BINH DUONG PROVINCIAL PEOPLE‟S COMMITTEE THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY PHAN THI LE TRINH ENGLISH FOR GRADE 6: EXPLORING THE SUITABILITY OF TEXTBOOK CONTENTS MAJOR: ENGLISH LANGUAGE MAJOR CODE: 8220201 MASTER THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE BINH DUONG PROVINCE -2021 BINH DUONG PROVINCIAL PEOPLE‟S COMMITTEE THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY PHAN THI LE TRINH ENGLISH FOR GRADE 6: EXPLORING THE SUITABILITY OF TEXTBOOK CONTENTS MAJOR: ENGLISH LANGUAGE MAJOR CODE: 8220201 MASTER THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE SUPERVISED BY DR. NGUYEN THI NGUYET ANH BINH DUONG PROVINCE - 2021 STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY I certify that this thesis, entitled “English for grade 6: exploring the suitability of textbook contents” is my own work. Except where reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis does not contain materials published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma. No other person‟s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main text of the thesis.
Binh Duong, 2021 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my appreciation and deeply felt words to all those concerned in my thesis. My deepest gratitude goes to my supervisor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Nguyet Anh, who read my drafts of sections and chapters of this study with great care and devotion, gave thoughtful and insightful comments, and provided me with invaluable support and relevant materials in the preparation and completion of the thesis. This thesis would not have been finished without her enthusiastic guidance and constructive critical questions which paved the way for the completion of this study.
th I am also grateful to Phu Chanh Secondary School, the English teaching staff, and the 6 graders at Phu Chanh School in Binh Duong Province whose willingness, enthusiasm, and encouragement supported me so much. My special thanks are for my beloved husband who shared the happiness and difficulties with me during the course. My beloved husband always encourages me to try my best. I will never forget the time with them, as my best memories in my life.
Last but not least, words cannot reveal my appreciation to my great parents, who always put high expectations on their daughter, so enrolling and passing this course is my invaluable reward for them. This is one of the greatest motivations that help me overcome all the difficulties facing my life to finish the thesis. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .1 Background of the study .2 Aims of the study .3 Significance of the study .5 Scope of the study.6 Structure of the study. 4 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .1 Definitions of terms .2 Review of related literature.
Role of textbooks. Purposes of Textbook Evaluation .3 Criteria for evaluating textbooks .1 Theories by Cunningsworth (1995). Theories by Ur (1996). Theories by Tomlinson (2003) .4 Textbook evaluation procedure.
Theories by Ur (1996) .2 Theories by Tomlinson (2003). Theories by Cunningsworth (1995). Theories by McDonough and Shaw (1998&2003) .3 Review of previous studies .1 Previous studies carried out in foreign countries. Previous studies carried out in Viet Nam .4 Conceptual framework of the study.
The objectives of the English language training program .2 Middle school goal.1 Objectives of school levels .3 Population and sample. Questionnaire for teachers. 2 Questionnaire for students. 41 CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION.
Analysis of data and discussion of results.1 Teachers’ and students’ reaction to “TIENG ANH 6” .1 Results from questionnaire. The appropriateness of the book with the the 6-grade English curriculum aims and objectives stated by MoET). Summary of questionnaire findings. Results from interview .4 Summary of interview findings .3 Limitations of the Study.
Recommendations to the teachers. Recommendations to the students .3 Recommendations to the editor. 65 QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TEACHERS. 80 QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS.
99 v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS B.A: Bachelor of Arts CEFR: Common European Framework of Reference ELT: English language Teaching MOET: Ministry of Education and Training vi ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to evaluate “TIENG ANH 6” to see whether it is suitable in learning and teaching situation, to explore the potential obstacles students and teachers encounter when using the book and finally to present some suggestions on how to put it in the most effective use. To analyze the data, the researcher used quantitative research method. The participants of this study consist of seven English teachers and 50 sixth graders. The data was taken by questionnaires.
The main goal of this research is to find out teachers‟ and students‟ reaction to “TIENG ANH 6” and how teachers and students use the new textbook English for 6th grade effectively. Based on the findings and discussions of the result, the researcher concluded that although the textbook is good, the answers from the study clearly point to a need for adapting the book to suit students of different levels, interests and learning styles. vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION This chapter mainly describes the background to the study, specifically explaining the reasons for which the study is conducted, states the purpose and scope of the study and poses the research questions , significance of the study and structure of the study. Moreover, it includes the significance and provides the structure of the study.1 Background of the study Textbooks are basic materials, compulsory to use in the school, so they play a crucially important role in teaching and learning.
From textbooks, students can get access to basic, modern and systematic knowledge. In addition to new knowledge, textbooks are also materials that help students consolidate, synthesize, and systematize knowledge through review and study guides. Textbooks play such an important role in the learning and teaching process. In fact, Cunningsworth (1995:7) claims that textbooks have multiple roles in ELT.
Firstly, they can serve as a source of activities for learner practice and communicative interaction. Secondly, they can be a reference source for learners on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, etc. Finally, they can be a support for less experienced teachers. Moreover, “textbooks help teachers have more time to think about creating interesting and effective classroom activities to introduce the given content knowledge to learners” (Bell and Gower, 1998 & 2011).
Additionally, according to McGrath (2002), textbooks are sometimes considered to offer a clear map for the teacher and learner to follow. They indicate to both the teacher and learner where they are, what they have done and what needs to be done to fulfill a specific course aim. McGrath (2002) states that, “They also help learners review and practice what they have learned”. In an effort to carry out reforms in education, the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training has put forward the idea of changing textbooks in order to orientate teachers towards more communicative and effective teaching approach and encourage students to acquire knowledge more actively and effectively textbooks.
And English is no exception because it has gained greater and greater importance to students‟ secondary education as well as their later career. The new textbook is aimed at improving students‟ all four language skills and providing students with much grammar and pronunciation practice in comparison with the old one, which mostly focuses on reading 1 skill and has been considered demanding and rather boring as far as reading texts, are concerned. However, not a few complaints about the unsuitability and loaded programme of “TIẾNG ANH 6” have been made by both teachers and students who have been using it.The research on the book was carried out as a result of most secondary school teacher‟s need to amass objective comments on “TIẾNG ANH 6” from students and teachers who have experience of using the book, which would help them to anticipate difficulties to overcome and aspects of the book to adapt for their teaching and learning contexts when it is officially used in their secondary schools In fact, textbooks are not always professionally designed and do not always fit the curriculum and closely correspond with the aims of the teaching program and the needs of the students. Because textbooks have a significant impact on the language teaching, the purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the new textbook English for 6th grade to find out whether it can be adopted in the current learning and teaching situation.
Moreover, it is to explore the potential obstacles students and teachers encounter when using the new textbook. It also helps the manager and Ministry of Education and Training to select the most appropriate materials available for a particular course. It also helps to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the articular textbook that is already in use and, finally, to present some suggestions on how to put the new book in effective use.2 Aims of the study This study aims at evaluating the new textbook for 6th grade to see if it is appropriate to the students‟ level of English and their background knowledge, exploring the weaknesses in the new textbook English for 6th grade and presenting some suggestions to help teachers and students to use the book effectively.Research questions In order to attain the aforementioned aims, the study seeks to answer the research questions: 1) What are the weaknesses in the new textbook English for 6th grade? 2) How can teachers and students use the new textbook English for 6th grade effectively? 1.4 Significance of the study This study is significantly conducted for some of the following expected outcomes. 2 Firstly, this study might also help English- language teachers in secondary schools have a useful insight into the new textbook so that they could understand the nature of the material, master and employ the book effectively.Secondly, it may provide some suggestions for the authorities and the group of authors of the textbook at the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training with scientific evidence to improve the quality of the current material being used for grade 6 – students.5 Scope of the study The study aims to investigate needs and expectations of six-graders in Phu Chanh secondary school and three issues of the new textbook: (1) teachers and student‟s reaction to “TIENG ANH 6”, and teachers and student‟s suggestions for the better use of the new textbook.
The study, however, does not put equal emphasis on all the aspects of the book but mainly focuses on (1) topics, (2) language content, (3) skills, and (4) methodology. The subjects of the study are 294 students chosen randomly from 1106 students and 19 teachers chosen randomly from 20 teachers of English at Phu Chanh secondary school. The study was implemented from early September 2019 to late May 2020 at Phu Chanh secondary school as soon as students stabilize their learning at the beginning of the new school year. Due to the time limit, instruments used to collect data are questionnaires to teachers and students.6 Structure of the study The study is presented in five chapters: Chapter 1 provides the background to the study, states the purpose and scope of the study, pose the research questions and hypotheses, states the significance of the study and draw the overall structure of the study.
Chapter 2 describes the review of related literature and also states the research gap. Chapter 3 describes the research methodology applied in this study such as research design, participants, instruments and research procedure. Chapter 4 discusses the results of the study in which the data collected from the participants will be analyzed and reported. 3 Chapter 5 summarizes the main findings of the study and suggests implications for further improvements.7 Summary So far this chapter has presented an introduction to the research paper using the background, the aims and the scope of the study and significance of the study.
As stated in the previous section, the next chapter will explore the literature review. 4 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter forms the theoretical background to the study regarding the definitions of terms, the related literature. Moreover, it summarizes textbook evaluation procedure.