Global Business Textbook Evaluation: Task Types in the Spotlight (original) (raw)

Evaluation of High School English Course Books in Iran: Task Types in Focus

2020

This study sought to examine the type and frequency of tasks in the Iranian high school English course books (Prospect 1, 2, 3 & English Book 1, 2, 3). The corpus was analyzed based on Nunan's (1999) framework composed of five main task types, namely cognitive, interpersonal, linguistics, affective, and creative. To this end, the whole content of the aforementioned course books went through content analysis separately and accordingly descriptive and inferential results were reported regarding the frequency of each task type. The results showed that the linguistic tasks were the most recurrent type, whereas some task types (e.g., affective and creative) were totally absent. Furthermore, based on the results of Chi Square test, a significant difference was observed in the frequency of task types. While, according to communicative approach, communicative competence necessitates the inclusion of grammatical, discourse, sociolinguistic, and strategic competencies, the findings of the current study revealed that linguistic competence was overemphasized in these course books. This fact may lead to learners who are competent in producing linguistically appropriate utterances, which may at the same time be inappropriate with regard to context. The findings can have significant implications for EFL teachers and materials developers in making them conscious of the fact that the application of different types of tasks in textbooks is an important standard leading to more competent language users, especially in an EFL context like Iran.

Language-learning Task and Activity Variability between Business English and General English Textbooks (2022)

Journal of the University of Marketing and Distribution Sciences: Humanities, Arts & Sciences, 2022

Compared to General English (GE) textbooks, university students often struggle with Business English (BE) textbooks. It is commonly assumed that a lack of business knowledge and experience is the cause of these difficulties. An examination comparing the activities in both BE and GE textbooks was conducted to determine if there are different activities in BE textbooks that might cause difficulty. Six textbooks were compared. Results show that while there is a significant overlap in the kinds of activities in both types of textbooks, the BE textbooks included more complicated activities which were not found in the GE books.

Business English course books – why and how to evaluate them?

The aim of the present paper is to propose a specially designed ESP course book evaluation sheet as well as discuss the need for and usefulness of ESP course book evaluation. The specifically devised checklist for Business English materials will take into consideration various aspects of course design, content and methodology as well as general attributes referred to by such renowned materials " evaluators as Cunningsworth, Ellis and Johnson, McDonough et al. to name only a few. Throughout the paper the author will also assert the specificity of ESP courses as more demanding and more focused on the expectations and requirements of the learners. Hence, appropriate evaluation of any new course book proves necessary because the needs of the students and how they are prioritized will affect their eventual success.

Developing Supplementary Materials for Business English Based on Task –Based Learning (A Research and Development at the Marketing Department Students of SMK PGRI 2 Kediri)

2016

This research aims at developing supplementary materials for Business Englishusing Task-Based Learning (TBL). It was conducted to investigate (1) the quality of theexisting course book used in vocational high school, (2) the development of supplementarymaterials using TBL at SMK PGRI 2 Kediri.Research and Development (RD (1) the description of thedraft of the materials, (2) the result of the trial of the draft, and (3) the final draft ofsupplementary materials for Business English.The data in the exploration stage were collected through conducting documentanalysis, and having interview. It was carried out to reveal the qualityof existing coursebookused at vocational high school and the learner’s need toward material. The findings show thatthe course book used at the vocational high school students contains general english materialand it is less specific to be used for the students of marketing department. Hence, the findingsimply the Business English supplementary material was neede...

The presentation of different types of tasks in ELT textbooks

2014

It is mostly observed that textbooks are a key component in most language programs especially in the process of teaching and learning a second/foreign language. As a result, a number of studies have been carried out to evaluate English language teaching (ELT) materials. Trying to contribute to this growing body of literature, the present study was conducted to evaluate the eight most popular global textbooks which are taught in Iranian ELT institutes in terms of their task types according to Nunan’s (1999) classification of the tasks. To this end, all the tasks of each textbook were categorized in their major and minor associated groups. The results revealed that linguistic tasks were the most frequent type of tasks in almost all of the textbooks. Moreover, there was a significant difference among the frequency of task types in these course books. Finally Total English, English Result and Interchange proved to be the most balanced textbooks respectively in comparison to others with ...

EFL Textbook Evaluation: The Analysis of Tasks Presented in English Textbook

The use of English textbook does not only become a guide to the teachers when delivering the materials, but also presents necessary input through various explanations and activities. On the side of the learners, it also influences their attitudes and performance to the materials. This phenomenon challenges the writer to conduct research-based article concerning textbook evaluation to analyze the tasks and the distribution (simple to complex) of tasks presented in English textbook used in senior high school. The findings show that the English textbook entitled Bahasa Inggris SMA/MA/SMK/MAK Kelas X Semester 1 has interesting tasks which meet the objectives in curriculum 2013 and a good distribution of tasks across chapters and the whole book.

ESP Textbook Evaluation: The Case of Kuwaiti Students of Business Administration

English Language Teaching, 2022

Textbooks are considered an essential component of classroom materials. Teachers usually examine a wide range of textbooks offered in the book market to determine an appropriate one that fits the pedagogical demands. Textbooks' evaluation is, therefore, important to determine and improve their suitability for students' needs. Specifically, in teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP), textbooks play a significant role in enhancing students' learning of specialized English skills and using such skills to address occupational needs. This study was undertaken to evaluate the quality of the Business Result Second Edition (2017) textbook and its suitability for the needs of students majoring in Business Administration (BA) at the College of Business Studies (CBS) in Kuwait. An evaluation checklist was utilized to examine five factors (subject matter, linguistic issues, exercises and activities, course objectives, and layout of materials and visuals). Participants included 10 English language teachers who taught the ESP course at CBS. Results indicated that despite having some disadvantages, the textbook was relatively suitable for the course. The findings of this study can be adopted by the curricula designers at CBS to improve or modify the textbook in question.

A Comparative Study between Iranian and Turkish High School English Textbooks

The basic goal of materials evaluation is selecting teaching materials which are appropriately relevant for a particular teaching context. In other words, evaluation is a “matter of judging the fitness of something for a particular purpose” (Tok, 2010). The current study aims to carefully evaluate two ELT packages in Iran and Turkey. High school textbooks of general English courses prepared and published by the Ministry of Education in Iran were selected to represent the Iranian side; New Bridge to Success series which are taught in Turkish high schools was also selected for the purpose of comparison. Adopting ESL textbook evaluation checklist devised and prepared by Joshua Miekley (2005), the researchers carefully evaluated the two ELT packages. Considering all the important criteria any standardized checklist covers like content presentation, physical make-up, administration concerns, integration of skills, etc. the results showed that generally speaking NBS series was in a better position than ELT textbooks taught in Iranian high schools. It's not the case that NBS is a perfect textbook, but comparing to the Iranian version, its quality is in a better position, compatible with the global criteria standardized textbooks possess.

Evaluation of Pre-Intermediate Three (Pre-3) English Textbook of Iran Language Institute

2021

As the most basic means of instruction and learning, textbooks play a pivotal role in teaching any language since they provide a dependable source of language input for learners. However, with the wide array of textbooks available in the market, opting for the textbooks suiting the peculiar educational parameters of different settings, seems to be a cumbersome task; therefore, to gain greater educational outcomes, to save time, and to incur less costs on learning, logical selection of textbooks through scientifically sound principles seems to be a sensible strategy. The present study utilized an a priori evaluation of the widely-used Pre-intermediate Three (Pre3) textbook of Iran Language Institute (ILI) by using two textbook evaluation schemes by Grant and Demir and Ertas. The results indicated that, despite the numerous merits of the mentioned textbook, including the active role of the learners in completing the tasks, it has got a rather traditional view of the learners’ roles, a...

Textbook Evaluation of English for Academic Purposes by British Council

Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 2014

The present study evaluates the course book English for Academic Purposes recommended by British Council in Pakistan. It is a collaborated effort of British Council and Higher Education Commission of Pakistan to enhance the English language skills of Pakistani students. The researcher has evaluated the effectiveness of this book that is it fulfilling the theoretical needs of International standards? Bloom's taxonomy (1956) of Learning Domains is used because it is most appropriate for the evaluation the textbooks. The researcher has evaluated the course book on different levels e.g. cognitive, affective and psycho-motor with the help of Blooms taxonomy. This is a qualitative research basically though the frequencies of the certain words (verbs) are also find out. The researcher has used find out that which areas of learning process are focused and which are ignored in the textbook. The research is important as it will find out the strapping as well as frail areas of the course book and this information may be helpful for the improvement of the course book. Moreover this research has opened new horizons for further studies in the field of textbook evaluation.