AN EVALUATION OF THE MATERIAL “BASIC ENGLISH III” FOR THE SECOND YEAR NON- ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT BAC GIANG TEACHERS’ TRAINING COLLEGE

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY- HANOI COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES POST- GRADUATE DEPARTMENT GIAP THI YEN AN EVALUATION OF THE MATERIAL “BASIC ENGLISH III” FOR THE SECOND YEAR NON- ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT BAC GIANG TEACHERS’ TRAINING COLLEGE (Đánh giá giáo trình “Tiếng Anh Cơ Bản III” dành cho sinh viên không chuyên năm thứ hai Trường Cao Đẳng Sư Phạm Bắc Giang) MINOR PROGRAM THESIS FIELD : MOTHODOLOGY CODE : 601410 HA NOI- 2008 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY- HANOI COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES POST- GRADUATE DEPARTMENT GIÁP THỊ YẾN AN EVALUATION OF THE MATERIAL “BASIC ENGLISH III” FOR THE SECOND YEAR NON- ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT BAC GIANG TEACHERS’ TRAINING COLLEGE (Đánh giá giáo trình “Tiếng Anh Cơ Bản III” dành cho sinh viên không chuyên năm thứ hai Trường Cao Đẳng Sư Phạm Bắc Giang) MINOR PROGRAM THESIS FIELD : METHODOLOGY CODE : 601410 SUPERVISOR: ĐINH HẢI YẾN, M.A ha noi - 2008 CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the minor thesis submitted today entitled “An evaluation of the material Basic English III for the second year non-English major students at Bac Giang Teachers’ Training College” in terms of the statement of requirements for the thesdis and the field study reports in Masters’ programs is the result of my own work, except where otherwise acknowledged and that this minor thesis or any part of the same had not been submitted for a higher degree to any other universities or institution. Signature Date: August 29th, 2008 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS On the completion of the thesis, I would like to thank the following people: I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms. Dinh Hai Yen, for her patient guidance, helpful suggestions, encouragement and constructive supervision in the course of writing this research. Without her help, this work would have been impossible. I would like to acknowledge my gratitude to Mr. Le Hung Tien, Head of the Department of Post- Graduate Studies, and all the professors and lecturers at College of Foreign Language (CFL), Vietnam National University (VNU) for their insightful lectures, invaluable assistance and useful guidance. I am also grateful for the valuable materials provided by Ms. Le Thu Ha- the librarian at the post- graduate studies library of CFL, VNU. I would like to take this opportunity to express my thankfulness to all of my English staff at Bac Giang Teachers’ Training College for their great help and kind cooperation in completing the questionnaires for the thesis. I wish to extend my thanks to all of my friends who have been most helpful and supportive to me during the completion of my research. Last but not least, my sincere thanks go to my parents whose love and encouragement have been equally important to my educational endeavors, especially my little son who has given me so much inspiration, energy, and support in accomplishing this challenging work. ABSTRACT It is obvious that materials evaluation is one of the essential aspects of language teaching and learning. Within this regard, the thesis was carried out to evaluate the material “Basic English III” which is currently in use for the second year non- English major students at Bac Giang Teachers’ Training College (BGTTC) since 2006 with the hope that practical suggestions would be given for further improvements of the material in the near future to meet the target of ensuring the effectiveness of the teaching and the learning English at BGTTC. The data collection instruments used in this study were questionnaires and document analysis. In this sequence, the material in use is analyzed basing on the criteria suggested by Hutchinson and Waters’ (1987) with an aim to determine how the material realizes the course requirements. A survey on the teachers' opinions about the extent to which the material meets the requirements of the course in terms of the aims, content and methodology is conducted. Research results have revealed some strengths and weaknesses of the material which allows the author to conclude that the material is not very relevant to the course aims, content and methodology. Based on the findings, the thesis suggests some recommendations on materials adaptation such as addition, deletion, and replacement that should be made to remedy the weaknesses of the material so that the students can benefit more from it in future courses. TABLE OF CONTENTS Trang PART I: INTRODUCTION 1 References I Appendixes III Appendix 1 III Appendix 2 VII Appendix 3 VIII Appendix 4 X Appendix 5 XV LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CFL : College of Foreign Language VNU : Vietnam National University BGTTC : Bac Giang Teachers’ Training College BEIII : Basic English III LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figures Figure 1: Materials Evaluation Model of McDonough and Shaw Figure 2: The materials evaluation model of Hutchinson & Waters Tables Table 2.1: Types of information in the teacher questionnaire Table 3.1: The vocabulary list of unit 1 (Basic English III, p. 87) Table 3.2: The content requirements for the third term Table 3.3: The methodology requirements of the course Table 3.4: Teachers’ opinions about the suitability of the material (Q 1- 6) Table 3.5: Teachers’ opinions about language points and languages skills covered in this material (Q7-8) Table 3.6: Teachers’ opinions about effectiveness of sub-skills (Q 9) Table 3.7: Teachers’ opinions about the topics in the material (Q10- 11) Table 3.8: Teachers’ opinions about the text- types in the material (Q14) Table 3.9: Teachers’ opinions about the organization and sequence of content (Q12- 13) Table 3.10: Teachers’ opinions about time allocation in the material (Q15) Table 3.11a: Students’ learning strategies and preference (Q16) Table 3.11b: Students’ learning strategies and preference (Q17) Table 3.11c: Students’ learning strategies and preference (Q18) Table 3.12: Teachers’ opinions about tasks and activities of language points and language skills (Q19- 22) Table 3.13: Teachers’ opinions about teaching/ learning techniques in the material (Q23-24) Table 3.14: Teachers’ opinions about the methodology guidance in the material (Q25) PART I: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale of the thesis Materials play an important role in the process of language teaching and learning as appropriate materials can stimulate effective teaching and learning. Thus, to have a successful language- teaching program, it is necessary to have good materials, especially in Vietnamese setting. English has been taught in Bac Giang Teachers Training College (BGTTC) since 1980s, and English course books for non- English major students have been changed from time to time to suit the training objectives as well as the students’ needs. Although many textbooks are available on the market, it is really difficult to choose the materials that meet the needs of non- English major students whose English proficiency is comparatively varied. Due to these reasons, the teachers of English at BGTTC decided to produce the materials suitable for their own students. Undeniably, since these in- house materials were put to use, they have had certain positive impacts on language teaching and learning at BGTTC. But there remain some complaints and dissatisfaction. Until now, no research on the course book evaluation has been carried out to examine how well the materials being in use match the course requirements in terms of aims, content and methodology. Therefore, the author decided to choose one of those in- house materials named “Basic English III” (BEIII) for evaluation with the intention that it will not only help improve the material’s quality but also enhance the learning efficiency as well as stimulate students’ interest in language learning. 2. Aims of the thesis This study is intended to investigate: How well the material has satisfied the requirements of the course in relation to aims, content and methodology? What improvements should be made to the material to make it more effective in responding to the course requirements and students’ needs? Hopefully, the findings of the thesis will provide reliable basis for further suggestions, which helps the teachers - material designers at BGTTC improve this in- house material. 3. Significance of the thesis The findings of the thesis will be useful not only to the researcher, and the course book designers but also to the teaching staff and the second year non- English major students at BGTTC. Besides, the given findings will help form a foundation toward improving the quality of the in-house material “Basic English III” which is currently used for the students at BGTTC. Further more, it is hoped that those research results will make some contributions to the field of materials evaluation 4. Scope of the thesis In materials evaluation, there have been a great number of criteria that should be taken into consideration such as: the audience, the content, the methodology, the cultural bias, the layout, the authenticity, and so on. In this study, the researcher bases on Hutchinson and Waters’s (1987) criteria for evaluation with focus on the three following criteria: aims of the material, content of the material, and methodology. Due to the limited scope of a minor thesis, research subjects are primarily confined to English teachers who have been teaching the material for 2 years rather than to students who have learnt this material. However, to ensure the validity and reliability of the given information, students’ feedback, which is collected in an informal way through teachers’ observation and experience in working/talking with students, is also taken into account. 5. Design of the thesis There are three main parts in this thesis: introduction, development, and conclusion. The introduction provides the rationale, the aims, the significance, the scope, and design of the thesis. The development consists of three chapters: Chapter one presents a review of literature concentrating on the issues related to materials evaluation. It discusses the roles and types of materials in language teaching and learning. and presents major issues in materials evaluation including definitions of materials evaluation, purposes for materials evaluation, types of materials evaluation, materials evaluators, models for materials evaluation, criteria for materials evaluation, as well as material adaptation. Chapter two focuses on the methodology employed in this thesis including an overview of current English teaching and learning at BGTTC, research methods, and the data collection procedures. Chapter three discusses the findings of the study; points out the strengths, weaknesses, and suggests the recommendations for the material improvement. The conclusion provides a brief summary of all the major parts being present in the study, the conclusions drawn out and suggests directions for further research. PART 2: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Literature Review 1.1. Materials in Language Teaching and Learning 1.1.1. Roles of Teaching Materials in General English Courses There are five important components involved in English language instruction namely students, teachers, materials, teaching methods, and evaluation among which the most essential constituents are the textbooks and instruction materials because these instructional materials provide the foundation for the content of the lesson, the balance of the skills taught, as well as the kinds of language practice the students engage in during class activities. Stressing the role of materials, Richard (2001: 251) states that The teaching materials can serve as basis for much of language input that the learners receive and as the source for much of the language practice that occurs in the classroom. Richard further explains that materials provide “basis for the content of the lesson, balance of skills taught, and the kind of language practice students take part in” (p. 251). In other situations, textbooks may be used to supplement the teacher's instructions. For learners, textbooks may provide a major source of contact they have with the target language, excluding the input provided by the teacher. In the case of novice teachers, textbooks may also be utilized as a form of teacher training; that is, they provide the teachers with ideas on how to plan and teach lessons as well as with formats that teachers can use. Much of the language teaching that occurs throughout the world today could not take place without the extensive use of commercial textbooks. Hence, learning how to use and adapt textbooks is an important part of a teacher's professional knowledge. Allwright (1990) supports Richard’s point of view by emphasizing that Materials should teach students to learn, that they should be resource books for ideas and activities for instruction, and that they should give teachers rationales for what they do. It is true that in many cases, teachers and students rely heavily on textbooks, and textbooks determine the components and methods of learning, that is, they control the content, methods, and procedures of learning. Students learn what is presented in the textbook, and the way the textbook presents material is the way students learn it. The educational philosophy of the textbook will influence the class and the learning process. Therefore, in most situations, materials are the center of instruction and one of the most important influences on what goes on in the classroom. According to Nunan (1991), good teaching materials help inexperienced and poorly trained teachers a lot, but they also help experienced teachers. Theoretically, experienced teachers can teach English without a textbook. However, it is not easy to do it all the time, though they may do it sometimes. Many teachers do not have enough time to design supplementary materials, so they just follow the textbook. Textbooks, therefore, take on a very important role in language classes. That is also the reason why the writer chooses one of the in- house materials in use in her college for evaluation to see if it is appropriate or not to the current teaching circumstance. 1.1. 2. Types of Materials Teaching materials are a key and crucial component in any language teaching contexts. There are different types of teaching materials. According to Robinson (1991), choosing published textbooks or in- house materials is what specialists in the field of English language teaching weigh up for arguments. There are some arguments for and against using a published textbook. According to Ur (1996), published textbooks have many advantages as follows: - Framework: a textbook provides a clear framework for teachers and learners to know where they are going and what is coming next, and build up a sense of structure and progress. - Syllabus: in many places, the course book serves as a syllabus. If the syllabus is followed systematically, a carefully planned and balanced selection of language content will be made. - Ready- made texts and tasks: the course book provides texts and learning tasks, which are likely to be of an appropriate level for most of the class. This of course saves time for the teacher who would otherwise have to prepare his or her own. - Economy: a book is the cheapest way of providing learning material for each learner; 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 book is a convenient package. It is bound, so its components stick together and stay in order. Moreover, it is light and small enough to carry around easily. It is also of a certain shape/ size that is easily packed and stacked. In addition, it does not depend for its use on hardware or a supply of electricity. Guidance: For teachers who are inexperienced or occasionally unsure of their knowledge of the language, the course book can provide useful guidance and support. Autonomy: The learners can use the course book to learn new material, review and monitor progress with some degree of autonomy. A learner without a course book is more teacher- dependent. However, not everything in the textbook is wonderful (Hammer, 1991). Though the textbooks are well planned, they can be inappropriate for teachers and students. The counter-arguments for using textbooks are also listed by Ur (1996) as follows: - Inadequacy: In every class, every learner has his/ her own learning needs: no one textbook can possibly supply these satisfactorily. - Irrelevance, lack of interest: the topics dealt with in the textbook may not necessarily be relevant or interesting for any individual class. - Limitation: a textbook is confining that is, its set structure and sequence may inhibit a teacher’s initiative and creativity, which leads to boredom and lack of motivation on the part of the learners. - Homogeneity: Textbooks have their own rationale, chosen teaching, and learning approach. They do not usually cater for the variety of levels of ability and knowledge, or learning styles and strategies that exist in most classes. - Over-easiness: Teachers find it too easy to follow the textbook uncritically instead of using their initiatives; they may find themselves functioning merely as mediators of its content instead of as teachers in their own right. In practice, the teacher should take into consideration the given advantages and disadvantages when choosing a published textbook so as to enhance the strengths and minimize the weaknesses which might incur in the course of teaching and learning. Unlike published textbooks, in-house materials are always designed for a particular group of learners so they correspond to learners’ need and match with the aims and objectives of the language-learning program. According to Robinson (1991:58), - In-house materials are likely to be more specific and appropriate than published materials and have greater face validity in terms of the language dealt with and the contexts it is presented in. - In-house materials may be more flexible than published textbooks. -The writers of in-house materials can make sure of the suitability of methodology for the intended learners. However, it is noted that making in-house materials is time consuming and expensive. As stated above, published textbooks and in-house materials offer both good points and bad points, so choosing which one as a teaching and learning material depends largely on the purposes of the course as well as the available facilities and constraints of a particular situation. 1.2. Materials Evaluation 1.2.1. Definitions of Materials Evaluation There are many ways of defining evaluation. According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987, p. 96) materials evaluation is defined as “a matter of judging the fitness of something for a particular purpose.” Evaluation is, then, concerned with relative merit. It is neither absolutely good nor bad - only the degree of fitness for the required purpose is taken into account. Trochim (?just put a question mark like that to note that it is not identified ) at Cornel University supports Hutchinson and Waters by stating, “evaluation is the systematic acquisition and assessment of information to provide useful feedback about some object”Thisdeleted entry will be put in References. . This definition emphasizes “acquiring and assessing information” rather than assessing worth or merit because all evaluation work involves collecting and sifting through data, making judgments about the validity of the information and of inferences we derive from it, whether or not an assessment of worth or merit results. From the above definitions of evaluation, it can be inferred that material involves the determination of what needs to be evaluated, the objectives and requirements of the materials, and the judgments of the value of the materials being evaluated in relati