HANOI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ MAI EVALUATING THE QUALITY OF THE TWO TEXTBOOKS TIẾNG ANH 3 - TẬP 1 AND FAMILY AND FRIENDS - GRADE 3: A COMPARATIVE STUDY (Đánh giá chất lƣợng của 2 cuốn sách Tiếng Anh 3 - Tập 1 và Family and Friends - Grade 3 : Một nghiên cứu so sánh) (MA. MINOR PROGRAM THESIS) Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111 HÀ NỘI - 2016 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com HANOI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ MAI EVALUATING THE QUALITY OF THE TWO TEXTBOOKS TIẾNG ANH 3 - TẬP 1 AND FAMILY AND FRIENDS - GRADE 3: A COMPARATIVE STUDY (Đánh giá chất lƣợng của 2 cuốn sách Tiếng Anh 3 - Tập 1 và Family and Friends - Grade 3 : Một nghiên cứu so sánh) (MA. MINOR PROGRAM THESIS) Major: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Prof. Hoang Van Van HÀ NỘI - 2016 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION I, Nguyễn Thị Mai, hereby certify that the thesis “Evaluating the quality of the two textbooks Tiếng Anh 3 - Tập 1 and Family and Friends - Grade 3: A comparative study is submitted for the partial fulfillment of the Degree of Master of Arts at the Faculty of Graduate Studies - University of Languages and International Studies - Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
I also declare that this thesis is the result of my own research and efforts and that it has not been submitted for any other purposes. Hanoi, 2016 Signature Nguyễn Thị Mai i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my indebtedness and sincere gratitude to my supervisor Prof. Hoang Van Van for his invaluable guidance and great support without which this thesis would not have been completed. Besides, I am heartily thankful to all the lecturers and teachers of the Faculty of Graduate Studies - University of Languages and International Studies - Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their valuable and interesting lectures and assistance during my study at the university.
Many thanks go to all the teachers of English from many primary schools whose active participation and cooperation helped me to fulfill this study. Last but not least, I send my special thanks to my husband, my family and my friends who have provided abundant assistance and encouragement while this work was in progress. ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT The basic goal of material evaluation is selecting teaching materials which are appropriately relevant for a particular teaching context. The current study aimed at evaluating the quality of the two textbooks Tiếng Anh 3 - Tập 1 and Family and Friends - Grade 3 to reveal their similarities and differences, strengths and weaknesses, and their appropriateness to Vietnamese teachers and students.
The researcher designed a questionnaire consisting of 35 items to evaluate the textbooks. The study results showed that Tiếng Anh 3 - Tập 1 meets almost all criteria given and seemed to be highly suitable for Vietnamese teachers and students while Family and Friends - Grade 3 also got positive feedbacks from teachers. However, this set of textbook offered a large amount of knowledge, big size of paper, unfamiliar contents and so on…, that affect teachers‟ low ratings on the quality of the textbook compared to Tiếng Anh 3 - Tập 1. However, it can be concluded that Tiếng Anh 3 - Tập 1 and Family and Friends - Grade 3 are suitable to Vietnamese teachers and pupils.
Although there exist some minor weaknesses, these two sets of the textbooks are seen to be a good choice of textbook and can be widely used. iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.
vii LIST OF APPENDIXES. viii PART A: INTRODUCTION. Rationale for the Study. Aim and Objectives of Study.
Aim of Study. Scope of Study. Significance of the Study .5 CHAPTER 1 LITERATURE REVIEW.1 Teaching and Learning English in Vietnam under the National Foreign Language Project Entitled: “Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, Period 2008-2020”.1 Teaching and Learning English at Primary Schools in Vietnam .2 The National Foreign Language 2020 Project .3 The Pilot English Curriculum for Vietnamese Primary Schools .4 Tiếng Anh 3 - Tập 1 .5 Family and Friends - Grade 3 .5 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.2 Roles of Textbook .3 The Needs for Textbook Evaluation .4 Quality Standards for Textbook .5 Textbook Evaluation Methods .6 Previous Studies on Comparative Evaluation of the Textbook .1 Sites and Subjects of the Research.5 Methods of Data Analysis .24 CHAPTER 3 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .2 Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbooks in each of the Nine Categories. Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbooks in the “Objectives” Category.
Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbooks in the “Layout and Design” Category. Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbooks in the “Topics” Category. Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbooks in the “Language Skills” Category. Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbooks in the “Methodology” Category.
Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbooks in the “Types of Activities” Section. Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbooks in the “Teaching Aids” Section. Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbooks in the “Linkage” Category. Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbooks in the “Cultural Values” Category .3 Findings for Research Question One .4 Findings for Research Question Two .35 v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.5 Findings for Research Question Three .6 Summary of Main Findings .37 PART C: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
Limitations of the Study. Suggestions for Further Studies .41 vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS TA3 Tiếng Anh 3 - Tập 1 FF3 Family and Friends - Grade 3 MOET Ministry of Education and Training vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF APPENDIXES Page Appendix 1: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS OF TIẾNG I ANH 3 - TẬP 1 (ENGLISH VERSION) Appendix 1: PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT DÀNH CHO GIÁO VIÊN II DẠY TIẾNG ANH 3 - TẬP 1 (VIETNAMESE VERSION) Appendix 2: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS OF III FAMILY AND FRIENDS - GRADE 3 (ENGLISH VERSION) Appendix 2: PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT DÀNH CHO GIÁO VIÊN IV DẠY FAMILY AND FRIENDS - GRADE 3 (VIETNAMESE VERSION) Appendix 3: TRANSCRIPT OF EMAIL INTERVIEW OF V TIẾNG ANH 3 - TẬP 1 Appendix 4: TRANSCRIPT OF EMAIL INTERVIEW OF VI FAMILY AND FRIENDS - GRADE 3 Appendix 5: THE PRIME MINISTER‟S DECISION No. VII 1400/QĐ-TTg viii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale for the Study We are living and working in the world of cultural diversity, in which languages operate.
Learning a language provides us with a new communicative tool to transfer advanced science and technology knowledge and to learn about different cultures, which makes a contribution to mutual understanding, helps to form global citizen awareness and develops personal qualities and performance. By dint of learning a foreign language and having much knowledge of different cultures, we gain a deeper understanding of our own language and culture. English is one of the most common international languages in the world. Learning English at primary level helps students form and develop their English communicative ability by practicing listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
English learning is also a beginning step in forming and developing long- life studying skills, working ability in the future and cultural-social activity participation at the same time. Learning English from primary level provides a basis for continuously studying English at higher levels or learning other languages in the future. Besides, English study gives students a chance to form their idea-expressing ability confidently, independently and creatively. With the thorough understanding of the importance of English, the quality of English teaching and learning has attracted considerable interest from the society.
Such issues as the quality of teachers, facilities, and curriculum have been widely discussed in the media. In order to have a quality curriculum, the quality of the textbooks plays an extremely important role. Nevertheless, a countless number of English textbooks are available on the market today. The eyes can easily be deceived by colorful covers, a beautiful layout and attractive artwork.
As an inexperienced teacher it can be particularly difficult to know what to look for a good textbook for use. Therefore, the selection of a course book is one of the most important decisions a teacher will make to have a textbook that involves matching 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com the material against the context in which it is going to be used, following the aims of the teaching program, as well as fitting the personal methodology of the teacher. In the Vietnamese context, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has implemented its policy of radical and comprehensive reform, in which the quality of education, teachers and textbooks has received a lot of special attention. When working on the national project “Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, period 2008 - 2020”, at the end of 2010, MOET approved Pilot English Curriculum for Vietnamese Primary Schools and assigned Vietnam Education Publishing House to organize the writing of the set of textbooks, including Tiếng Anh 3, Tiếng Anh 4 and Tiếng Anh 5.
This set of textbooks is being piloted in some selected primary schools. While the set of primary English textbooks published by Vietnam Education Publishing House is being piloted, the Family and Friends set compiled by foreign authors has also been used in a number of primary schools in Vietnam since the mid 1990s. It has been familiar to many teachers and pupils. After that, this set of textbooks has been adapted to suit the teaching context of Vietnam.
However, there are different opinions on the advantages and disadvantages of these two sets of textbooks. But there has not been any research to compare them. For this reason, in this minor thesis, I will attempt to conduct a preliminary research to compare two sets of textbooks. Specifically, I will attempt to compare Tiếng Anh 3 – Tập 1 compiled by Vietnamese authors of Vietnam Education Publishing House in collaboration with English native authors of MacMillan Publishing House and Family and Friends - Grade 3 compiled and adapted by foreign writers of Oxford University Press.
2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Aim and Objectives of Study 2. Aim of Study As stated, the aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of the two sets of English textbooks currently in use in Vietnamese primary schools Tiếng Anh 3 – Tập 1 written by Vietnamese authors in collaboration with English native authors and Family and Friends - Grade 3 written and adapted by foreign authors in order to find out their strong and weak points. Objectives To achieve the above aim, the following objectives are set for exploration: - Establishing quality standards for evaluating Tiếng Anh 3 – Tập 1 and Family and Friends - Grade 3.
- Establishing criteria basing on quality standards for evaluating the textbooks. - Comparing the two sets of textbooks in terms of the established criteria to find their similarities and differences, their strong points and weak points and their appropriateness to Vietnamese teachers and students. What are the similarities and differences of the two textbooks Tiếng Anh 3 – Tập 1 and Family and Friends – Grade 3? 2. What are the strong and weak points of each set of the textbooks? 3.
Which set of textbooks is more suited to Vietnamese teachers and pupils? 4.