MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ------------ DANG HONG TRANG AN INVESTIGATION INTO TEACHER’S EVALUATION OF THE TEXTBOOK “FIRST FRIENDS- GRADE 1” IN TEACHING ENGLISH AT PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN DONG HOI CITY, QUANG BINH PROVINCE MA THESIS IN THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 60. TRUONG VIEN HUE, 2015 i BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ -------- ĐẶNG HỒNG TRANG ĐIỀU TRA VỀ SỰ ĐÁNH GIÁ CỦA GIÁO VIÊN ĐỐI VỚI QUYỂN SÁCH "FIRST FRIENDS- GRADE 1" TRONG VIỆC GIẢNG DẠY TIẾNG ANH TẠI CÁC TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC Ở ĐỒNG HỚI, QUẢNG BÌNH LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC BỘ MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 60.11 NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: PGS. TRƯƠNG VIÊN HUẾ, 2015 ii STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself.
Signature iii ABSTRACT This study investigates into teachers’ evaluation of the textbook “First Friends- grade 1” at primary schools in Dong Hoi, Quang Binh in order to help make effective use of this textbook in the near future. The subjects including 50 teachers from 22 primary schools in Dong Hoi, Quang Binh were supposed to mark 48 statements about the textbook in which they state whether and to which degree they agree or disagree with those. Besides, 20 of them are asked to answer 6 questions for their ideas and comments about the textbook. Generally, the study revealed that teachers expressed negative attitudes towards the quality of the textbook evaluated through seven criteria in terms of Practical Consideration, Layout and Design, Themes, Activities, Skills, Language Type, and Subject and Content.
Based on the findings, it is recommended that difficult and long vocabulary should be omitted. Most of teachers also stated that even though the First Friends- grade 1 is a good book for children, the First Friends- grade 1 might be taught for students in grade 2 if it is redesigned so as to suit their right level of English ability and Vietnamese context. Moreover, some shortcomings should have been taken into consideration. iv ACKOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank all the people who have contributed to the accomplishment of this research paper.
First of all, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my thesis supervisor, Assist. Truong Vien, for his time and expertise, given so freely and thoughtfully throughout the study. This research would not have become a reality without his valuable advice as well as enthusiastic guidance. I would also like to say many thanks to my friends in the graduate class TESOL 2013-2015 for helping and encouraging me.
My special thanks are sent to my friends and colleagues at Nguyen Binh Khiem high school for providing favorable conditions to make this study possible. Next, I would like to express my appreciation to the principals and especially the teachers of English from 22 primary schools in Dong Hoi, Quang Binh, who were willing to participate in the survey and spend time marking the questionnaires and joining the interviews. Their enthusiasm helped me collect significant data for this study. Finally, I would like to send a great deal of gratitude to my family for the help and support.
I would be forever grateful and deeply indebted. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Pages Contents SUB COVER PAGE .i STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY .v TABLE OF CONTENTS. vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. ix LISTS OF TABLES.
AIMS OF STUDY. SCOPE OF STUDY. ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY. Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Viet Nam.
The educational policies for teaching English for young learners. The curriculum of teaching English at the primary level. Views on role of textbooks in the EFL/ESL classroom. Purposes of materials evaluation.
Criteria for evaluation. Criteria defined by Hutchinson and Waters (1987). Criteria defined by Sheldon (1988). Criteria defined by Ur (1996).
Criteria defined by Tomlinson (1999). Criteria defined by McGrath (2002). Criteria defined by Mc.Donough and Shaw (1993). Criteria defined by Cunningsworth (1995).
Piloting the questionnaires. Administering the questionnaires. Data Analysis Methods. RESULTS ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION.
Reliability of data. Descriptive statistics of total mean. Descriptive statistics of cluster mean scores. Descriptive statistics of item mean scores.
Table of frequencies. Results analysis and discussion. Demographic Characteristics of participants. Layout and Design.
Subject and content. Findings from interviews with teachers. Summary of the findings. Suggestions for further research.51 viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS MOET Ministry of Education and Training ELT English Language Teaching SPSS Statistical Package for Social Sciences ix LISTS OF TABLES Tables Table 3.1 Display the items grouped into categories Table 4.1 Reliability of data Table 4.2 Descriptive statistics of data’s overall mean Table 4.3 Descriptive Statistics of cluster mean Table 4.4 Descriptive Statistics of item mean Table 4.5 Analysis of participants’ profile Table 4.6 Mean score of cluster 1 Table 4.7 One-Sample Test of cluster 1 Table 4.8 Mean score of cluster 2 Table 4.9 One-Sample Test of cluster 2 Table 4.10 Mean score of cluster 3 Table 4.11 One-Sample Test of cluster 3 Table 4.12 One-Sample Statistics of cluster 4 Table 4.13 One-Sample Test of cluster 4 Table 4.14 Mean score of cluster 5 Table 4.15 One-Sample Test of cluster 5 Table 4.16 Mean score of cluster 6 Table 4.17 One-Sample Test of cluster 6 Table 1.18 Mean score of cluster 7 Table 4.19 One-Sample Test of cluster 7 Table 4.20 Mean score of cluster 8 Table 4.21 One-Sample Test of cluster 8 x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.
BACKGROUND Today, English is one of the most common languages used widely in the world. It is the language of science, technology, trade and global information. English, therefore has become a compulsory subject in most schools in Vietnam, especially in secondary education. Along with the trend of globalization, the Government of Vietnam has been implementing an open door policy for integration with the world community in various fields such as economy, politics, commerce, education, etc.
These changes have put Vietnam in many challenges in equipping foreign language skills for learners to meet the urgent requirements of the labor market in the new era. Indeed society requires teachers of English in Vietnam to innovate their language teaching methods under the direction of communication in order to enhance the capacity of communicating for their students. In this overall process, Ministry of Education and Training has instructed to design and employ many sets of English textbooks for general education focused on four main skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing for students. According to Alshumaimeri (2001), learning English or any other subjects involves three main participants: the teacher, the textbook, and the student.
Therefore, contents of English textbooks or textbooks in general have a significant association with the learning of the students. The content of English textbooks must not contain errors because they may cause adverse effects on his/her learning. There can be no doubt that evaluating the official textbooks for English is a task of great importance to the future success of the educational program. The decision of which textbook to use is a decision that will affect an entire generation of Vietnamese children.
By properly scrutinizing the text intended for use, it is possible to make sure that the educational needs of the students are being met appropriately. 1 The evaluation of a textbook however may seem to be a tedious task. Since a relatively new English textbook is being utilized by students in primary schools, it is important that it passes through close scrutiny as to its physical appearance, design and illustration, objectives, content, flexibility, teachability, teaching methods and practice and testing. This is the only way that parents, teachers and students will be assured of reliable and good learning.
The reasons above motivated the researcher to evaluate the English language textbook First Friends-grade 1 studied at primary schools in Dong Hoi city, Quang Binh province. The significance of this choice is that this textbook was taught only recently in 2013 and evaluating it will be an urgent need and of a great value. The evaluation can provide a reference for the subsequent revisions and improvement of certain aspects of this fundamental textbook and related material as well. Another reason behind the choice is that this book constitutes the building block for primary English language education and that this is where students make their first contact with a foreign language.
RATIONALE This study was conducted for the following reasons: Firstly, textbooks/ materials play a vital role in teaching and learning a language. Therefore, choosing good textbooks/ materials leads to an effective language teaching program. Secondly, in the recent years, the Ministry of Education and Training requires textbooks and curriculum to be designed for the communication- oriented and learner- centered approach. As a result, choosing textbooks seems to be one of the key tasks to meet the educational goals of MOET.
This First Friends- grade 1 consists of two levels designed to teach 2 periods / week at primary schools in Dong Hoi. It is the foundation stone in the English language program and has been taught recently in primary schools in Dong Hoi city, Quang Binh province in 2013, so evaluating it is an educational necessity. Until now, no research on First Friends- 2 grade 1 textbook series has been carried out to examine how well they meet the requirements of MOET in the current context. Thirdly, no book suits all students because of their different interest, motivations, levels, and learning styles.
Therefore, we must adapt the textbooks so that students can balance language skills in their particular context. Last but not least, teachers of English find it necessary to carry out more evaluative reviews of this series of textbooks to make the teaching and learning process more effective and practical in particular context. I myself learn how to evaluate, select, and adapt the textbooks/ materials in my teaching through experience from this study. AIMS OF STUDY The aims of this study is to: 1- evaluate the English textbook First Friends- grade 1 that has been recently released for the first time at primary schools in Dong Hoi city, Quang Binh province; 2- suggest some adaptation for teachers of English to improve the quality of their teaching, which later helps improve the quality of students’ learning.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS The study aims to answer the following research questions: 1. To which degree does the textbook " First Friends- grade 1" fit in the English teaching and learning setting at primary schools in Dong Hoi city, Quang Binh province? 2. What suggestions should be made for the effective teaching and learning of the textbook? 1. SCOPE OF STUDY This study focuses on the evaluation the First Friends- grade 1 English textbook for students at primary schools in Dong Hoi city, Quang Binh province as well as some suggested adaptations which make it more suitable for students’ needs and abilities in coming years.
ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY This study consists of six chapters: Introduction, Literature Review, Research Methodology, Research Result, Result Analysis and Discussion, and Conclusion. In chapter 2, I will review the literature on Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Viet Nam, Materials evaluation, Materials adaptation. Chapter 3 includes the research design, the participant, the materials, the research instrument, and the procedure of the study. In chapter 4, the research results collected from real classroom situations are reported.
In chapter 5, I will analyze the research result and come up with theoretical findings.