Evaluating the Presentation and Practice of Reading Skill in Vision 3 and its Workbook Using Two Frames of Reference: Categories of a Taxonomy and Perspectives of English Teachers
محورهای موضوعی : Research in English Language Pedagogy
1 - English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran
کلید واژه: Reading Comprehension Questions, Workbook, Language Questions, Textbook evaluation, Reading, Content Questions, Vision 3,
چکیده مقاله :
Textbooks provide a framework for the English language teaching curriculum. Among different skills and components covered in the ELT materials, reading comprehension is conceived as an inalienable skill required to expand the students’ knowledge of the language. Reading passages are accompanied by a set of questions to check the students’ comprehension and enhance their reading efficiency. Focusing on the reading sections of the newly compiled English textbook for the 12th-grade students, the current study attempted to investigate reading comprehension questions accompanying the reading passages in Vision 3 and its workbook adopting Freeman’s (2014) taxonomy. Furthermore, it elicited 80 teachers’ perspectives on the reading sections utilizing the relevant items from an eclectic checklist. To deepen the results, eight teachers also provided their comments. First, the reading comprehension questions in Vision 3 and its workbook were analyzed and assigned to the categories and subcategories proposed in the taxonomy. The frequency and percentage values showed that Language questions were the most frequent category in Vision 3 while Content questions were the most prevalent of all in the workbook. Among the subcategories of reading comprehension questions, Form questions were the commonest type in the student book whereas both Forma and Personal Response questions were the most frequent of all in the workbook. In addition, the results of the Kruskal Wallis test revealed a significant difference between the student book and its workbook in terms of the frequency of Content questions. The analysis of the teachers’ perspectives also demonstrated their discontent with the reading sections in that book that failed to provide the students authentic texts and challenging questions and activities. Notwithstanding the dramatic positive changes in Vision 3 concerning other skills and components, the findings showed that it needed to be revisited and revised considering the reading comprehension skills and sub-skills. The study raised the material developers’ consciousness about the existing reading comprehension questions in both the student book and its workbook. It further enabled the teachers to identify the missing types of questions and develop supplementary materials to enhance the students’ reading comprehension skills.
Adli, N., & Mahmoudi, A. (2017). Reading comprehension questions in EFL textbooks and learners’ levels. Theory and Practice in Language Studies. 7(7), 590-595. doi:10.17507/tpls.0707.14
Aebersold, J. A., & Field, M. L. (1997). From reader to reading teacher: Issues and strategies for the second language classroom. Cambridge University Press.
Ahmadisafa, M., & Farahani, M. (2016). Developing intercultural competence in Prospect 1 from EFL teachers’ perspectives. Critical Studies in Texts and Programs of Human Sciences, 15 (36),1-24. [In Persian].
Ansari, H., & Babaii, E. (2002). Universal characteristics of EFL/ESL textbook: a step towards systematic textbook evaluation. The Internet TESL Journal, 2, 1-8.
Ansary, T. (2004). An analytical look at high school English textbooks and introducing a sample lesson based on communicative syllabus design [Unpublished Master’s Thesis]. Islamic Azad University- Tabriz Branch, Iran.
Atai, M. R. (2002). ESAP curriculum planning in Iran: An incoherent educational experience. Special Issue of the Journal of Faculty of Letters and Humanities, 9(3), 17- 34.
Baleghizadeh, S., & Zakervafaei, H. R. (2020). Analyzing post-reading comprehension questions and task types in Four Corners. MEXTESOL, 44(1), 1-11.
Bemani, M., & Jahangard, A. (2014). Attitude analysis of teachers: The case of Iranian newly developed EFL textbook for junior high schools. International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World, 7 (1),198-215.
Bloom, B. S. (Ed.) (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives, Handbook 1: Cognitive domain. Longman.
Charles, M. (2015). [Review of the book] English language teaching textbooks: Content, consumption, N. Harwood (Ed.). TESOL Quarterly, 49(4), 897-899. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43893796b
Cunningsworth, A. (1995). Choosing your coursebook. Heinmann Publishers Ltd.
Ellis, R. (1997). The empirical evaluation of language teaching materials. ELT Journal, 51(1),36-42.
Freeman, D. (2014). Reading comprehension questions: The distribution of different types in global EFL textbooks. In N. Harwood (Ed.), English language textbooks: Content, consumption, production. (pp. 73-110). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137276285_3
Ghorbani, M. R. (2011). Quantification and graphic representation of EFL textbook evaluation results. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 1(5), 511-520.
Grabe, W. (2009). Reading in a second language: Moving from theory to practice. Cambridge University Press.
Jahangard, A. (2007). Evaluation of EFL materials taught at Iranian public high schools. The Asian EFL Journal, 9 (2), 130-150.
Liaw, M. (2007). Content-based reading and writing for critical thinking skills in an EFL context. English Teaching and Learning, 31(2): 45-87.
Masuhara, H. (2013). Materials for developing reading skills. In B. Tomlinson (Ed.), Developing materials for language teaching (pp. 265-289). Bloomsbury.
McDonough, J., & Shaw, C. (2003). Materials and methods in ELT: A teacher’s guide. Blackwell Publishing.
Mckee, S. (2012). Reading comprehension, what we know: A review of research 1995 to 2011. Language Testing in Asia, 2(1), 45-58. doi:org/10.1186/2229-0443-2-1-45
Mirzaei, N, & Tabatabaei, O. (2017). Textbook analysis: comparing the recent and the old first-grade high school English textbooks, teachers, and learners’ perspectives in focus. Research in English Language Pedagogy, 5(2),167-180.
Na, L., & Nation, I. S. P. (1985). Factors affecting guessing vocabulary in context. RELC Journal, 16(1). 33-42. doi: 10.1177%2F003368828501600103
Nejati, R., Cheraghi, Z., & Nasery, A. (2018). Evaluation of tokens of communicative language teaching in Prospect (1) of junior high school in Iran. Journal of Technology of Education, 13(1),259-272. [In Persian].
Nuttall, C. (1996). Teaching reading skills in a foreign language. Heinemann.
Rashidi, N., & Kehtarfard, R. (2014). A needs analysis approach to the evaluation of Iranian third-grade highs school English textbooks. Sage Open, 1-9.
Razmjoo, S. A., & Kazempourfard, E. (2012). On the representation of Bloom's revised taxonomy in Interchange course books. The Journal of Teaching Language Skills, 31(1), 171-204. doi: 10.22099/JTLS.2012.336.
Rezaee, A. A., Taase, Y., & Alishahi, Z. (2016). Iranian domestically designed ESAP textbooks and students: a critical thinking perspective. English Language Teaching, 3(4): 47-61.
Richards, J. C. (2001). Curriculum development in language teaching. Ernst Klett Sprachen.
Roohani, A., Taheri, F., & Poorzanganeh, M. (2014). Evaluating Four Corners textbooks in terms of cognitive processes using Bloom’s revised taxonomy. Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics, 4(2), 51-67. Retrieved from http://rals.scu.ac.ir/article_10538.html
Salehi, H., & Amini, M. (2016b). Teachers’ perceptions of the new English textbook named Prospect 1 used in Iranian junior high schools. Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods, 6(6),407-416.
Shahmohammadi, S. (2018). Textbook evaluation: looking at Prospect series through teachers’ perspective. Research in English Language Pedagogy, 6(2),182-2014.
Sheldon, L. E. (1988). Evaluating ELT textbooks and materials. ELT Journal, 42(4), 237-246.
Tomlinson, B., & Masuhara, H. (2013). Adult course books. ELT Journal. 67(2), 233-249. doi: 10.1093/elt/cct007
Torki, F., & Chalak, A. (2017). An evaluation of English textbooks used in Iranian high schools: teachers’ and learners’ attitudes. Research in English Language Pedagogy, 5(1), 52-60.
Ur, P. (1996). A course in language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
Waters, A. (2006). Thinking and language learning. ELT Journal, 60(4), 237- 319.
Williams, D. (1983). Developing criteria for textbook evaluation. English Language Teaching Journal, 37(3), 251-255.
Willis, J. (2008). Teaching the brain to read: Strategies to improve fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Yu, G. (1986). Perception, practice, and progress- the significance of scaffolding and zone of proximal development for second or foreign language teachers. Asian EFL Journal, 6(4), 12-23.
