Evaluation of seventh grade English textbook based on Tomlinson's model

Dissertation for Master's degree

General orientation

Abstract

Textbooks play a vital role in the teaching-learning process, especially in societies where English is considered a foreign language, so it is necessary to evaluate textbooks. to be placed so that the content of the textbooks is suitable for teaching and learning needs in English as a foreign language classes. Considering this importance, the current research aims to evaluate the 7th grade English language textbook based on Tomlinson's (2003) model. The method used in this research is descriptive and field type. The statistical population of this research is all 7th grade English teachers working in education in Golestan province. In order to select 132 teachers as a statistical sample, random sampling method was used. Then, the data collected through the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in 20Spss software. The findings of this research showed that the content of the current textbook, while motivating students, prepares them to use the target language and is consistent with the curriculum.

Key words: Evaluation, textbook, curriculum, evaluation of course materials, Tomlinson model, Prospect 1

Chapter One

Research overview

1-1. Introduction

In the new global village, English is undoubtedly the most common language, which is widely used for various purposes, including business, tourism, scientific, political and cultural relations. style="direction: rtl;"> "Crystal [1] (2003) believes that the English language is the first language of four million speakers and the second language is approximately the same number of speakers in seventy-five countries of the world, and estimates the number of learners of this language to be more than one billion people. The impressive and penetrating presence of the language in various fields, including politics, economy, medicine, sports, media and the Internet, has increased rapidly in the last century. "Also, this language is the most important And it is the most widely used language on the Internet, and that is why today, according to UNESCO, not knowing English and computers are signs of illiteracy.

Given this fact, in order to communicate constructively and consciously with other societies and human achievements and interact effectively with the world, paying attention to effective education becomes increasingly important. An education in which attention to the communication dimension of language is strengthened so that people with higher communication and language skills can be raised to live in the modern global village. Therefore, our educational system needs such a view on English language education.

Another noteworthy point is that, considering the current conditions of our country, which has many achievements for interaction in various international arenas, foreign languages ??are of special importance as a medium and a tool for international interaction and understanding. Considering this, the role of the country's official education system in teaching the practical abilities of foreign languages ??to the future generation Islamic Iran stands out. In this regard, it is necessary to pay attention to several points, and that is that effective interaction with the world is not possible without paying attention to effective education; And effective teaching has a direct relationship with textbooks, and textbooks have a close relationship with assessment. To put it more clearly, this research is aimed at evaluating the 7th grade English textbook, on the one hand, to reveal a clearer picture of its characteristics, and on the other hand, to determine its necessity and importance in effective education. Of course, this point should not be overlooked that writing such a book, which is used at the national level, even after twenty-seven years, is not an easy task, and it is commendable; But this fact should not prevent the review of the present book; Because in order to achieve the desired efficiency in writing textbooks and increase their efficiency and effectiveness, it is necessary to review textbooks in order to strengthen the strengths and remove the negative points (Razi, 2018).And since the main goals of each textbook are provided through the concepts hidden in its content and the most important part of the review of each book is the evaluation of its content (ibid.), the author has evaluated the content through a survey of teachers. Undoubtedly, the opinions of teachers, as educational leaders who objectively and practically deal with language teaching issues, will be very valuable; For this purpose and to find out the level of success of the new textbook and the level of satisfaction of the language teachers with the said book, in the present study, the opinions of the teachers were collected through a questionnaire based on the Tomlinson model [2] (2003) and used to evaluate the book. It is hoped that the results and findings of this research will be useful for educational leaders, curriculum designers, planners and authors of educational content. 

1-2. Statement of the problem

As mentioned earlier, during the last few decades, the spread of English language in the international arena has grown rapidly. In this way, in this century, learning and mastering the English language in a practical way is an undeniable necessity for everyone, especially students, so that they can realize their personal, academic and professional needs and dreams. But the question that arises here is what should be done to achieve this goal?

Evaluation of textbooks in different eras, in different ways and for different reasons, has been the focus of researchers and has been discussed. Reflecting on these works and researches shows that books are the most important component of most programs and classes for learning English as a second language[3] or as a foreign language[4] and play an essential role in realizing educational and informational goals. According to Hutchinson and Torres [5] 1994 (cited by Hosseininaseb et al. 2018; Raami and Maslanjad 2010; Birjandi and Alizadeh 2012; Litz [6], 2005) the textbook is a universal material and without a textbook related to the subject of teaching, no learning environment is complete. Another theorist named Sheldon [7] (1998) considers textbooks to be the heart of any English language teaching program. And many other experts such as Haycroft [8] 1995 and O'Neill [9] 1982 (Bahastnad Birjandi and Alizadeh, 2012) believe that textbooks play a vital role in classroom dynamics. Therefore, it can be said that one of the most important requirements for achieving the desired goals is the preparation and editing of appropriate books, which should not be neglected under any circumstances. On the other hand, the importance of evaluating textbooks is an undeniable subject that has a special place as well as the preparation and editing of textbooks and plays a significant role in the reconstruction and improvement of the content of textbooks. And there are different opinions about its importance. According to Sheldon, 1998 and Cunningsworth [10], 1995 (cited by Hosseininaseb, 2018; Raami and Maslanjad, 2010; Davari et al., 2012) there are several reasons for evaluating textbooks. One of the reasons is that analyzing the content of textbooks helps teachers to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the books they use. Improvement and advancement of the teaching profession. Therefore, the review of the 7th grade book is not an exception to this rule, and due to its recent composition, it is one of the subjects that have been less discussed. It should be noted that the authors of this book stated that there have been major changes in the teaching method and content of this course, which is not only based on the traditional methods of the past, but its educational and communication approaches have been developed in line with neighboring countries and countries of the world, and the changes made in the 7th English language book have considered all four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing so that the student can have a constructive and active communication with the world around him with its help. establish, and the analysis of the present book can check this claim of the authors.

To put it more clearly, in the process of this review, the effort is to first raise information about the importance of textbooks and their preparation and compilation, and then point out why and how to evaluate textbooks. It is also important to mention that there are different models for evaluating textbooks, and the author used Tomlinson's model. who is one of the leading figures in the field of preparing and compiling course materials and has done many activities in this field. The model used includes three stages of evaluation.