Tài liệu Textbook evaluation an investigation into vectory 01

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY --------------- VO QUOC DAI TEXTBOOK EVALUATION: AN INVESTIGATION INTO VECTORY 01 Submitted to the Faculty of English Language in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in English Language Course code: 60220201 HO CHI MINH CITY, March /2018 CERTIFICATION OF THESIS DEFENSE THE THESIS WAS WRITTEN AT HOCHIMINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Academic supervisor’s name : Dr. Nguyễn Thanh Bình The thesis defense session was conducted at Hochiminh City University of Technology (HUTECH) on April 6th, 2018. The Board of Examiners for the Master’s Thesis Defense TT NAME FUNCTION 1 Dr. Nguyễn Thị Kiều Thu Chair 2 Dr. Phạm Nguyễn Huy Hoàng Reader 1 3 Dr. Lê Văn Tuyên Reader 2 4 Dr. Nguyễn Đăng Nguyên Member 5 Dr. Lê Thị Thanh Secretary Member On behalf of the Board of Examiners Chair Nguyễn Thị Kiều Thu, Ph.D. HCMC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY HCMC, May 2, 2018 POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE MASTER’S THESIS TASK REPORT Student name: Võ Quốc Đại Date of birth: December 11th 1985 Major: English Language Sex : Male Place of birth: Ho Chi Minh city Student code: 1641900005 I- Thesis title: Textbook Evaluation: An Investigation into ‘Vectory 01’ II- Task description and contents: This research study evaluates Vectory 01, an official textbook used for students in an English Center in Hochiminh City, Vietnam. The empirical evaluation was conducted based on data collected from 50 teachers and 104 students at Vectory English Center in the form of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The purpose of the study is to find out the users’ views on the textbook, its impact on users and the users’ recommendations for improvement. III- Starting date: August 1st, 2017 IV- Completing date: April 6th , 2018 V- Academic supervisor: Dr. Nguyễn Thanh Bình SUPERVISOR Nguyễn Thanh Bình, Ph.D. FACULTY DEAN Nguyễn Thị Kiều Thu, Ph.D. CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Master’s Thesis submitted today entitled: TEXTBOOK EVALUATION: AN INVESTIGATION INTO VECTORY 01 In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master’s programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee of Faculty of English Language, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology. Ho Chi Minh City, March 2018 VO QUOC DAI i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, VO QUOC DAI, being a candidate for the degree of Master of Arts (English Language) accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master‟ s Theses deposited in the Library. In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master’s Thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan, and reproduction for theses. Ho Chi Minh City, March 2018 Signature VO QUOC DAI ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am deeply indebted to a number of people and organizations in the process of conducting this study. I would first like to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, my supervisor, for his patience, guidance, insightful advice, and constant encouragement through the whole research process. Without his support, excellent feedback and guidance, this thesis would never have been completed. I also greatly thank Dr. Nguyen Thi Kieu Thu for her continuous support and guidance whenever I need any advice. I am grateful to Mr Le Quang Minh, manager of Vectory English Center (Trung tam Anh Ngu Toan Tam) for permission and great support to conduct the research at the center. And finally, I would like to sincerely show my gratitude to all the participants who directly or contributed much data to this study. iii ABSTRACT This research study evaluates Vectory 01, an official textbook used for students in an English Center in Hochiminh City, Vietnam. The empirical evaluation was conducted based on data collected from 50 teachers and 104 students at Vectory English Center in the form of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews. The purpose of the study is to find out the users’ views on the textbook, its impact on users and the users’ recommendations for improvement. The results of the evaluation show that the textbook is suitable to the teaching and learning context and culture; it offers much help to both teachers and students; it also receives positive feedbacks from teachers and pupils. Apart from these merits, Vectory 01 needs to be improved in varying types of activities, providing free practice activities after the controlled ones, supplementing the textbook with language material from different resources such as picture stories, comic strips, etc. and providing the supporting resources The findings also indicate that textbook writers should carry out learner needs analysis before writing new textbooks to make sure they meet learners’ needs. Key words: ELT; Textbook; Textbook evaluation iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Certificate of originality .............................................................................................. i Retention and use of the thesis ....................................................................................ii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................... iii Abstract ...................................................................................................................... iv Table of contents ......................................................................................................... v Appendices ................................................................................................................. ix List of tables ................................................................................................................ x List of abbreviations .................................................................................................... x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study........................................................................................ 1 1.1.1.The importance of English in Vietnam ................................................... 1 1.1.2.Governmental Policies towards EFL in Vietnam ................................... 2 1.1.3.ELT at English Centers in Vietnam ........................................................ 4 1.2 Problem statement ................................................................................................. 4 1.3 Research questions .............................................................................................. 4 1.4 Purpose of the study .............................................................................................. 5 1.5 Scope of the study ................................................................................................. 5 1.6 Significance of the study ....................................................................................... 6 1.7 Organization of the thesis...................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 7 2.2. Definition of Textbooks in EFL ........................................................................... 7 2.3. Arguments about the roles of Textbooks in EFL ................................................. 7 2.3.1. Advantages of Textbooks....................................................................... 7 2.3.2. Disadvantages of Textbooks .................................................................. 8 2.4. Textbook design ................................................................................................... 8 2.5. Textbook evaluation ........................................................................................... 13 2.5.1. Definition of Textbook Evaluation ...................................................... 13 v 2.5.2. Roles of Textbook Evaluation ............................................................. 13 2.5.3. Approaches and Criteria for Textbook Evaluation .............................. 14 2.6. Previous Research Studies on Textbook Evaluation.......................................... 18 2.6.1. On International Textbooks ................................................................. 18 2.6.2. On Textbooks compiled by Vietnamese .............................................. 22 2.7. Summary ............................................................................................................ 25 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 3.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 26 3.2. Research Design ................................................................................................. 26 3.3. Research site ....................................................................................................... 26 3.4. The textbook ‘Vectory 01’ ................................................................................. 27 3.5. Sample and sampling procedures ....................................................................... 27 3.5.1. Teachers ............................................................................................... 27 3.5.2. Students ................................................................................................ 28 3.6. Research instruments ......................................................................................... 28 3.6.1.Questionnaire ........................................................................................ 28 3.6.2.Semi-structured interview ..................................................................... 30 3.7. Data collection procedures ................................................................................. 31 3.7.1.Questionnaire ........................................................................................ 31 3.7.2.Semi-structured interview ..................................................................... 32 3.8. Data analysis procedures .................................................................................... 32 3.8.1. Questionnaire ....................................................................................... 32 3.8.2.Semi-structured interview ..................................................................... 33 3.9. Summary ............................................................................................................ 33 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 4.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 34 4.2. Findings .............................................................................................................. 34 4.2.1. Questionnaires ...................................................................................... 34 vi 4.2.1.1. Teachers ................................................................................. 34 4.2.1.1.1. Overall evaluation ......................................................... 34 4.2.1.1.2. Organization and Structure ............................................ 37 4.2.1.1.3. Activities and Tasks ...................................................... 37 4.2.1.1.4. Language, Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Grammar......... 40 4.2.1.1.5. Supporting resources ..................................................... 41 4.2.1.1.6. Physical appearance and other features ......................... 43 4.2.1.1.7. Summary overview of teachers’ responses ................... 45 4.2.1.2. Students .................................................................................. 45 4.2.1.2.1. Overall evaluation ......................................................... 45 4.2.1.2.2. Organization and Structure ............................................ 47 4.2.1.2.3. Activities and Tasks ...................................................... 48 4.2.1.2.4. Language, Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Grammar......... 50 4.2.1.2.5. Physical appearance and other features ......................... 52 4.2.1.2.6. Summary overview of students’ responses ................... 54 4.2.1.3 Summary of questionnaire findings ........................................ 54 4.2.2. Semi-structured interviews .................................................................. 55 4.2.2.1. Teachers ................................................................................. 55 4.2.2.1.1. Overall evaluation ......................................................... 55 4.2.2.1.2. Organization and Structure ............................................ 57 4.2.2.1.3. Activities and Tasks ...................................................... 58 4.2.2.1.4. Language, Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Grammar......... 59 4.2.2.1.5. Supporting resources ..................................................... 60 4.2.2.1.6. Physical appearance and other features ......................... 61 4.2.2.1.6. Summary overview of teachers’ interviews ................. 62 4.2.2.2. Students .................................................................................. 63 4.2.2.2.1. Overall evaluation ......................................................... 63 4.2.2.2.2. Organization and Structure ............................................ 64 4.2.2.2.3. Activities and Tasks ...................................................... 65 4.2.2.2.4. Language, Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Grammar......... 66 4.2.2.2.5. Physical appearance and other features ......................... 67 vii 4.2.2.2.6. Summary overview of students’ interviews ................. 68 4.3. Discussions ......................................................................................................... 68 4.3.1. Research question 1 and 2 .................................................................... 69 4.3.1.1. Overall evaluation .................................................................. 69 4.3.1.2. Organization and Structure .................................................... 70 4.3.1.3. Activities and Tasks ............................................................... 70 4.3.1.4. Language, Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Grammar ................. 71 4.3.1.5. Supporting resources .............................................................. 72 4.3.1.6. Physical appearance and other features ................................. 72 4.3.2. Research question 3 ............................................................................. 73 4.3.2.1 Teachers’ Recommendations for Improvement ...................... 73 4.3.2.1.1. General recommendations ............................................. 73 4.3.2.1.2. Recommendations on the textbook content .................. 73 4.3.2.1.3. Recommendations on activities ..................................... 74 4.3.2.1.4. Recommendations on vocabulary and grammar ........... 74 4.3.2.1.5. Recommendations on supporting resources .................. 75 4.3.2.1.6. Recommendations on physical appearance ................... 75 4.3.2.2 Students’ Recommendations for Improvement ...................... 75 4.3.2.2.1. Overall evaluation ......................................................... 75 4.3.2.2.2. Recommendations on organization and structure ......... 75 4.3.2.2.3. Recommendations on activities and Tasks.................... 76 4.3.2.2.4. Recommendations on vocabulary and grammar ........... 76 4.3.2.2.5. Recommendations on physical appearance ................... 76 4.4. Summary ............................................................................................................ 76 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 5.1. Conclusion.......................................................................................................... 78 5.1.1. Research Question 1 and 2 ................................................................... 78 5.1.2. Research Question 3............................................................................. 79 5.2. Implications ........................................................................................................ 80 5.3. Limitations of the study ..................................................................................... 82 viii 5.1. Recommendations for further research ............................................................. 83 LIST OF REFERENCES ....................................................................................... 85 APPENDICES Appendix A Participant Information Sheet .............................................................. 89 Appendix B Participant Consent Form .................................................................... 90 Appendix C Questionnaire Instruction .................................................................... 91 Appendix D Research Information Sheet For Teachers .......................................... 92 Appendix E Research Information Sheet For Students ........................................... 93 Appendix F Questionnaire for Teachers .................................................................. 94 Appendix G Questionnaire for Students .................................................................. 98 Appendix H Semi-structured Interview Checklist ................................................. 102 Appendix I Interview Example Transcription ....................................................... 104 Appendix J Sample Scanned Questionnaire (Students) ........................................ 108 Appendix K Sample Scanned Questionnaire (Teachers) ...................................... 112 Appendix L List of teachers doing the questionnaire ........................................... 117 Appendix M A sample lesson from Vectory 01 .................................................... 120 LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................. Table 4.1: Summary of teachers’ overall evaluation ................................................ 35 Table 4.2 Summary of teachers’ evaluation on structure and organization .............. 37 Table 4.3 Summary of teachers’ evaluation on activities and tasks ......................... 38 Table 4.4 Summary of teachers’ evaluation on language, vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar ...................................................................................... 40 Table 4.5 Summary of teachers’ evaluation on Supporting resources ...................... 41 Table 4.6 Summary of teachers’ evaluation on physical appearance and other features ...................................................................................................... 43 Table 4.7 Summary of students’ overall evaluation ................................................. 46 ix Table 4.8 Summary of students’ evaluation on structure and organization .............. 47 Table 4.9 Summary of students’ evaluation on activities and exercises................... 48 Table 4.10 Summary of students’ evaluation on language, vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar ...................................................................................... 51 Table 4.11 Summary of students’ evaluation on physical appearance and other features ..................................................................................................... 52 LIST OF ABREVIATIONS: 1. CLT: Communicative language teaching 2. EFL: English as a foreign language 3. ELT: English language teaching 4. FLT: Foreign language teaching 5. MoET: Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam 6. VEC: Vectory English Center x 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1. Background to the study: 1.1.1. The importance of English in Vietnam: Recognized as a global lingua franca, English helps connect people all over the world in nearly every aspect of life such as doing business and establishing diplomacy, regardless of any political systems, races and religions. Especially in the Asia-Pacific region, English is constantly considered one of the important factors to boost economic and social development. When Nunan conducted a study on the impact of English educational policies and practices in the Asia-Pacific Region, one interviewer stated, ‘It can be said that English has become a must for success in both studying and working. One of the most common requirements in job advertisements is proficiency in English (another is computer skills)’ (Nunan, 2003). Indeed English has grown and expanded rapidly in Vietnam since the ‘opendoor’ policy was implemented in 1986. In education, English is among the compulsory subjects for 6th graders to 12th graders in Vietnam whereas it is optional for 3rd graders to 5th graders. In higher education, English together with French, Russian, German and Chinese are five obligatory foreign languages and it has the highest enrolment. (MoET, 2008c). Also the demand to study overseas has been increasing dramatically since the late 1990s. For instance, ‘Vietnam has risen from the 26th position in 2004/05 with 3,670 students sent to the United States to ninth place in 2014/15 with 18,722 students. Over this 10 year period, the number of Vietnamese students increased by 410 percent.’ (Top Markets Report Education Country Case Study, American Department of Commerce, 2016) In employment, English is the key to obtaining a job with a high salary in foreign businesses, joint ventures and in the international labor market. According to the Department of Overseas Labor, 25,637 Vietnamese workers were working overseas in the first quarter of 2012. If employees want to work in overseas labor markets (Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, Middle East 2 countries, etc.), they are expected to be competent in either their destination languages or English (Phan, 2009). In the mass media, 14 out of 34 channels broadcast by cable television use English on air and ‘20 channels (by direct to home (DTH) television service) are in English and only sometimes have partial Vietnamese subtitles’ (Phan, 2009: 176). Besides, according to the Internet Live Status (2017), there are over 49 million users in Vietnam. Most online newspapers have both Vietnamese and English versions, and nearly 20 newspapers and journals are published in English (Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism). In tourism, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO, 2017), Vietnam welcomed 7 million tourists, including 500,000 from the USA, the UK and Australia. So it is really urgent to equip Vietnamese labor with English proficiency to satisfy the increasing demand in development of the tourism industry in Vietnam. It can be concluded then that English is of greater and greater importance in Vietnam. 1.1.2. Governmental Policies towards EFL in Vietnam: Vietnam has witnessed crucial change in foreign language teaching and learning since it gained national independence in 1975. There are two main periods: from 1975 to 1986, the commencing year of national ‘reform’ or (Doi Moi), and from 1986 up to the present. a. From 1975 to 1986: Chinese and Russian were the most popular foreign languages all over the country, especially in North Vietnam as a result of educational aid from the Soviet Union and trade with China. In the South, both English and French were taught due to the spread of English and the long period of French and American colonization. However, after the reunification, the Government restricted diplomatic relationships with capitalist countries. Hence, there was a dramatic decrease in English and French teaching. Several English schools and centers were closed. 3 b. From 1986 to the present: In 1986, Vietnam decided to implement a reform policy and began to promote relationships with countries all over the world regardless of their political and economic systems. Therefore, there was an increase in the demand for English as foreigners started to visit Vietnam and set up businesses. In 1994, the Prime Minister signed an Order, according to which it was compulsory for state officials to study foreign languages, especially English. And later the government also enacted regulations that any officials promoted to certain posts have certificates in a foreign language. Those who studied voluntarily and achieved a national certificate in any foreign language received bonuses, which really brought about a dramatic change in foreign language teaching and learning in Vietnam. To assess foreign language competence, the MoET established an evaluation system from level A to level C in 1994. Article 24 of the Educational Law in 1998 also highlighted the importance of foreign languages at all levels of education in Vietnam. In 2001, a reform of the curriculum and the related textbooks, including those for foreign language teaching, was introduced. Later the 6th Session of the 11th National Congress (2004) accumulated new ideas to enhance international cooperation in education, including encouraging the learning of English at all levels in the education system, and allowing some universities to design bilingual (English and Vietnamese) undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In 2008, the Prime Minister approved the ‘Proposal on foreign language teaching and learning in general education system from 2008 to 2020’ by the MoET. Its aim is to ‘reform’ in curricula, textbooks, teaching methodology, and assessment standards in the teaching and learning of foreign languages in the whole education system. From 2015, the language proficiency of officials and workers will be improved. From 2020, vocational school students and university graduates should be able to communicate in at least one foreign language in an integrated, multilingual and multicultural environment (Government Decision, 2008). The determination of the government have paved the way for the development of FLT in general, and ELT in particular. 4 1.1.3. ELT at English Centers in Vietnam: Since the start of Vietnam’s ‘open-door’ policy, there has been a boom in foreign language teaching as people have the right to study as many foreign languages as they want. Thus, English has become a very essential tool for Vietnamese people, especially those living in such large commercial cities as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, and Can Tho. Most English language centers use available English textbooks such ‘Streamline English’ or ‘American Streamline’, ‘Headway’, ‘New Concepts’ and then ‘Lifelines’, ‘Enterprises’, ‘New Cutting Edge’, etc., though their effectiveness on learners has not yet been officially tested. They are chosen due to the fact that their publishers have a good reputation. For international certificate courses, such as TOEFL, IELTS, etc. different centers use different materials for internal use. 1.2. Problem statement: ‘Vectory 01’ was designed as an English textbook and has been used for over two years at a private English center in Hochiminh city, Vietnam. It is necessary that an evaluation on the book be carried out to discover whether it really matches the aims and requirements of the curriculum and leaners’ needs and to identify whether the book is suitable within the context of teaching and learning in Ho Chi Minh city. It is also expected that some implications will be made in order to better the textbooks' quality and make the best use of the textbooks in the current situation. 1.3. Research questions: This study attempts to find answers to the following research questions: 1. What are teachers' evaluation of Vectory 01 textbook usage in terms of quality and appropriateness? 2. What are students’ perspectives of Vectory 01 textbook usage in terms of quality and appropriateness? 3. What recommendations do teachers and students make for the improvement of the textbook? 5 1.4. Purpose of the study: This study evaluates Vectory 01, an English textbook from a series of four textbooks which was designed by two Vietnamese teachers and has been used by all students with elementary English level at an English center in Vietnam since 2015, from both a theoretical and empirical perspective. The research aims to uncover the strengths and weaknesses of the book as used in the teaching and learning context in colleges in Ho Chi Minh City and give feedbacks to improve this textbook. Hopefully, it may be a sample to evaluate English textbooks written by Vietnamese authors. 1.5. Scope of the study: This study focuses on English teaching and learning in English Center in Ho Chi Minh City. Thus it findings might not be applicable to all areas in the country. Furthermore, the textbook is intended for university students whose English level is beginner. As a result, some suggestions made and implications drawn in the study cannot easily be generalized to textbooks for other learners of English at different ages. The Vectory series consists of four textbooks. However, due to time constraints, this study only focuses on evaluating the first one – ‘Vectory 01’. Various theorists have suggested a great number of different checklists and criteria for textbook evaluation. These evaluation frameworks differ considerably in their scope. However most frameworks and checklists concentrate on evaluating textbooks in general with no specifications for such a particular textbook as Vectory 01. Hence, the evaluation criteria utilized in the study are an adaptation of the evaluation frameworks and checklists suggested by Cunningsworth (1984, 1995), Davies (2006), Ellis (1997), Hutchinson and Waters (1993), Littlejohn (1998), McDonald and Shaw (1993), Sheldon (1988), Skiero (1991), Tomlinson (2003) and Williams (1983). The population of the study is restricted to 104 students, 10 teachers at Vectory English Center and 40 teachers at other centers. 6 1.6. Significance of the study: It is hoped that the study will contribute to the establishment of qualities for a better textbook in the current situation of a total and thorough change in the teaching and learning at English centers in Ho Chi Minh City, where most centers choose to use available international textbooks. This research may inspire English centers to compile or even write their own English textbooks and put them into use. The researcher hopes his approach to evaluating Vectory 01 could be an informative sample to evaluate selfcompiled textbooks as little research about these kinds of English textbooks has been done so far. 1.7. Organization of the thesis: This thesis consists of 5 chapters. Chapter 1 demonstrates the context and background of the study, the problem statement, the thesis statement, the purpose and scope of the study as well as the significance of the study. Chapter 2 contains the review of related literature. It discusses textbooks, textbook design, textbook evaluation and the evaluation criteria used in this research. This chapter also reviews previous research on textbook and textbook evaluation. Chapter 3 states the research methodology used in this study. Data collection instruments and data analysis are also presented in this chapter. Chapter 4 shows the results of the study and discusses recommendations for the improvement of the textbook Vectory 01 Chapter 5 summarizes the main findings and shows implications of the research, discusses the limitations and offers some recommendations to Vectory 01. 7 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1. Introduction There is a huge body of literature on textbook development and evaluation. This chapter reviews the literature on textbooks and their role in ELT classrooms (2.2), arguments about the roles of textbook (2.3) and textbook evaluation (2.4). It also presents a review of previous research studies on textbook evaluation (2.5). Section 2.6 is the conclusion of the literature review. 2.2. Definition of Textbooks in EFL: Tomlinson regarded the textbook as one of the materials utilized to assist teachers in their teaching (Tomlinson, 2011). Hutchinson and Torres (1994) said that a textbook is supposed to be a teacher guide, a tool for learners to review knowledge and a record to measure what has been taught by the teachers. Cunningsworth’s (1995) stated that ‘A textbook is defined as an effective resource for self-directed learning, an effective source of presentation of materials, a source of ideas and activities, a reference source for students, a syllabus where they reflect predetermined language objectives, and support for less experienced teachers who have yet to gain confidence’. Generally, different writers have their own perceptions of textbooks. Nevertheless, what most of them bear in their minds is that textbooks are common sources for both teaching and learning. 2.3. Arguments about the roles of Textbooks in EFL: 2.3.1. Advantages of Textbooks: As mentioned above, textbooks are the essential source for teaching and learning. Hence, most English teachers use published textbooks throughout their teaching career (Cunningsworth, 1995; Hutchinson and Torres, 1994 and Tomlinson, 2003). Textbooks have the following benefits: - Textbooks, with their supplementary components (teacher guides, workbooks, tests, and other audio-visual devices) are an important source of information in teaching. Donoghue carried out a survey of 76 experienced and inexperienced