VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* ĐINH THI ̣PHƢƠNG THANH TEACHERS’ EVALUATION OF THE TEXTBOOK: THE CASE OF “ENGLISH FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT” TEXTBOOK AT A POLICE SCHOOL IN VIETNAM Đánh giá của giáo viên về giáo trin ̀ h “English for Law Enforcement” ta ̣i mô ̣t trƣờng cảnh sát ở Việt Nam M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 HANOI – 2017 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST - GRADUATE STUDIES ********************* ĐINH THI ̣PHƢƠNG THANH TEACHERS’ EVALUATION OF THE TEXTBOOK: THE CASE OF “ENGLISH FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT” TEXTBOOK AT A POLICE SCHOOL IN VIETNAM Đánh giá của giáo viên về giáo trin ̀ h “English for Law Enforcement” ta ̣i mô ̣t trƣờng cảnh sát ở Việt Nam M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Assoc. Lê Văn Canh HANOI – 2017 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I, hereby, the study reported here was conducted by myself and it has never been published before.
Any idea by other scholars and researchers has been carefully cited. Hanoi, 2017 Signature Đinh Thị Phƣơng Thanh i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Assoc. Le Van Canh, my supervisor, for his considerate guidance and enthusiastic assistance in the process of working on the thesis. Particularly, what I am really impressed by is his ceaseless dedication, kindness, patience and great knowledge during a period of our joint cooperation.
Indeed, but for his kind help, I would not complete my thesis successfully. The next people who I am quite grateful to refer to the Faculty of Post- Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies - Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Thanks to their sincere willingness and available support, I am really able to make the fulfillment of my thesis at its best. My special thanks are given to all the teaching staffs in general and the English Group in particular from the Department of Foreign Languages, the People‟s Police Academy.
Without their kind help, I would not be able to place the focus on doing research in my thesis or more particularly, to have enough necessary questionnaire and interview data. This is regarded as a wonderful opportunity to convey my best regards to my faithful friends for their unconditional love and encouragement in need of overcoming unexpected hardships or troublesome difficulties unfortunately incurred on the road to the completion of the thesis from beginning to end. Last but not least, I would love to dedicate my profound gratitude to my family for their endless love and advocacy in my work towards my master degree. Their pride and passion is that their children can enjoy the possibly best university education system with high achievements, regardless of any unexpectedly difficult circumstances.
ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT It is widely accepted that a textbook is considered an essential component of the ESL/EFL classroom. Even, in advanced society, regardless of further access to computer-assisted language approaches in different forms, its role in ESL/EFL classrooms remains unchangeable. Textbook evaluation, therefore, is of utmost importance in order that its pedagogical contribution to the teaching and learning process can be assured. In a sense, textbook evaluation can partly contribute to grasping characteristics of such textbook, like strengths and weaknesses or limitations.
From those discoveries, all relevant entities (especially teachers who are directly involved in teaching textbooks to be evaluated) will have a good opportunity to review such coursebooks and then possibly think twice about making potential revisions or modifications, if necessary, in the approaching time. “The process of materials evaluation can be seen as a way of developing our understanding of the ways in which it works and, in doing so, of contributing to both acquisition theory and pedagogic practices. It can also be seen as one way of carrying out an action research”, said Hutchinson (1998). This study is considered a partial contribution to the domain of textbook evaluation.
Its core aim is to give teachers‟ view on the ESP textbook, English for Law Enforcement, by means of addressing two research questions: (1) To what extent do teachers differ in their evaluation of the textbook?, and (2) What are the opinions of teachers about their evaluation of the textbook?. Such research instruments as a questionnaire and an e-mail interview were conducted. 20 teachers got involved in making responses to the research questions. The acquired findings from teachers‟ views seemed to be relatively somewhat variable.
It is appeared that there existed more difference in the responses given by teachers to the questionnaire and interview questions when evaluating this ESP coursebook. This may make readers feel a bit aware of an implicit thing that materials evaluation and materials development should be one of the core components of teacher education programs due to the fact that classroom teachers rarely read the professional literature. iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS .iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .vi LIST OF TABLES.
vii PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Aim of the study. Significance of the study. Method of the study.
Scope of the study. Design of the study .4 PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW. English for Specific Purposes. Definitions of ESP.
Characteristics of ESP. Definitions of Coursebooks. Roles of Coursebooks. Importance of Coursebook Evaluation.
Approaches of Coursebook Evaluation. Methods of Coursebook Evaluation. Criteria of Coursebook Evaluation. Factors affecting teachers’ coursebook evaluation .13 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Empirical Studies on Coursebook Evaluation. Teachers‟ evaluation of coursebooks .15 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY. Goals and Objectives of the ESP coursebook. Descriptions of the ESP coursebook .24 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS.
Analysis of Questionnaire Data. Analysis of Interview Data. Comparison of Questionnaire and Interview Data. Summary of the findings.
Suggestions for further study. 51 APPENDIX A: Evaluation Questionnaire. I APPENDIX B: Interview Questions. IV v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL English : as a Foreign Language ELE English : for Law Enforcement ELT English : Language Teaching ESL English : as a Second Language ESP English : for Specific Purposes PPA People‟s : Police Academy ULIS University : of Languages and International Studies VNUH Vietnam : National University, Hanoi vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES Table 1 : Information on the subject group Table 2 : Findings on teachers‟ evaluation of the ESP coursebook Table 3 : Advantages of the ESP coursebook mentioned by the participants vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART A: INTRODUCTION This chapter introduces the study with a focus on (1) The Rationale, (2) The Aims of the study, (3) The Significance of the study, (4) Methods of the study, (5) The Scope of the study, and (6)The Design of the study.
Rationale In theory or practice, ELT materials in general and coursebooks in particular seem to be identified as, on the one hand tool and tutor, on the other hand guidebook and gauge. It is a fact that coursebooks regarded as the most useful teaching and learning materials offer considerable advantages for both students and teachers when they are being used in ESL/EFL classrooms. Not only do coursebooks provide a framework for teachers achieving the aims and objectives of the course, but they are also served as a guide to teachers when conducting lessons. As for learners, a textbook truly affects their attitudes and performance to the lesson throughout the course.
It is evident that once when learners are fond of their textbooks, will they enjoy the course as well and turn into active participants to the lesson. Therefore, they may be considered “the visible heart of any ELT program”, Sheldon (1988:237). Needless to say, it is obvious that Vietnam is rated as not an exception which means coursebooks are seen as a staple in almost every EFL class in the Vietnamese context. In current hi-technology society, regardless of the exponential increase in computer-assisted language approaches in various forms, like search engines, the role of coursebooks in ESL/EFL classrooms remains unchangeable; however, it is rather difficult to possibly guess their position in the upcoming time.
This is to say, if both learners and teachers showed a total disregard for coursebooks, there could exist a high possibility that they would disappear. Accordingly, it is really essential for teachers to be well-equipped with the many assessment tools to evaluate materials as accurately as possible. The core purpose for such evaluation is to, in a way, assert that those materials are recognized as legally-licensed or commonly- circulated evaluable sources with the highest quality possible which are really quite 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com suitable for learners on almost every aspects (e. basic or authentic languages, illustrated images or pictures, tasks or activities, reading or listening texts).
What‟s more, textbook evaluation has been termed as an interesting topic to study because a textbook or a coursebook plays an important role in teaching. It contains a teaching framework and syllabus, ready- made texts and tasks, economy, convenience, guidance and autonomy (Ur, 1996:184). This partially contributes to explaining the reason why I made up my mind to opt for the scope “materials evaluation” as the general theme in my dissertation. Tomlinson (1998c: 341) wrote: “I have not seen any research which convinces me that teachers and learners actually want what they are being given by the materials they are using.
Nor have I seen any research which demonstrates their dissatisfaction”. What Tomlinson implies is that most the research on materials was conducted by researchers with their own criteria. It is, therefore, necessary to get information about how teachers themselves evaluated the textbooks. This motivated me to conduct this research, which is titled “Teachers’ evaluation of the textbook: The case of “English for Law Enforcement” textbook at a Police School in Vietnam”.
With this study, I hope that it can be added to the storage of referential documentaries on teacher‟s evaluation of coursebooks. Aim of the study The study was conducted for the purpose of understanding how teachers, who have used the ESP textbook under investigation, evaluated the ESP textbook with its name of “English for Law Enforcement”. The understanding is intended to inform teacher development on certain aspects related to teachers‟ evaluation of the textbooks or other learning materials possibly withdrawn from teachers‟ practical evaluation of the specific ESP textbook as mentioned herein. Significance of the study Teachers are users of textbooks and other learning materials.
Therefore, teachers play an important role in exploiting the textbooks and learning materials effectively for their students‟ learning. The understanding of teachers‟ evaluation of 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com textbooks will greatly contribute to both pre-service and in-service teacher education. To some extent, theoretically, there is a high likelihood that those pre- service and in-service teachers will enhance their awareness of textbook evaluation, or get to know how to evaluate the textbooks or learning materials. Meanwhile, given the practical or post-research aspects, one of the striking things worth mentioning is that some teachers were willing to participate in a number of workshops or conferences domestically or even internationally regarding textbook evaluation.
What‟s more, some were encouraged to spend more time on extensive readings concerning textbook evaluation. This study is conducted towards that goal. Method of the study This study put forward two major research questions: (1) To what extent do teachers differ in their evaluation of the textbook?, and (2) What are the opinions of teachers about their evaluation of the textbook?. A quantitative research was administered.