an evaluation of english language textbook \"say it in english\" for first year...

$: An Evaluation of English Language Textbook \"Say It In English\" For First Year Intermediate Grade in Saudi Arabia$
An Evaluation of English Language Textbook "Say It In English" For

First Year Intermediate Grade in Saudi Arabia

Dr.Hamad Al-sowat

Departmen- Faculty Crriculum

Of Education-Umm-Al-Qura University

An Evaluation of English Language Textbook "Say It In English"…..

331Journal of Studies in Curriculum and Supervision

Dr.Hamad Al-sowat

332 Vol. 3 - No. 2/ Rajab 1433 - May 2012

An Evaluation of English Language Textbook

"Say It In English"

For First Year Intermediate Grade in Saudi Arabia

Abstract:

This study aimed at evaluating the English Language textbook for First Year Intermediate Grade from the perspectives of male and female teachers in Taif Educational Governorate, Saudi Arabia. The study also examined the statistical differences between the views of male and female teachers referring to (gender, years of experience, and the interaction between gender and years of experience). The researcher designed a questionnaire consisting of 79 items to evaluate this textbook; the questionnaire consisted of demographic information, nine criteria for evaluating the textbook and three open-ended questions. The validity of the instrument was tested by a group of experts in curricula and teaching methods of English Language. Pearson's correlation coefficient was also used to verify the internal consistency of the questionnaire items, and it ranged between (0.612 and 0.933) ;these values were significant at (0.01) level. Furthermore, the reliability was calculated using Cronbach's Alpha coefficient and it was (0.98), which indicated that the questionnaire had a high degree of validity and reliability for the purposes of this study. The researcher used different statistical approaches to analyze the data. The study results showed that the degree of the textbook evaluation was good for three criteria and weak for six criteria. The general degree was weak (3.07 out of 5). The participants suggested many activities and supplementary materials to support this textbook, such as audio-visual materials, tests, language laboratories and stories. The results also showed that there were statistically significant differences between the views of male and female teachers referred to gender in favor of female teachers. They also showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the views of the participants due to the experience and to the interaction between experience and gender. In the light of these findings, the researcher reported some recommendations to address the drawbacks of the English Language textbook for First Year Intermediate Grade.



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Dr.Hamad Al-sowat

334 Vol. 3 - No. 2/ Rajab 1433 - May 2012

An Evaluation of English Language Textbook

"Say It In English"

For First Year Intermediate Grade in Saudi Arabia

Introduction:

English Language is so widely spoken; it has often been referred to as a "world language", the lingua franca of the modern era. Graddol (2000:2) states that English Language "is the main language of books, newspapers, airports and air-traffic control, international business and academic references, science technology, diplomacy, sport, international competitions and advertising".

English as a foreign language (EFL) indicates the use of English in non–English-speaking regions. In Saudi Arabia, learning English occurs as part of the normal school curriculum. Typically, English is learned either to pass exams as a necessary part of one's education, or for career progression while working for an organization or business with an international focus.

"The educational system is responsible for integrating English language in the people's everyday life through stepping from the elementary stages at schools to advanced levels at universities and institutes in an organized and systematic process. This can be achieved if there is a well designed curriculum that corresponds to the needs, thoughts



and beliefs of a specific nation" (Almazloum and Qeshta, 2009:2).

A number of research results such as Khinkar (2000) and Al-Zuhairi (2008) indicated that the achievement of the Saudi students in English is low, and one of the most important causes of this drop is the textbooks taught in intermediate and secondary schools.

One of the most important components of curriculum is the textbook which provides a clear framework that teachers and learners know where they are going and what is coming next, so that there is a sense of structure and progress. Ur (2006:184) mentions that "the textbook is the cheapest way of providing learning material for each learner; alternatives, such as kits, sets of photocopied papers or computer software, likely to be more expensive relative to the amount of material provided". Harmer (1991:257) also believes that textbooks supply attractive, interesting and lively materials which may not be produced by teachers.

Teaching English in Saudi Arabia has witnessed further

development in recent years in terms of curriculum design and

development. The Ministry of Education (MOE) has

implemented a series of textbooks for the intermediate stage

(1st, 2nd and 3rd grades) and, the textbook of the First Year

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Intermediate Grade was taught in the scholastic Year

2003/2004. The Ministry of Education states that there are

approximately 1,100,000 male and female students who learn

English with these Say It In English textbooks (MOE,2010).

It is clear that Say It In English reaches a wide audience and its potential influence on approximately 1,100,000 students learning English language each year makes it crucial to evaluate these textbooks.

Ansary and Babaii (2002) stated that "evaluation

process covers different fields of the curriculum; mostly the

content represented by the textbook. Although the textbook is

not the only tool for the teaching and learning process, it is still

of a significant impact for achieving the language learning

objectives. Since teachers find it difficult to develop their own

classroom materials, have limited time and lie under external

pressure that restricts their ability, it gives more emphasis on

the use and utility of the textbook to compensate the loss of

authentic materials" (cited in Almazloum and Qeshta, 2009:2).

Evaluation of instructional materials has become one of

the major issues of language teaching/learning instruction.

“Textbooks can relieve the overburdened, as well as under-

prepared, teacher of a great deal of stress, time and additional

work” (Nunan, 1998:181), and by doing so, textbooks make it

possible for teachers to focus on other tasks such as



monitoring the progress of their students, developing revision

materials and activities (Tekir and Arikan,2007:3).

Statement of the Study Problem:

"Say It In English" for First Year Intermediate Grade is

a new textbook which has been taught since 2003/2004. As an

English Language supervisor, the researcher noticed that many

teachers complained of many problems in dealing with this

textbook. Some of them believed that this textbook is beyond

students' level. Furthermore, the researcher noticed that many

students were not able to use the language properly and this

may be due to the nature of the textbook. So, this study will

adopt a critical analysis into the First Year Intermediate "Say

It In English" textbook to find out points of weakness and

strength. Therefore, this textbook will be studied in terms of its

quality as an educational material to give real

recommendations for improvements and development. The

findings of this study would be useful and beneficial for

further studies and research in this field.

Questions of the Study:

This study addresses the following research questions:

1. How do teachers working at government schools evaluate Say It In English as a First Year Intermediate Grade

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textbook in terms of Layout and Physical Appearance, Content, Objectives, Language Type, Skills, Activities and Tasks, Structures and Vocabulary, Culture Values and Teacher's needs?

2. What kind of supplementary materials and activities, suggested by teachers, can be used to compensate the shortcomings, if any, of the First Year Intermediate Grade textbook?

3. Are there any statistically significant differences between the teachers' views refer to (gender, years of experience and the interaction between gender and years of experience) at ≤ 0.05 level?

Null Hypotheses of the Study:

1. There are no statically significant differences between the teachers' views refer to gender at ≤ 0.05 level.

2. There are no statically significant differences between the teachers' views refer to years of experience at ≤ 0.05 level.

3. There are no statically significant differences between the teachers' views refer to the interaction between gender and years of experience at ≤ 0.05 level.

Purposes of the Study:

4. To recognize the teachers' evaluation of Say It In English as a First Year Intermediate Grade textbook.



5. To suggest the kinds of supplementary materials and activities can be used to compensate the shortcomings, if any, of the First Year Intermediate Grade textbook.

6. To determine any statistically significant differences between the teachers' views refer to (gender, years of experience and the interaction between gender and years of experience).

Significance of the Study:

This study might:

1. Help the curriculum planners and designers to reveal the points of strength of "Say It In English" to be reinforced and the points of weakness to be avoided and treated in the future.

2. Help the administrators at the Ministry of Education to develop new textbooks that satisfy the students' needs.

3. Help teachers to address deficiencies in this textbook through the proposed supplementary activities.

Limitations of the Study:

The results of this study are limited to the sample of the study which consisted of the teachers (male and female) teaching Say It In English for First Year Intermediate Grade in Taif Educational Governorate, Saudi Arabia during the second semester of the scholastic year 2009\2010. Therefore,

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the results may not be generalized for teachers and pupils of other grades, other textbooks or other regions.

Definitions of Terms:

Evaluation:

According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2001), evaluation is “the act of considering something to decide how useful or valuable it is”.

Mertens (2005:47) defines evaluation as "the process of determining the merit, worth or value of something".

In this study, evaluation is a periodic assessment of the relevance, quality, efficiency and impact of Say It In English textbook in relation to the stated objectives.

Textbook:

"It is the coursebook which the teacher and, usually, each student has a copy, and which is in principle to be followed systematically as the basis for a language course" (Ur, 2006:183).

"It is a guide for a teacher, a memory aid for the pupils and a permanent record or measure of what has been learnt" (Hutchinson and Torres, 1994:315).

In this study, textbook is the formal written material published and printed by the Ministry of Education entitled "Say It in English" which is taught in the government schools for First Year Intermediate Grade during the scholastic year 2009/2010.



Review of the Related Literature

Evaluation

Evaluation is also seen as “an activity of gathering

information to be used in making educational decisions”

(Genesee and Upshur, 1999: 140).

There are three components of the evaluation process. The first one is the collection of information, bearing in mind factors such as students’ background, learning processes, and instructional factors. The second component is the interpretation of the information and comparing it with some desired state of affairs, goals, or other information that you think is relevant to your decisions. And the third one is the decision-making process about instruction, students, textbooks …. etc. (Becerra, 2006:33).

Evaluation is a wider term, entailing assessment, but including other processes as well. These additional processes are designed to assist us in interpreting and acting on the results of our assessment. Evaluation is not simply a process of obtaining information, but also a decision-making process (Nunan, 1998:118). The basic purpose of evaluation in school is to bring about quality improvement in education by providing feedback regarding pupils learning, classroom teaching, appropriateness of curriculum and course content.

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Purposes of Evaluation:

Evaluation gives information regarding the effectiveness of the course content. There may be certain curricular areas which may prove to be difficult for the students as their maturity level is not developed enough to cope up with them. This fact can be identified through evaluation and its feedback. If it is found out consistently by the feedback of the evaluation of different pupils that a particular curricular area is not suitable for them, it may be modified. Such information is useful in judging the appropriateness of the pre-determined objectives, of the course as well. Hence, evaluation can provide a basis for textbooks revision.

Scheerens et al. (2003:4) states that "the main motives

for creating or improving provisions for evaluation are three

main concerns: to formally regulate desired levels of quality of

educational outcomes and provisions; to hold educational

service providers accountable and to support ongoing

improvement in education".

When a textbook is introduced, it should be carefully

examined to ensure that the material is suitable for the school

setting. In this examination, a number of different aspects

should be taken into consideration, for example the age and

proficiency level of the students, what language factors that

the students need to learn, the course syllabus and so on

(Fredriksson and Olsson.2006:10).



Materials are not simply the everyday tools of the

language teacher; they are an embodiment of the aims, values

and methods of a particular teaching/learning situation. As

such the selection of materials probably represents the single

most important decision that the language teacher has to make

(Hutchinson, 1987:37).

Low (1987: 21) states that “teachers generally need to

screen materials, in order to predict their suitability for

particular classes”. The generic goal of most evaluations is to

provide "useful feedback" to a variety of audiences including

sponsors, donors, client-groups, administrators, staff, and other

relevant constituencies.

Therefore, materials evaluation plays such an important

role in language teaching and it can and should be a process

that enables teachers to develop their awareness of their own

teaching/learning situation.

Types of Evaluation:

Educators have classified evaluation according to its

purpose. Cunningsworth (1995:155) illustrates that evaluation

can engender three types, "pre-use", "in-use" and "post-use"

evaluation. "Pre-use" evaluation tends to be the most difficult

kind since there is no actual experience of using the textbook.

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From another perspective, "in-use" evaluation is a kind of

evaluation for suitability, involving, matching the textbook

against a specific requirement including the learner’s

objective, the learner’s background, the resources available,

etc. On the other hand, "post-use" evaluation refers to an

assessment of a textbook’s fitness over a period of continual

use which helps administrators to decide whether to use the

same textbook in future or not.

Scheerens et al. (2003:29) mentions another two types

of evaluation which are formative and summative. They clarify

that the terms formative and summative evaluations were

introduced by Scriven (1967). They add that formative

evaluation has the function of ongoing assessment during a

development process. On the other hand, summative

evaluation has the function of the overall, final, assessment of

the program or textbook.

When a new textbook is being developed, it could be formatively assessed at various stages. Firstly, the overall design or outline could be presented to subject matter and pedagogical experts. Next, parts of the book could be tried out in practice on a small scale. Finally, a first edition could also be assessed with an eye to its implementation. In such a situation, teachers using the new textbook could be observed during lessons. The results of such a formative evaluation could then be used to modify or elaborate suggested for a



proper use of the method for a second edition. The summative evaluation is used for overall and final decision-making, about the continuation of a textbook versus guiding development processes in the case of formative evaluation. As the literature on evaluation use indicates, this distinction should not be seen as very sharp, however, since policy-decision-making seldom has the nature of "go/no go" decisions. So, the results of summative evaluation can also lead to a gradual shaping of policy-making and textbook development.

Textbooks:

The Role of Textbooks in EFL Classrooms:

English language teaching/learning has many important components but the essential one to many EFL classrooms is the textbook. Teachers feel that it is very difficult for them to teach systematically without a textbook. Indeed, the textbook plays a crucial role in providing a base of materials for both teachers and learners. Sheldon (1988: 237) suggests that textbooks do not only represent the visible heart of any EFL program but also offer considerable advantages for both students and the teacher when they are being used in the ESL /EFL classrooms.

Hutchinson and Torres (1994: 315) say that "the textbook is an almost universal element of teaching. Millions

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of copies are sold every year, and numerous aid projects have been set up to produce them in different countries…No teaching-learning situation, it seems, is complete until it has its relevant textbook".

Cunningsworth (1995:7) identifies a number of roles

that textbooks can serve in the curriculum, including providing

(a) a syllabus based on pre-determined learning objectives, (b)

an effective resource for self-directed learning, (c) an effective

medium for the presentation of new material, (d) a source of

ideas and activities, (e) a reference source for students, and (f)

support for less experienced teachers who need to gain

confidence.

Hutchinson and Torres (1994:232) identify four ways in

which textbooks can help in times of educational change: first

as a vehicle for teacher and learner training; second because

they provide support and relief from the burden of looking for

materials; third by providing as complete a picture as possible

of what the change will look like; and fourth through the

psychological support they give to teachers.

Ur (2006:184) mentions the following arguments in

favour of using textbooks:

Framework: A textbook provides a clear framework;

teacher and learners know where they are going and what is

coming next, so that there is a sense of structure and progress.



Syllabus: In many places, a textbook serves as a syllabus; if it is followed systematically, a carefully planned and balanced selection of language content will be covered.

Ready-made texts and tasks: The textbook provides texts and learning tasks which are likely to be of an appropriate level for most of the class and this saves time for the teacher.

Economy: A textbook is the cheapest way of providing learning materials for learners. Alternatives, such as kits, set of photocopied papers or computer software, are likely to be more expensive relative to the amount of material provided.

Convenience: A textbook is a convenient package. It is bound, so its components stick together; it is light and small enough to carry around easily; it is of a shape that it is easily packed and stacked.

Guidance: For teachers who are inexperienced or occasionally unsure of their knowledge of the language, the textbook can provide useful guidance and support.

Autonomy: The learner can use the textbook to learn new material, review and monitor progress with some degree of autonomy. A leaner without a textbook is more teacher-dependent.

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Cunningsworth (1984:6) confirms no textbook is totally

suited with a particular teaching situation. However, the role of

the textbook is to be the service of teachers and learners but

not to be their master. So the relationship between teacher and

the material is a partnership which shares common goals to

which each side brings its special contribution. Besides, the

aims of the textbook should seek to meet the needs of the

learner to the highest degree.

Criteria for Textbook Evaluation:

Layout and Design:

Layout and organization of textbooks has a great

influence on learning of the basic information in the texts.

Teaching materials with clear layout and structure have a

noticeable effect on leaning. Learners’ curiosity and attention

are attracted when the material is visually attractive and well

organized. Besides, learners feel more comfort with materials

with lots of white space and attractive colors. Sheldon

(1988:8) points that "textbooks are physical artifacts, and the

author needs to recognize that layout, format, typography and

graphics are also essential for a successful coursebook".

Cunningsworth (1984:57) claims that "what we should look

for is a good balance between visual material and written text,

so that each supports the other". Nunan (1991: 210) points out

that, “The way materials are organized and presented, as well



as the types of content and activities, will help to shape the

learner’s view of language.”

Sheldon (1988:243) argues that the book should have an optimum density and mix of text and graphical material on each page. Needless to say, the pictures must be attractive, catchy and thought provoking, but on the other hand, the pictures cannot be offensive for the students. Furthermore, the pictures should be clear enough and they should serve their aims. In general, the layout of the book must help both the teacher and the students to use the texts and visual materials in an efficient way. McDonough and Shaw (2003:71) contend that “some textbooks… are very well researched and written but are so cluttered with information on every page that teachers/learners find them practically unusable.”

Hartley (1985:81) suggested that illustrations may accomplish one or more of the following roles in instructional text; an affective role- enhancing interest and motivation; an attention role- attracting and directing attention; a didactic role- facilitating learning by showing rather than telling and by providing additional information; a supportive role-enhancing the learning of less able readers and a retention role-facilitating long term recall.

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In addition, “there has been a tendency to use glossy prints in some materials to try and make the book appear more attractive” (McDonough and Shaw, 2003:71). Illustrations must be an integral part of the textbook, and must complement the text and make a real contribution to learning outcomes. There are two basic types of illustration. Firstly, line drawings - which can either be in colour or simply in black only. Secondly, photographs - which again can be in black and white or in full colour.

Objectives:

In evaluating textbooks, the most important feature to be

treated is to check the presence of objectives in the textbooks

and to examine their quality and appropriate to the students'

level.

Moreover, Hyland (2007:76) states that objectives are

important to ensure that appropriate learning is achieved. Just

as syllabus objectives specify the knowledge and skills

students will acquire at the end of a course, lesson and unit

objectives describe the observable behaviors learners will

display at the end of the unit.

Teaching materials need to address clearly stated

objectives. When students know why and what they are

learning, it makes the activities and tasks more purposeful and

meaningful.



According to Cunningsworth (1995:15) "the aims and objectives of a learning/teaching program should determine which course materials are used, and not vice versa, reflecting the principle that coursebooks are better servants than masters". Well-written textbooks should help learners in attaining the determined objectives.

2.2.2.3 Instructions:

Another important criterion for evaluating EFL material is the presence and effectiveness of the teaching/learning instructions EFL materials are expected to incorporate simple and clear instructions.

Tomlinson (1998:95) argues that part of pedagogical realization of material is efficient and effective writing of instructions. Poor instruction may waste a lot of students' valuable time.

Activities and Tasks:

Good textbooks should be supplies with various activities and tasks that engage learners in the use of skills and processes related to specific language teaching objectives. Also, they should include variety of exercises that give students opportunities to practice and extend their language skills. Tomlinson (1998:9) relates tasks with learners’ self-confidence. He adds that learners develop confidence through

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variety of activities which try to push learners slightly beyond their existing proficiency by engaging them in tasks which are stimulating which are problematic but which are achievable too. Richards (2001:266) elaborates that the tasks in the textbooks should be flexible and appeal to different styles and strategies, and should not favor one type of learner over another.

Besides, good textbooks should have variety of

exercises and tasks that enhance cooperative learning. As

Jacobs and Ball (1996) have pointed out, not all group work

promotes learning: "In some ELT books, group activities

appear to have been created merely by putting the words 'in

groups' or 'in pairs' in front of what were formerly individual

activities, without making any changes to encourage learners

to cooperate with one another. Such instructions may suffice in

some situations, but for effective interactions to take place

students will generally need more guidance and

encouragement" (p.99).

Balance of Skills:

Language is integrated and consists of different skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing. Appropriate textbooks should look for a balance of skills. In many cases, the learning situation requires use of many different skills at the same time.



McDonough and Shaw (2003:175) argue that materials should enable the learners to see how the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) can be used effectively in appropriate contexts. They add that as integrated skills materials are likely to involve learners in authentic and realistic tasks, their motivation level will increase as they perceive a clear rationale behind what they are being asked to do.

Language Type:

The language type in textbooks should be appropriate for the students, which means the tasks should not be excessively difficult at the beginning of the textbook and the progression of the language should allow the students to develop confidence as well as various skills and strategies needed for learning..

Swan (1985:85) claims that "Scripted material is useful for presenting specific language items economically and effectively: the course designer has total control over the input, and can provide just the linguistic elements and contextual back-up he or she wishes, no more and no less. Authentic material, on the other hand, gives students a taste of ‘real’ language in use, and provides them with valid linguistic data for their unconscious acquisition processes to work on".

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According to O'Neill (1997:1-3), the exam-oriented

textbooks basically represent two approaches to progression of

the teaching materials. In the 'deep-end' approach, students are

faced at the very beginning with texts and tasks that are as

difficult as those encountered in the exam or even exceeding

the exam level. On the other hand, there is 'progressive steps'

approach if the texts and tasks at the beginning are below the

examination level and the level of difficulty builds up

progressively to reach the examination level about two-thirds

of the way through the course. He claims that the 'progressive

steps' approach leads to better results, as the learners develop

the necessary problem solving skills only if the problems they

are faced with initially are reasonably transparent. Besides,

when learners are faced at the beginning of the course with

excessively difficult texts and tasks, they tend to panic and

focus narrowly on simplistic learning strategies.

Subject and Content:

Textbooks have to be authentic, inspiring and catch the

students’ interest. If textbooks fail to convey these aspects,

neither teachers nor students will have enough strength or

energy to work with these textbooks.

Cunningsworth (1995:8) claims that textbooks should

correspond to learners’ needs; help to equip learners to use

language effectively for their own purposes; facilitate students’



learning process and have a clear role in mediating the target

language and the learner.

Celce-Murcia (2001:417) argues that textbooks are for students. To meet their needs, the textbooks must have not just the English language or communication skills content demanded by the curriculum, but it must also fit the needs of students as learners of English.

Cunningsworth (1995:16) explains that by engaging

students interests and challenging their intellect, coursebooks

can provide much of the stimulation which will motivate them

to become more independent in their learning and in their use

of English .He maintains that this can be done by including

interesting, stimulating topics and by encouraging learners to

think for themselves around this topics and discuss them with

others. Sheldon (1988:244) argues, flexibility should be one of

the features of a good foreign language textbook. The

materials should be easy to modify or adapt to the practical

constraints with which the teacher has to deal in different

teaching situations.

Language textbooks should have clarity. Sheldon (1988:243) argues that there should be a linkage of materials, which means that the textbook should be organized in such a way that the units and exercises connect in terms of theme,

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situation, topic, pattern of skills development, or progression in grammar and lexis.

The materials should be organized in such a way that it is easy for both the teacher and the students to find a relevant piece of information in the textbook. Besides, there should be clear and conspicuous section headings, indexes, vocabulary lists, etc.

Textbooks should depict authentic, interesting, absorbing, entertaining and modern topics. It is important that the textbook covers different proficiency levels since the textbook will be used in many different classes and programs at the school which is also the most economic solution.

Though no single subject will be interesting to all

students, the content of English textbooks is required to be

meaningful and interesting for students.

Social and Cultural Values:

Knowing a language goes beyond the knowledge of

grammatical rules, vocabulary items, and pronunciation of

these items. Successful language learning requires language

users to know the culture underlying the language in order to

get the meaning across.

Students' own culture should be discussed together with

target culture. In other words, home and target culture should

be integrated. While using cultural content in classrooms,



teachers should keep in mind that English is an international

language, and culture is an aid to motivate our students rather

than something to be taught (Khaniya, 2006:20).

Textbooks are indeed socially constructed artifacts that

over a window into the dominant values and beliefs of

established groups in any given period and act as gatekeepers

of ideas, values and knowledge ( McCulloch,2004:78).

Cunningsworth (1995:90) claims that coursebooks will

directly or indirectly communicate sets of social and cultural

values which are inherent in their make-up. A curriculum can

not be natural because it has to reflect a view of social order

and express a value system implicitly or explicitly.

Therefore, it is helpful to look at materials in terms of

how they represent people according to their ethnic origin,

occupation, age, social class and disability.

Humanistic Nature:

Humanistic material refers to respecting learners as

human beings and helps to exploit their capacity for learning

through meaningful experience. Besides, language teaching is

not just about teaching language, it is about helping students to

develop themselves as a people (Harmer 1991:35).

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Tomlinson (1998:162) argues that in order to achieve effective and durable learning language, learners need to be relax, feel at ease, develop self confidence and self steam, develop positive attitudes towards the learning experience and involved intellectually, aesthetically and emotionally.

Teachers' needs:

Teachers’ needs and wants should be considered to a larger extent than they previously have. Teachers as mediators between the textbook and the student, and teachers’ opinions of the textbook are therefore very important to acknowledge (McGrath, 2001:20).

If the teacher finds the textbook uninteresting, those feelings will inevitably affect the students. It is impossible to make the students like something that you do not believe in yourself. This is something that McGrath also stresses when he quotes Grant’s saying that the best book in the world will not work in a classroom if the teacher has good reasons for disliking it (Fredriksson and Olsson.2006:26).

Additionally, the textbook should provide appropriate guidance for the teacher of English who is not a native speaker of English. The untrained, or partially trained, teacher who does not possess native-like control over all aspects of English should not be left in any doubt concerning the procedures proposed by the textbook. Otherwise, he or she may, for example, teach only the meanings of the minimal pair



'live/leave', completely ignoring the writer's intention that these items should be used for pronunciation practice.

Related Studies:

Almazloum and Qeshta (2009) evaluated the content of English for Palestine, Grade Ten textbook, which has been taught since 2004-2005, in the light of the standards for foreign language learning. The researcher designed an analysis card that sought to collect data relevant to process the study. The findings showed a variance in the frequencies of the standards. The researcher pointed out that there should be more balance in the distribution of these standards among the units of the. The findings also showed good employment for topics in the textbook.

Aqel (2009) conducted a study to evaluate the Palestinian 11th grade textbook from teachers' perspective. The study examined the role of the district, gender, qualification and years of experience variables among teachers on the degree of the evaluation of the New Palestinian English Textbook for the eleventh grade in Southern Nablus and Salfit districts. The sample of the study consisted of 60 male and female teachers who teach English for the 11th Grade in Southern Nablus and Salfit districts in the year 2008/2009. The researcher developed a 47-item questionnaire to evaluate the

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textbook. The findings of the study showed that the degree of evaluation of English for Palestine-11th grade textbook in Southern Nablus and Salfit districts was moderate. There were significant differences in book general shape domain between Salfit and Southern Nablus districts in favour of Salfit. There were also differences in teaching aids between male and female teachers in favour of females. However, there were no significant differences in the degree of evaluation of the textbook due to qualification or experience variables.

Al-Amri (2008) evaluated the Sixth Grade English language Textbook for Saudi boys' schools. A survey questionnaire was used in this study to elicit the perspectives of 93 English language teachers and 11 supervisors in Riyadh Educational Zone about the textbook in question. The questionnaire consisted of 64 items divided into 12 main categories. The findings were generally in favour of the textbook except for the teaching methods and some other sub-items. Out of 64 items in the questionnaire, only 13 items had arithmetic means less than 2.50. The findings also revealed that there were no significant differences between the means of the two populations of the study (teachers and supervisors) except on the flexibility of the textbook.

Abraha (2007) conducted a study to evaluate the level of

quality of the English for Ethiopia grade 11 students’

textbooks. For this study, sixty grade eleven students, ten



English teachers and fifteen external evaluators involved. The

external evaluators were second year graduate students in

teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL). The

instruments used to collect data were questionnaire and

textbook analysis using checklists. The study revealed that

textbooks are not with good level of quality. For instance,

some of the exercises are not design for genuine

communications; some of the skills are not presented in the

way the learners’ need to practice; and significant numbers of

topics and contents are not in harmony with the learners’

interest and culture.

Al-Yousef (2007) evaluated the New Third Grade

Intermediate English Coursebook in Saudi Arabia. The

researcher used a retrospective mixed-methodology research

design (both quantitative and qualitative). The quantitative

analysis was conducted with a total sample of 184 students,

teachers and supervisors who participated in TET (Textbook

Evaluation Tool). The TET contained 50 specific criteria in 14

categories. The results of the study revealed that both the

teachers-supervisors and the students perceived the

coursebook as moderately adequate since the mean composite

score was above 2.0 out of 4.0. Both the quantitative and the

qualitative findings have shown that the Content and the

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Visuals of the textbook were among the categories that gained

the most support, while Gradation and Recycling and

Supplementary Material were the most poorly rated categories.

In his study, Mahmoud (2007) conducted a study aimed at evaluating “English for Palestine IV”. To achieve this aim, the researcher used the characteristics of a good textbook in order to see whether the textbooks mentioned above are suitable or not. The questionnaire was given to 60 of the English teachers who teach the fourth graders from Jenin and Qabatia districts. The findings showed that these textbooks are suitable and the researcher strongly recommended using these textbooks in private as well as in government schools after carrying out the suggested modifications mentioned in the researcher’s suggestions and recommendations.

Tekir and Arikan (2007) evaluated Let’s Speak English

7 in Turkey. In this research study, opinions of 7th grade

students’ and teachers’ on were studied through teacher and

student questionnaires containing Likert-scale items, and an

open-ended item for the teachers. Among 130 participants, 50

were English teachers and 80 were seventh grade students

studying at a primary level State school. The results suggest

that both teachers and the students have rather negative

feelings about Let’s Speak English 7, the teachers having more

negative feelings towards it. The disconcerting problems with

Let’s Speak English 7 demonstrated that in order to minimize



the negative effects of the coursebook, a series of support

materials were needed.

Al-Saif (2005) conducted an evaluation of the textbook of English for 6th grade in Saudi elementary schools. The purpose of the study was to examine the strengths and the weaknesses of the textbook with particular emphasis on its suitability to teachers, social contexts and young learners. The sample of the study consisted of 144 male and 149 female English teachers, supervisors and trainers who participated in training elementary stage English teachers. The questionnaires contained 93 specific criteria in 12 categories: rationales, objectives, language skills, teaching aids, vocabulary, grammar, content, methodology, the Workbook, the Teacher's Manual, assessment techniques, and general aspects of the textbook. The findings of the study showed that the distribution of data was not conclusive. It summarized that the textbook was only "moderately adequate", and that it required constant and cyclical evaluation based on the changing circumstances of the program.

Ranalli (2002) conducted a study which aimed at evaluating the New Headway Upper-Intermediate which is one of the coursebooks used at the Foreign Language Institute of Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. The researcher carried out the evaluation of the book according to Cunningsworth's four

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guidelines with particular emphasis on the syllabus and methodology used. The findings of the study showed that the New Headway Upper- Intermediate is a well designed and well written book. It offered a good balance of work on accuracy and fluency.

Al-Hojailan (1999) investigated the quality of the English third grade secondary textbook, English for Saudi Arabia. The study used both quantitative data collection methods and statistical test analysis, supported by qualitative data and content analysis. The participants in the study were teachers and supervisors. The questionnaire contained 8 criteria. The results of the study revealed support for the book's appearance, accompanying materials, academic content, cultural content, and evaluation techniques. Disagreements appeared in terms of the national goals and the teaching methods. The implications of the study included merging the textbook, the Workbook, and the Writing Book; stating the educational goals in the Teacher's Manual; inserting pictures in the book's cover to make it attractive; increasing grammar; adding free composition, translation, and dictation; putting in model tests; and updating the book's topics every five years.

Comments on the Related Studies:

Most of the previous studies evaluated Arab and foreign

textbooks. There were only four studies which evaluated the

new series of English Language textbooks in Saudi Arabia.



These studies were Al-Hojailan's study (1999) which

investigated the quality of the English third grade secondary

textbook, English for Saudi Arabia, Al-Saif's study (2005)

which evaluated the 6th grade English Language textbook, Al-

Yousef's study (2007) which evaluated the Third Year

Intermediate coursebooks and Al-Amri's study (2008) which

evaluated the strengths and the weaknesses of the 6th grade

elementary schools English textbook. Al-Amri (2008) repeated

the evaluation of the 6th Grade textbook although it was

evaluated in 2005 in Al-Saif's study.

The current research is the first study concerned with

the evaluation of the new First Year Intermediate textbook Say

It in English. The researcher benefited from the previous

studies to build the tool of the study. But, this study differed

from Al-Hojailan's study (1999) and Al-Amri's study (2008)

in the sense that it investigated the opinions of male and

female teachers but the previous two studies investigated the

opinions of male teachers and supervisors only. Also, this

study differed form Al-Hojailan's study (1999), Al-Saif's study

(2005) and Al-Amri's study (2008) in the sense that those

studies evaluated textbooks in elementary and secondary

stages, whereas this study evaluated a textbook in the

intermediate stage. Finally, this study differed from Al-

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Yousef's study (2007) in the sense that the this study evaluated

the First Year intermediate textbook whereas Al-Yousef's

study (2007) evaluated the Third Year intermediate textbook,

and Al-Yousef's sample was not chosen randomly since he

used the internet surveys which might not be very concise and

reprehensive of the study population.

Methodology

In this section, the subjects, the textbook under study,

the content analysis and different materials which were used

for the preparation of the main questionnaire will be explained

in detail.

Approach of the Study

Since this study sought to evaluate the First Year Intermediate textbook through the survey of the views of Teachers of English, the appropriate approach is the descriptive survey, in which the phenomenon is described, and data are collected, analyzed and interpreted.

Participants

A total number of forty eight First Year Intermediate male and female teachers from governmental schools of Taif Educational Directorate, Saudi Arabia participated in this study. They were chosen randomly. They were asked to fill in the questionnaire prepared by the researcher carefully and honestly and issue their opinions about the textbook.



Table (1): Sample distribution according to Gender

Gender Frequency Percent

Male 23 48 %

Female 25 52 %

Total 48 100%

Table (1) shows that male teachers represent (48 %) whereas female teachers represent (52 %) which indicates that there is a balance between male and female teachers.

Table (2): Sample distribution according to Experience

Experience Frequency Percent

Less than 5 years 14 29 %

From 5 years to less than 15 years

15 31 %

15 years or more 19 40 %

Total 48 100%

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Instruments of the Study

In order to achieve the objectives of the study, a

questionnaire was employed to conduct this study. The

questionnaire contained questions about Layout and Physical

Appearance, Content, Objectives, Language Type, Skills,

Activities and Tasks, Structure and Vocabulary, Culture

Values and Teacher's needs.

Most of the items in the questionnaire were adapted and

modified from the checklists and criteria used to evaluate

English Language Teaching (ELT) materials by

Cunningsworth (1995), Ur (1996), Tomlinson (1998),

Richards (2001), Tekir and Arikan (2007) and Abraha (2008).

96% of the questions were close-ended and 4% were opened

questions. The respondents were asked to put only a tick mark

() in the column of their choice or that represents their

perceptions. The rating scales range from one up to five where

1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=undecided, 4=agree and 5=

strongly agree.



Table (3): Items distribution of the questionnaire

No. Dimensions Number of Items

Percent

1 Layout and Physical Appearance

11 13.92 %

2 Content 15 19 %

3 Objectives 8 10.13 %

4 Language Type 6 7.59 %

5 Skills 6 7.59 %

6 Activities and Tasks 10 12.66 %

7 Structure and Vocabulary 11 13.92 %

8 Culture Values 3 3.80 %

9 Teacher's needs 9 11.39 %

Total 79 100%

Validity of the Instrument

The questionnaire was shown to nine experts (six of the

Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Umm Al-Qura

University at Makkah, one of Taif University and two English

Language Supervisors working at Taif General Directorate of

Education) to benefit from their comments in regard to any

modifications, deletions, and additions to achieve validity.

The researcher also used Pearson's Coefficient for validity. The scores for each dimension were as follow:

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Table (4): Correlation between Dimensions

No. Dimensions Number of Items

Pearson's Coefficient

1 Layout and Physical Appearance 11 0.839 **

2 Content 15 0.916 **

3 Objectives 8 0.921 **

4 Language Type 6 0.883 **

5 Skills 6 0.796 **

6 Activities and Tasks 10 0.872 **

7 Structure and Vocabulary 11 0.933 **

8 Culture Values 3 0.612 **

9 Teacher's needs 9 0.797 **

**Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level.

Reliability of the Instrument

The researcher calculated the reliability of the

questionnaire using (Cronbach's Alpha). The Cronbach's alpha

value was 0.98 which indicated high reliability, internal

consistency and homogeneity.

Statistical Approaches

The data were analyzed using SPSS (version 15). The

researcher used Cronbach's Alpha, Pearson Correlation

Coefficient, frequencies, percentages, Independent-Samples

(T.Test), One-way ANOVA and Two-way ANOVA. The data

were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively.



Data Analysis

For the purpose of interpreting the findings of this study,

the following percentages and ratings are referred to:

Means Percentages Ratings

less than 2.5 Below 50% Very Poor

2.5 to less than 3.35 50% to less than 67% Poor

3.35 to less than 4.15 67% to less than 83% Good

4.15 to 5 83% to 100% Very Good

Answer to Question (1):

To answer the first question: "How do teachers

working at government schools evaluate "Say It In

English" as a First Year Intermediate Grade textbook in

terms of Layout and Physical Appearance, Content,

Objectives, Language Type, Skills, Activities and Tasks,

Structures and Vocabulary, Culture Values and Teacher's

needs?", the researcher used the means, the percentages and

the ratings for each item. The following Tables (5- 6 – 7 – 8 –

9 – 10 – 11 – 12 – 13 – 14) explained the answers of the first

question. The items of each dimension were arranged

downward.

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Table (5): Subjects’ perception on the Layout and Physical Appearance of the textbook

No. Items Mean % Rating

1 The textbook is durable. (Quality of paper and binding)

4.39 88% Very Good

2 The size of the textbook seems convenient for students to handle.

4.07 81% Good

3 The cover of the textbook is appealing. 3.82 76% Good

4 The main headings and subheadings are well-organized.

3.82 76% Good

5 The units are well organized and offer easy progression.

3.82 76% Good

6 The textbook contains enough pictures, diagrams, tables etc. helping the students understand the printed texts.

3.82 76% Good

7 Illustrations, tables, figures, graphs, etc. are relevant and functional.

3.82 76% Good

8 An adequate vocabulary list or glossary is included.

3.79 75% Good

9 The instructions in the textbook are written in a simple and clear language.

3.71 74% Good

10 The material contains an adequate indices and appendices.

3.68 73% Good

11

The textbook is provided with the necessary audio-visual aids, which help students learn the four skills in an integrated way.

2.71 54% Poor

Average Score 3.76 75% Good



As indicated in Table (5), item (1) got the highest mean score (4.39) which meant that the participants agreed that the textbook was durable regarding quality of paper and binding. Also, it was clear that nine items (from item#2 to item#10) got 4.07, 3.82, 3.82, 3.82, 3.82, 3.82, 3.79, 3.79, 3.71, and 3.68 respectively, which indicated that the teachers were satisfied with these textbook features. In contrast, item (11) got the lowest mean score (2.71) which meant that the teachers agreed that the textbook was not provided with the necessary audio-visual aids, which helped students learned the four skills in an integrated way. The average score of the whole dimension was (3.76).

These findings revealed that the Layout and Physical Appearance of the textbook were appropriate and attracted students. Accordingly, these findings went in line with Al-Yousef's study (2007) who mentioned that the visuals of the New Third Grade Intermediate English Coursebook in Saudi Arabia was among the categories that gained the most support; it gained 2.7 out of 4.

In contrast, these findings disagreed with Mahmoud's study (2007) which revealed that “English for Palestine IV” did not contain a glossary, and it lacked an index listing the key words with their meanings and page. The researcher thought that the reason for this diversity was due to the

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variation between the two countries regarding the financial and human potentialities which helped to generate good textbooks.

Table (6): Subjects’ perception on the Content of the

textbook


1 The textbook contains an appropriate table of content.

4.71 94% Very Good

2 The content does not conflict with students' social beliefs.

3.75 75% Good

3 The content does not conflict with students' background.

3.64 73% Good

4 The textbook covers most language skills.

3.64 73% Good

5 The subject matter is presented either topically or functionally in a logical, organized manner.

3.57 71% Good

6 There is sufficient variety in the subject and content of the textbook.

3.54 70% Good

7 The content promotes students' autonomy.

3.46 69% Good

8 The content contains real-life issues that challenge the reader to think critically about his/her worldview.

3.39 68% Good

9 The topics are familiar to the learners.

3.39 68% Good

10 The content of the material is interesting and motivating.

3.36 67% Good

11 The content promotes students' involvement.

3.36 67% Good

12 The textbook is appropriate for the 3.25 65% Poor



No. Items Mean % Rating learners' level.

13

The material encourages a positive attitude towards gender. (e.g. stereotyping occupation or use of gender bias words like chairman instead of chairperson).

3.25 65% Poor

14 The textbook encourages a positive attitude towards environmental issues.

3.21 64% Poor

15 The textbook contains self-check progress report.

2.89 58% Poor


Table (6) showed that item (1) got the highest mean score (4.71) which signed out that the textbook contained an appropriate table of content. Furthermore, Items (from item#2 to Item#11) scored 3.75, 3.64, 3.64, 3.57, 3.54, 3.46, 3.39, 3.39, 3.36 and 3.36 respectively. These findings indicated that the teachers agreed that the textbook accomplished the previous items in a good manner. From these findings, it was clear that the textbook contained an appropriate table of content. It also covered most language skills. In addition, the content did not conflict with students' social beliefs or their background. Moreover, the content promoted students' involvement and autonomy. Furthermore, the content contained real-life issues that challenged the reader to think

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critically about his/her worldview, and it was presented either topically or functionally in a logical, organized manner. Additionally, the content of the material was interesting and motivating, and this particular finding contrasted with Abraha (2007) when he pointed out that significant numbers of topics and contents of the textbook he evaluated were not in harmony with the learners’ interest, and this difference might came as a result of the different authors of these textbooks. Also, it contrasted with the results of Tekir and Arikan (2007) who stated that teachers and students did not find the topics of Let’s Speak English 7 in Turkey interesting, and there was a long list of topics from music to sport and entertainment to be brought into classroom.

On the other hand, items# 12, 13, 14 and 15 got the lowest mean scores. They scored 3.25, 3.25, 3.21 and 2.89 respectively, and these results indicated that the participants agreed that the textbook was not appropriate for the learners' level. They also agreed that it did not encourage a positive attitude towards gender and towards environmental issues nor did it contain self-check progress report. These findings agreed with Mahmoud (2007) who declared that good textbooks were a true mirror to life and nature. In short, to have good textbooks, designers should consider the country’s environment in the materials included in the textbooks.

The average score of the whole dimension is 3.49 which revealed that the content of the textbook was appropriate to



some extent. These findings went in accordance with Al-Yousef's study (2007) who mentioned that the content of the New Third Grade Intermediate English Coursebook in Saudi Arabia was among the categories that gained the most support; it gained 2.6 out of 4.

Table (7): Subjects’ perception on the Objectives of the textbook


1 The objectives in the textbook are clear and precise for the learners.

3.93 79% Good

2 The objectives are gradual in difficulty.

3.71 74% Good

3 The objectives are realistic. 3.50 70% Good

4 The objectives of the materials correspond to the needs of the learners.

3.43 69% Good

5 The objectives demonstrate the various levels of bloom's taxonomy.

3.32 66% Poor

6 The objectives recognize individual differences.

3.25 65% Poor

7 The objectives of the materials suit the level of the learners.

3.21 64% Poor

8 The objectives can be covered within the time allocated for the textbook.

3.00 60% Poor


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As observed in Table (7), there were eight items

regarding the objectives of the textbook. Four of these items

(1, 2, 3 and 4) were good rated. They scored 3.93, 3.71, 3.50

and 3.43 respectively. Regarding these items, the participants

agreed that the objectives were clear and precise for the

learners, gradual in difficulty, realistic and correspond to the

needs of the learners to some extent. These four items scored

3.93, 3.71, 3.50 and 3.43 respectively.

Conversely, the other four items (5, 6, 7 and 8) scored

3.32, 3.25, 3.21 and 3.00 respectively. These findings

indicated that the objectives of the textbook did not

demonstrate the various levels of bloom's taxonomy. In

addition, the objectives did not recognize individual

differences nor did they suit the level of the learners. Also, the

objectives could not be covered within the time allocated for

the textbook. This particular finding coincided with

Mahmoud's study (2007) which revealed that there should be a

sort of balance between the aims, the materials and the number

of periods designed to cover these aims.

The average score of the whole dimension is (3.41)

which means, in general, that the objectives were appropriate.



Table (8): Subjects’ perception on the Language Type of the textbook

No.

Items Mea

n % Rating

1 The language used in the textbook is authentic i.e. like real-life English.

3.86 77% Good

2 The textbook includes materials for pronunciation work, e.g. individual sound, word stress, intonation etc.

3.50 70% Good

3 There is an emphasis on language use.

3.21 64% Poor

4

Learners are given examples of ways they can use their foreign language in the future beyond the school experience.

3.11 62% Poor

5 New and critical concepts are defined in the glossary or explained when they are first introduced in the text.

3.04 61% Poor

6 The language used is at the level of the learners.

2.93 59% Poor

Average Score 3.27 65% Poor

Based on Table (8), only two items (1 and 2) got good-rated scores. These items scored 3.86 and 3.50. This meant that the language used in the textbook was authentic i.e. like real-life English and the textbook included materials for

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pronunciation work, e.g. individual sound, word stress, intonation etc.

The other four items concerning the language type of the textbook were poor rated. They scored 3.21, 3.11, 3.04 and 2.93 respectively. There was no emphasis on language use. Learners were not given examples of ways they could use the foreign language in the future beyond the school experience. Besides, new and critical concepts were not defined in the glossary or explained when they were first introduced in the text. Finally, the language used was not at the level of the learners.

The average score of the whole dimension is (3.27) which meant that the language type of the textbook was not suitable for the learners. These findings agreed with Abraha's study (2007) which revealed that the language used in the textbook which he evaluated did not go with the learners' language styles.

Table (9): Subjects’ perception on the Skills in the textbook


1 The material provides the four language skills.

3.93 79% Good

2

The textbook pays attention to writing activities such as controlled, guided and free paragraphs.

3.21 64% Poor

3 The materials for listening are 3.14 63% Poor




accompanied by activities which help comprehension.

4

The materials for spoken English (dialogues, role play, communication activities etc. are designed to equip learners for real-life interaction.

3.00 60% Poor

5 The reading passages are associated with pre/while/post reading activities.

2.86 57% Poor

6 Relevant skills are catered for in the textbook such as critical thinking, problem solving etc.

2.86 57% Poor


Regarding the skills processed in the textbook, Table (9) showed that item #1 got the highest score (3.93) which indicated that the material of the textbook provided the four language skills to high extent. The other five items were poor rated. They scored 3.21, 3.14, 3.00, 2.86 and 2.86. So, the textbook lacked writing activities such as controlled, guided and free paragraphs. Besides, the materials for listening were not accompanied by activities which helped comprehension and the spoken English (dialogues, role play, communication activities etc.) were not designed to equip learners for real-life interaction. Furthermore, the reading passages were not

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associated with pre/while/post reading activities. Finally, relevant skills such as critical thinking, problem solving etc. were not catered for in the textbook. The average score of this dimension was (3.16); the skills in the textbook were not sufficient. These findings coincided with Abraha's (2007) results which confirmed that some of the skills were not presented in the way the learners’ need to practice.

Table (10): Subjects’ perception on the Activities and Tasks in the textbook


1 There are a variety of activities in the textbook.

3.36 67% Good

2 The instructions in the material are sufficient.

3.36 67% Good

3 The instructions in the material are clear.

3.36 67% Good

4 There are instructions to explain how the exercise should be done.

3.29 66% Poor

5 The number of activities is suitable. 3.11 62% Poor

6 There are interactive activities that require students to use new vocabulary to communicate.

3.07 61% Poor

7

The activities facilitate students’ use of grammatical rules by creating situations in which these rules are needed.

3.04 61% Poor

8 The textbook provides communicative exercises that enable

2.96 59% Poor




learners to carry out their communicative tasks in real-life situations.

9 There is a balance between the activities for language and activities for skills.

2.82 56% Poor

10 An adequate set of evaluation quizzes or testing suggestions is included.

2.36 47% Very Poor


Table (10) dealt with the activities and tasks of the textbook. It was clear that 3 items were good rated. They scored 3.36 for each one. These items included the variation of activities, the sufficiency and clearance of the instructions.

On the other hand, six items were poor rated. They scored 3.29, 3.11, 3.07, 3.04, 2.96 and 2.82. The poor aspects of the textbook regarding the activities and tasks included the shortcoming of the instructions in explaining how the exercises should be done. In addition, the number of activities was not suitable. Moreover, there was a lack of interactive activities that required students to use new vocabulary to communicate and use of grammatical rules by creating situations in which these rules were needed. Besides, the textbook did not provide communicative exercises that enabled learners to carry out their communicative tasks in real-life

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situations. Further, there was no a balance between the activities for language and activities for skills.

It was noticed that item# 10 was the only item which was very poor rated of all items of the questionnaire. It scored 2.36 which indicated that the textbook lacked an adequate set of evaluation quizzes or testing suggestions. These evaluation quizzes and testing suggestions helped both students to comprehend the various exercises and teachers to evaluate students' learning progress.

The average score of this dimension was 3.07; it was poor rated. These findings illustrated the weakness of the activities and tasks included in this textbook. These findings were consistent with Abraha (2007) who stated that some of the exercises were not designed for genuine communications. Furthermore, they agreed with the findings of Tekir and Arikan (2007) who mentioned that teachers did not think that the activities of Let’s Speak English 7 in Turkey matched the interests of the students.

Table (11): Subjects’ perception on the Structures and Vocabulary in the textbook


1

The grammatical rules are presented

in a logical manner and in increasing

order of difficulty.

3.46 69% Good

2 The new structure is integrated in

varying contexts and situations. 3.46 69% Good




3

The grammatical points are presented

with brief and easy examples and

explanations.

3.46 69% Good

4

The vocabulary load seems to be

reasonable for the level of the

learners.

3.18 64% Poor

5

There is sufficient written practice of

the grammatical concepts that lead to

communicative use of the language.

3.14 63% Poor

6 The progression of vocabulary items

is appropriate. 3.14 63% Poor

7 The new structure is repeated in

subsequent lessons for reinforcement. 3.11 62% Poor

8 The vocabulary is functional,

thematic, authentic, and practical. 3.04 61% Poor

9

There is sufficient oral practice of the

grammatical concepts that leads to

communicative use of the language.

2.96 59% Poor

10

The new vocabulary words are

presented in a variety of ways

(glosses, multi-glosses etc.).

2.89 58% Poor

11

The new vocabulary words are

presented at an appropriate rate so

that the text is understandable.

2.68 54% Poor


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As shown in table (11), there were eleven items regarding the structures and vocabulary included in the textbook. Only three items of these received good degrees. Each item scored 3.46. Hence, it was clear that the grammatical rules were presented in a logical manner and in increasing order of difficulty. Additionally, new structures were integrated in varying contexts and situations. As well, the grammatical points were presented with brief and easy examples and explanations to some extent.

Conversely, the remaining eight items received poor degrees. They scored 3.18, 3.14, 3.14, 3.11, 3.04, 2.96, 2.89 and 2.68. These findings indicated that the vocabulary load was not reasonable for the level of the learners and the progression of vocabulary items was unsuitable. More to the point, the vocabulary words were not functional, thematic, authentic nor practical. In addition, the new vocabulary words were not presented in a variety of ways (e.g. glosses, multi-glosses, appositives) nor at an appropriate rate so that the text was understandable. Besides, the written practice of the grammatical concepts that led to communicative use of the language was unsatisfactory. Similarly, the new structure was not repeated in subsequent lessons for reinforcement. Finally, the oral practice of the grammatical concepts that led to communicative use of the language was not enough.

The average score of this dimension was 3.11 which indicated that this dimension was poor rated in general. These



findings agreed with the results of Tekir and Arikan (2007) who evaluated Speak English 7 in Turkey, mentioned that 60 % of the teachers thought that new structures were not recycled in subsequent lessons or units, and the presentations of these new structures were neither clear nor complete enough for the students to review outside the class. Similarly, 68% of the teachers believed that the new vocabulary words were not recycled in subsequent lessons for reinforcement, and similar number of participants stated that the new vocabulary words were not integrated in varying contexts or situations.

Table (12): Subjects’ perception on the Culture Values in the textbook


1 The content suits the learners' current knowledge and culture.

2.96 59% Poor

2 The teaching of the target culture motivates the learners to explore their own culture.

2.93 58% Poor

3

The content serves as a window into learning about the target language culture (American, British, etc.).

2.82 56% Poor


Table (12) dealt with the culture values confirmed in the textbook. All the three items received poor degrees. They scored 2.96, 2.93 and 2.82. It was concluded that the content did not suit the learners' knowledge and culture nor did it serve

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as a window into learning about the target language culture. Moreover, the teaching of the target culture did not motivate the learners to explore their own culture.

The average score of the whole dimension was 2.94 which pointed out that the culture values in the textbook were poor rated. These findings went in accordance with the study of Almazloum and Qeshta (2009) who stated that the cultures values were not fulfilled in their evaluation of English for Palestine, Grade Ten textbook. The findings also agreed with Abraha's study (2007) who concluded that significant numbers of topics and contents were not in harmony with the learners’ culture.

Table (13): Subjects’ perception on the Teacher's Needs


1 The use of the material is easily manageable by the teacher.

3.54 71% Good

2 The teacher's manual suggests an appropriate, concise method for teaching each lesson.

3.46 69% Good

3

The design of the materials allows the teachers to use them differently according to the needs of different learners.

3.39 68% Good

4 The teacher's manual helps the teachers understand the objectives of the textbook.

3.36 67% Good

5 The manual gives instructions on how to incorporate audiovisual

3.07 61% Poor



materials produced for the textbook.

6 The manual provides additional exercises for reinforcing various language skills in the textbook.

2.93 59% Poor

7 Teachers are given techniques for activating students’ background knowledge before reading the texts.

2.93 59% Poor

8 The tests and assessment devices are helpful to the teacher.

2.64 53% Poor

9 The manual provides teachers with alternative and authentic assessment techniques.

2.64 53% Poor


Table (13) was regarding the teacher's needs. Four items scored good-rated degrees. The means scores of these items were 3.54, 3.46, 3.39 and 3.36. These findings indicated that the use of the material wss easily manageable by the teacher and the design of the materials allowed the teachers to use them differently according to the needs of different learners. In addition, the teacher's manual suggested an appropriate, concise method for teaching each lesson and helped the teachers understand the objectives of the textbook to a good extent. These findings disagreed with Al-amri's study (2008) who mentioned that the category that had the lowest mean was the one on teaching methods in the Sixth Grade English language Textbook for Saudi boys' schools.

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On the other hand, the other five items were poor rated.

They scored 3.07, 2.93, 2.93, 2.64 and 2.64. These findings

pointed out that the manual did not give instructions of on how

to incorporate audiovisual materials produced for the textbook.

In addition, it lacked additional exercises for reinforcing

various language skills in the textbook. Besides, alternative

and authentic assessment techniques were not offered and the

tests and assessment devices were not helpful to the teacher.

Additionally, teachers were not given techniques for activating

students’ background knowledge before reading the texts.

The average score of this dimension was 3.10 which meant that this dimension was poor rated, so the teacher manual failed to fulfill the teachers' needs effectively.

Table (14): Overall subjects’ perceptions on the textbook

Dimensions Rank Items Mean % Rating

1 1 Layout and Physical Appearance

3.76 75%

Good

2 2 Content 3.49 70% Good

3 3 Objectives 3.41 68% Good

4 4 Language Type 3.27 65% Poor 5 5 Skills 3.16 63% Poor 7 6 Structures and

Vocabulary 3.11 62% Poor

9 7 Teacher's needs 3.10 62% Poor



Dimensions Rank Items Mean % Rating

6 8 Activities and Tasks

3.07 61% Poor

8 9 Culture Values 2.94 59% Poor


Table (14) summarized teachers' perceptions on the nine

dimensions of the study tool and the overall average score of

the textbook. Three dimensions (1, 2 and 3) out of nine were

good rated. They scored 3.76, 3.49 and 3.41 respectively.

These findings indicated that the layout and physical

appearance, the content and the objectives were appropriate for

the first year intermediate textbook.

The other six dimensions (4, 5, 7, 9, 6 and 8) got poor

degrees. They scored 3.27, 3.16, 3.11, 3.10, 3.07 and 2.94

respectively. These results implied that there was weakness in

language type, skills, structures and vocabulary, teacher's

needs, activities and tasks and culture values in the first year

intermediate textbook.

The overall average score of the textbook was 3.31

which indicated that the teachers evaluated the first year

intermediate textbook as poor.

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These findings agreed with Abraha's study (2007) who

evaluated the level of quality of the English for Ethiopia grade

11 students’ textbooks and his study revealed that textbook

was not with good level of quality. They also agreed with Al-

Yousef's study (2007) who evaluated the New Third Grade

Intermediate English Coursebook in Saudi Arabia and found

that the overall mean score was 2.09 out of 4.0. Furthermore,

these findings agreed with Mahmoud's study (2007) who

conducted a study aimed at evaluating “English for Palestine

IV” and found that the overall score was 3.26 out of 5,

whereas the overall score of this study was 3.31 out of 5. In

addition, the findings were in accordance with the results of

Tekir and Arikan (2007) who evaluated Let’s Speak English 7

in Turkey, who stated that the teachers had rather negative

feelings about this textbook.

On the other hand, these findings contrasted with Al-Amri's study (2008) who evaluated the Sixth Grade English language Textbook for Saudi boys' schools whose findings were generally in favour of the textbook except for the teaching methods and some other sub-items. In his study, out of 64 items in the questionnaire, only 13 items had arithmetic means less than 2.50. They also disagreed with Ranalli's study (2002) who evaluated the New Headway Upper-Intermediate used at the Foreign Language Institute of Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, and the result showed that the New Headway



Upper- Intermediate was a well designed and well written book. The researcher thought that these findings disagreed with these two studies because the Sixth Grade English language Textbook for Saudi boys' differed from this textbook in nature, and because the New Headway Upper-Intermediate used at the Foreign Language Institute of Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea was published commercially.


To answer the second question of the study, "What kind of supplementary materials and activities, suggested by teachers, can be used to compensate the shortcomings, if any, of the First Year Intermediate Grade textbook?", the researcher analyzed the answers of the participants to this open-ended question qualitatively. 46 % of the participants wrote their comments for this question, and the results were as follow:

Five of the teachers thought that an appropriate

environment should be created inside the schools and inside

the classrooms, either to help students practicing the different

situations mentioned in the textbook. Two of them mentioned

that the schools should be equipped with language laboratories

for enhancing listening and speaking skills which were set up

in the textbook. Howatt and Widdowson (2004:319) point out

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that the language laboratories can do two things which the

teacher either found difficult or could not do at all. First, they

allow learners to hear themselves speak. Second, they are an

excellent resource for developing listening comprehension and

they can offer a range of different voices that go far beyond

the teacher's own resources. Hence, the textbook should be

taught in a suitable laboratory to enable students benefit from

the advantages that laboratories offer.

Four of the participants mentioned that the textbook should be modified to consider the different backgrounds and individual differences among students. Parker (2001) assures this point when he states that students come to the foreign language classroom with a widely varied set of aptitudes, attitudes and expectations. This leaves unmet the two tasks; accounting for the differences in aptitude, attitude and expectations between traditional, and relating these differences to textbook contents so that they might be designed to better include special learning needs.

Six teachers stated that the activities were inadequate. They confirmed on the idea that the textbook should have more activities and fewer lessons to increase the learning time. One of them asserted on the need of presenting many skills in a single and short lesson. Jacobs and Ball (1996:101) suggest that the best types of activities are those that encourage the negotiation of meaning or those that



promote positive interdependence and facilitate individual accountability through cooperative learning strategies. On the other hand, Grey (2000) states that learners will improve their language skills by using their textbooks as useful instruments for provoking discussion, cultural debate, and a two-way flow of information.

Four teachers mentioned that quizzes were very important in reinforcing learning. Thus, the textbook should be supplied with a reasonable number of quizzes and tests. Mariani (1980) recommends this criteria saying that, the textbook should provide teachers with a system of detailed testing.

Three of the participants mentioned that the textbook should be accompanied with CDs for both teachers and students. These CDs should be enriched with exercises, activities, worksheets and voice dictionaries. Moreover, the textbook should be supplied with high-quality audio-visual aids to facilitate teaching and learning the different lessons. This demand goes with (Dawadi, 2006: 113) who argues that a single picture is better than hundred words. Visual aids can easily attract the attention of the students. So while teaching, simple visual aids can be used for language works which are teacher initiated but they must be student- centered. The teacher can use magazine, picture or poster or wall chart or

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charts or diagrams or photographs or fl ash cards with pictures or realia or others which can easily be collected. With the help of these visual aids, he can encourage the students to speak in English.

Three of the teachers stated that the textbook should

be provided with writing sketches to enhance good

handwriting. Rauniyar (2006:46) states that teachers should

teach their pupils handwriting (calligraphy), creative writing,

report writing, acting and speaking

Three participants stated that the new vocabulary, of

any lesson, was not included in the coming lessons and this

neglect had a bad effect on practicing of the new vocabulary.

They claim that the repetition of the new vocabulary in the

coming lesson did not enhance and reinforce learning the word

glossary included in the textbook.

Two of the teacher stated the textbook should be

supplied with narrative stories which help students expanding

their imagination and their intellectual powers. Tomlinson

(1998) elaborates that the content of any material should be

integrated with topics of interest to the target learner; topics

which offer the possibility of learning something new,

engaging stories, universal themes and local references.




To answer the third question of the study, "Are there any statistically significant differences between the teachers' views refer to (gender, years of experience and the interaction between gender and years of experience) at ≤ 0.05 level?", the researcher used the T-Test for Independent Samples, One-Way ANOVA and Two-Way ANOVA to test the three Null hypotheses of the study related to this question.

Null Hypothesis (1):

There are no statically significant differences between the teachers' views refer to gender at ≤ 0.05 level.

Before testing this null hypothesis, the researcher checked the homogeneity to make sure that the variance between the groups was equal. The researcher used the Levene's test for this purpose.

Table (15): Levene's Test of Equality of Error Variances

Variable F Sig.

Overall Evaluation 0.526 0.47

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As shown in Table (15), (F) value was 0.526 and the significance was 0.47 which meant that there were no differences between the variances of the groups, so the homogeneity was accomplished.

To test this null hypothesis, the researcher used (T-Test) for Independent Samples as shown in Table (16).

Table (16) The (T-Test) results on the differences between

the teachers' views Referring to Gender

Gender N Mean Std.

Deviation

t Sig.

Male 23 2.99 0.61

Overall

Evaluation

Female 25 3.80 0.48 -3.69 0.001

Table (16) showed that the mean score of female teachers (3.80) was higher than male teachers (2.99). The (t) calculated value was (-3.69) and the Sig. value is (0.001) which meant that there were statistically significant differences between the teachers' views referred to gender at ≤ 0.05 level in favour of female teachers. The researcher thought that these differences appeared because the authors of the textbook were females, so female teachers were more positive about the textbook than male teachers.




There are no statically significant differences between the teachers' views refer to years of experience at ≤ 0.05 level.

Before testing this null hypothesis, the homogeneity was

checked to make sure that the variances between the groups

were equal. The researcher used the Levene's test for this

purpose.

Table (17): Levene's Test of Equality of Error Variances

Variable F Sig.

Overall Evaluation 0.352 0.70

As shown in Table (17), (F) value was 0.352 and the

significance was 0.70 which meant that there were no

differences between the variances of the groups, so the

homogeneity was accomplished.

To test this null hypothesis, the researcher used the One-

Way ANOVA test as shown in Table (18).

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Table (18): The One-Way ANOVA results on the differences between the

Teachers' views referring to Experience in Teaching

Overall Evaluation

Sum of Squares

df Mean Square

F Sig.

Between Groups

0.589 2 0.294

Within Groups

11.886 45 0.264

Total 12.475 47

1.11 0.547

Table (18) showed that (F = 1.11) and the significance value for experience in teaching was 0.547 which meant that there were no statistically significant differences between the teachers' views referred to experience at ≤ 0.05. These findings agreed with Aqel's study (2009) who evaluated the Palestinian 11th grade textbook from teachers' perspective and found that there were no significant differences in the degree of evaluation of the textbook due to qualification or experience variables.


There are no statically significant differences between the teachers' views refer to the interaction between gender and years of experience at ≤ 0.05 level.



To test this null hypothesis, the researcher used the Two-Way ANOVA test as shown in Table (19).

Table (19): The Two-Way ANOVA results on the differences between the teachers' views referring to the

interaction between Gender and Experience

Source Sum of Squares Mean Square F Sig.

Corrected

Model

4.99 0.99 2.94 0.03

Intercept 182.42 182.42 536.67 0.00

Gender 1.74 1.74 5.11 0.03

Experience 0.19 0.095 0.28 0.75

Gender *

Experience

0.68 0.34 0.99 0.38

Error 7.48 0.34

Total 320.02

Corrected Total 12.47

Table (19) showed that, for the interaction between gender and experience, (F=99) and the significance value was (0.38) which indicated that there were no statistically significant differences between the teachers' views referred to interaction between gender and experience at ≤ 0.05.

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Conclusions and Recommendations:

Conclusions

The results obtained from the study proved that the textbooks had some problems. According to the findings and discussions made, it could be concluded that:

The layout and physical appearance of the textbook lacked the necessary audio-visual aids, which helped students learn the four skills in an integrated way.

The content of the textbook did not encourage a positive attitude towards gender and environment issues nor did it contain self-check report. Furthermore, it was not appropriate for the learners' level.

The objectives of the textbook did not demonstrate the various levels of bloom's taxonomy. In addition, the objectives did not recognize individual differences nor did they suit the level of the learners. Also, they could not be covered within the time allocated for the textbook.

The language type of the textbook was poor because there was no emphasis on language use; learners were not given examples of ways they could use the foreign language in the future beyond the school experience. Besides, new and critical concepts were not defined in the glossary or explained when they were first introduced in the text.



Concerning the skills, the textbook lacked writing activities such as controlled, guided and free paragraphs. Besides, the materials for listening were not accompanied by activities which helped comprehension and the spoken English (dialogues, role play, communication activities …. etc.) were not designed to equip learners for real-life interaction. Furthermore, the reading passages were not associated with pre/while/post reading activities. Finally, relevant skills such as critical thinking, problem solving etc. were not catered for in the textbook.

The activities and tasks were not suitable; there was a lack of interactive activities that required students to use new vocabulary to communicate and use of grammatical rules by creating situations in which these rules were needed. Besides, the textbook did not provide communicative exercises that enabled learners to carry out their communicative tasks in real-life situations. Also, the textbook lacked an adequate set of evaluation quizzes or testing suggestions.

The vocabulary load was not reasonable for the level of the learners and the progression of vocabulary items was unsuitable. More to the point, the vocabulary was not functional, thematic, authentic nor practical.

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The content did not suit the learners' knowledge and culture nor did it serve as a window into learning about the target language culture. Moreover, the teaching of the target culture did not motivate the learners to explore their own culture.

The teacher's manual did not give instructions on how to incorporate audiovisual materials produced for the textbook. In addition, it lacked additional exercises for reinforcing various language skills in the textbook. Additionally, teachers were not given techniques for activating students’ background knowledge before reading the texts.

Regardless of the above shortcomings, the textbook had also some strong points. For instance, the textbook was durable, the layout and physical appearance were appropriate, the textbook covered most language skills, the objectives in the textbook were clear and precise for the learners, the instructions in the material were sufficient and clear, the new structure was integrated in varying contexts and situations and the teacher's manual helped the teachers understand the objectives of the textbook.

The teachers suggested many supplementary activities and materials to be provided such as a reasonable number of quizzes and tests, language laboratories and stories.

They also suggested an appropriate environment inside schools to enhance teaching and learning processes.



There were statistically significant differences between the teachers' views referred to gender in favour of female teachers at ≤ 0.05 level.

There were no statistically significant differences between the teachers' views referred to experience at ≤ 0.05 level.

There were no statistically significant differences between the teachers' views referred to interaction between gender and experience ≤ 0.05 level.

Recommendations

1. The objectives of the textbook should demonstrate the various levels of bloom's taxonomy. Besides, they should be set to suit the level of the learners and could be covered within the time allocated for the textbook at the same time.

2. The textbook should be provided with audio-visual materials such as CDs, Flash Cards, Posters, Cassettes … etc. to help learners learn the English Language in a motivating atmosphere.

3. The textbook should be supplemented with a reasonable number of quizzes and tests.

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4. An appropriate environment should be created inside schools. Backgrounds and individual differences among students should be taken into consideration while developing English Language textbooks.

5. The textbook materials should be accompanied by activities which help comprehension and the spoken English (dialogues, role play, communication activities …. etc.) should be designed to equip learners for real-life interaction.

6. The content should suit the learners' knowledge and culture. Moreover, the teaching of the target culture should motivate the learners to explore their own culture.

7. The teacher's manual should have instructions on how to incorporate audiovisual materials produced for the textbook, and it should be equipped with quizzes and exams.

8. The number of lessons for each unit should be divided into eight lessons to enable teachers and learners to cover the material effectively.



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an evaluation of english language textbook \"say it in english\" for first year...

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