Resources..........................................................................62
Sex Factor............................................................................................64
Physical Appearance............................................................................64
Tasks and Activities.............................................................................66
Types of ELT Experiences....................................................................666
Physical Appearance............................................................................67
Supporting Resources..........................................................................68
Content.................................................................................................69
Tasks and Activities.............................................................................70
Conclusion..................................................................................................72
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSION
……………………………………………………..733
Implications of the Study..........................................................................800
Limitations of the Study...........................................................................811
Implications for Further Research............................................................811
REFERENCES
……………………………………………………………………..833
APPENDIX A
………………………………………………………………………888
Questionnaire 1.........................................................................................888
APPENDIX B
………………………………………………………………………900
Questionnaire 2.........................................................................................922
APPENDIX C ……………………………………………………………………... 95
Percentages and Frequencies of Responses to Questionnaire 2...............966
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LIST OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
1. Evaluations and comment responses on physical appearance………….39
2. Evaluations and comment responses on organisation…………………..41
3. Evaluations and comment responses on content………………………..43
4. Evaluations and comment responses on tasks and activities……………45
5. Evaluations and comment responses on workbook…………………….47
6. Evaluations and comment responses on student’s book………………..49
7. Evaluations and comment responses on teacher’s guide……………….51
8. Comment responses on textbook evaluation……………………………52
9. Evaluations of organisation by sex……………………………………..54
10. Evaluations of physical appearance by types of ELT experience………56
11. Frequencies and percentages of items in terms of variables, age, sex,
and length and types of experience……………………………………..58
12. Evaluations of sufficiency of tasks/activities by length of ELT
experience ………………………………………………………………59
13. Evaluations of exercise variety by length of ELT experience………….60
14. Evaluations of speaking activities by length of ELT experience……….61
15. Evaluations of target culture introduction by length of ELT experience.62
16. Evaluations of topic interest by length of ELT experience……………..63
17. Evaluations of flexibility of teacher’s guide by length of ELT
x
experience……………………………………………………………64
18. Evaluations of illustrations by sex………………………………………65
19. Evaluations of price suitability by sex………………………………….66
20. Evaluations of exercise variety by sex………………………………….67
21. Evaluations of layout motivation by type of ELT experience………….68
22. Evaluations of the workbook by types of ELT experience…………….69
23. Evaluations of continuity support by types of ELT experience………..70
24. Evaluations of topic interest by age…………………………………….71
25. Evaluations of exercise variety by age………………………………….72
26. Evaluations of exercise interest by age…………………………………72