VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ NGUYỆT ÁNH TEACHER’S EVALUATION ON “LET’S GO 1A SECOND EDITION” FOR GRADE AT PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN NORTH VIETNAM (ĐÁNH GIÁ CỦA GIÁO VIÊN VỀ GIÁO TRÌNH “LET’S GO 1A SECOND EDITION” DÙNG CHO HỌC SINH LỚP CÁC TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC MIỀN BẮC VIỆT NAM) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field : English Methodology Code : 60 14 10 Hanoi, 2010 VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ NGUYỆT ÁNH TEACHER’S EVALUATION ON “LET’S GO 1A SECOND EDITION” FOR GRADE AT PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN NORTH VIETNAM (ĐÁNH GIÁ CỦA GIÁO VIÊN VỀ GIÁO TRÌNH “LET’S GO 1A SECOND EDITION” DÙNG CHO HỌC SINH LỚP CÁC TRƯỜNG TIỂU HỌC MIỀN BẮC VIỆT NAM) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field : English Methodology Code : 60 14 10 Supervisor : Vũ Thu Thủy, M.A Hanoi, 2010 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFP English for primary ELT English Language Teaching Let’s Go Second Edition LG 2nd Oxford University Press OUP MOET Ministry of Education CLT Communicative Language Teaching TPR Total Physical Response MAT Model Action Talk LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figure 1: The materials evaluation model proposed by Hutchinson and Waters (1987:98) Figure 2: The materials evaluation model proposed by Littlejohn (1998:3) Figure 3: Teacher’s Opinions on Objectives of the Book Figure 4: Teacher’s Opinions on the Appropriateness of the Topics in the Material Figure 5: Teacher survey results on the tasks and activities in the material in Rural Area Figure 6: Teacher survey results on the tasks and activities in the material in Urban Area Table 1: The grade syllabus prescribed by the MOET Table 2: Comparison of communicative functions as defined by the curriculum and covered in Let’s Go 1A Table 3: Macro-skills and proportions comparison Table 4: Teacher Survey Results on time allocation of the book Table 5: Teacher Survey Results on balance of skills offered in the book Table 6: Teacher Survey Results on reading and writing skills offered in the book Table 7: Teacher Survey Results on speaking and listening skills offered in the book Table 8: Teacher Survey Results on suitability of the Language Points offered in the book Table 9: Teacher Opinions on Vocabulary offered in the book Table 10: Teacher Survey Results on Pronunciation provided by the material Table 11: Teachers’ opinions on the suitability of culture elements in the material Table 12: Teachers’ opinions on the values hint by the material Table 13: Teachers’ opinions on the supplementary materials of the book Table 14: Teachers’ opinions on the general look of the material Table 15: Teachers’ opinions on the accessibility of the book’s price Table 16: Teachers’ opinions on the methodology applied in the material TABLE OF CONTENTS Certificate of originality of the thesis Acknowledgements’ Abstract List of Abbreviations List of Tables Table of Content PART 1: INTRODUCTION Back ground to the Study and Statement of the Problem 1.1 Theoretical background 1.2 Practical background Statement of problem Aims of the study Research Question Theoretical bases of the Study Scope of Study Overview of Study PART 2: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Material in Language Teaching and Learning 1.1.1 Role of Materials 1.1.2 Types of Materials 1.2 Materials Evaluation 1.2.1 Why is evaluation 1.2.2 Definitions of Materials Evaluation 1.2.3 Types of Materials Evaluation 1.2.4 Materials Evaluators 1.2.5 Principles of Materials Evaluation 1.2.5.1 Approach to Materials Evaluation 1.2.5.2 Models for Materials Evaluation 1.2.5.3 Criteria for Materials Evaluation 1.3 Summary CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 2.1 Primary school English education in the North Vietnam: Policy and Practice 2.2 Research Design 2.3 Research Method 2.3.1 Document Analysis 1 1 2 2 3 4 7 10 10 10 10 13 15 15 16 17 17 2.3.2 Survey Questionnaire 2.4 Data Collection Procedures 2.4.1 Document Analysis 2.4.2 Questionnaires for the Teachers CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 3.1 Course Requirement 3.1.1 Objectives of the Course 3.1.2 Teaching Method 3.1.3 The primary school English education syllabus 3.2 Document Analysis 3.2.1 The Material Descriptions 3.2.2 The Suitability of the Material to the Objectives of the Course 3.2.3 Matches between curriculum requirements and textbook’s coverage in terms of input 3.2.4 The Appropriateness of the Material to the Methodology Requirements 3.3 Survey Results 3.3.1 The Suitability of the Material to the Objectives of the Course 3.3.2 The Suitability of the Textbook to the Content required by the Course 3.3.3 The Appropriateness of the Material to the Teaching Methods applied 3.4 Discussion PART 3: CONCLUSION Summary of Previous Parts Recommendations Limitation of the study Conclusion REFERENCES 18 18 19 19 21 21 21 22 23 23 23 25 27 29 29 30 30 37 37 38 39 39 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study and statement of problem 1.1.1 Theoretical background According to McDonough and Shaw (1993) no set of materials is likely to be perfect; it cannot serve equally for the requirements of every classroom setting Teachers should not merely know to use it but how useful it can be They must evaluate its strengths and weaknesses So William (1983) suggests that English language teachers need to know the principles of materials evaluation The ability of materials evaluation is considered to be a very important professional activity for all EFL teachers Although the materials are good, they will never be perfect for every teaching situation They will always need adapting, modifying or supplementing in order to improve the teaching and learning results The theoretical basis for materials evaluation and adaptation has been mentioned in a number of works by Cunningsworth (1995), by Hutchinson and Waters (1987), McDonough and Shaw (1993) and by Littlejohn (1998) Therefore, evaluation can be carried out with any materials by any evaluator 1.1.2 Practical background 1.1.2.1 The English program at Primary schools in Vietnam The English course for pupils at primary is compulsory at the beginning of grade continuing at grade and grade Schools can optionally choose to teach between Let’s Learn English by Education Publishing House and Let’s Go by Oxford University Press with either periods per week or periods per week depending on each province’s application 1.1.2.2 The English teaching material Let’s Go (2nd Edition) series has been used since 2000 It contains main units for each level 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B After every two units there is one review unit Each unit is organized by a set pattern of components including Let’s Talk, Let’s Sing, Learn, Let’s Move, Let’s Listen, Let’s Review and Let’s Learn Some More The first component, Let’s Talk, introduces functional dialogues In Let’s Sing, an interactive song based on the dialogue is offered Let’s Listen gives test and unit review In Let’s Move, there are classroom commands and action verbs Let’s Learn instructs new grammar; Let’s Review offers further review after every units and Let’s Learn Some More revises related grammatical structures 1.1.3 Statement of problem Let’s Go 2nd series are written and published by the British The series have been introduced into Vietnam primary as a course book used for grade 3, grade and grade However, the series have never been carefully evaluated on their appropriateness in terms of content, methodology and physical properties and matter of cost are also exclusive This fact motivates me to this survey research In the scope of this study, the evaluation is carried out with Let’s Go 1A student book used for grade in the Northern provinces of Vietnam 1.2 Aims of the study The study aims to evaluate Let’s Go Second Edition (Oxford University Press, 2000) to determine whether the employment of this material is appropriate in the context of teaching at primary schools in the North of Vietnam Hopefully, the findings of the study will provide the English teaching staff at primary schools with data about what changes to be made to improve the effectiveness of the material for future use 1.3 Research question The study aims to answer to the following question: To what extent does Let’s Go 1A Second Edition (Oxford University Press, 2000) satisfy the course requirements in terms of the audience, aims, content and methodology for grade at primary schools in the North of Vietnam? 1.4 Theoretical bases of the study In the material evaluation, evaluators have to base on a great number of criteria such as audience, aims, content, methodology, physical appearance, cultural bias, authenticity and so on And for each set of criteria, various aspects of the material need to be taken into account In this study, the researcher focuses on the following criteria:  Audience (in term of English level, the usefulness and the appeal of the material as perceived by the audience)  Aims of the material and the course  Content (in term of language points covered, skills, text types and topics)  Methodology (in term of types of tasks and exercises, and teaching-learning techniques) Scope of Study The study is intended to follow the above theoretical bases which seek the answer to the appropriateness of the book Let’s Go A Second Edition in terms of objectives, content and teaching methodology with the course requirements The study is also hopefully expected to compare teaching of this book in two different area of North Vietnam: urban area and rural area with a districted data from the most distinguished sample of the participants By that, the research can draw her conclusion on the suitability of this book with the teachers and students of these areas 1.6 Overview of the study The study is organized into main chapters as follows: Chapter discusses the background to the study and statement of problem, the aims, the research question and the overview of the thesis Chapter presents a review of literature, concentrating on the issues related to material evaluation It first discusses the roles and types of materials in language teaching Then, it presents major issues in materials evaluation, including definition of materials evaluation, reasons for materials evaluation, types of materials evaluation, principles for materials evaluation, materials evaluation procedure as well as criteria for materials evaluation The next part is about materials adaptation The chapter also mentions some previous studies Chapter describes the research methodology adopted in the study, the data collection instruments, the subjects, as well as the data collection procedures Chapter discusses the findings of the study, pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of the material Chapter suggests solutions to improve the material as well as directions for further research and concludes the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Chapter two aims to establish a theoretical framework for the evaluation of Let’s Go 1A Second Edition series (Oxford University Press, 2000) In the first part, the chapter deals with teaching materials which focuses on the role of materials in language teaching and types of materials The second part addresses issues in materials evaluation which involve reasons for materials evaluation, definition of materials evaluation, teacher’s role in material evaluation, models for materials evaluation, and criteria for evaluation 2.1 Materials in Language Teaching and Learning 2.1.1 Role of materials: There is no doubt about the role of materials in English Second Language class (ESL) There have been many authors spending times and efforts to seek the answer to the role of teaching materials There is a general view to see that materials play a positive part in teaching and learning second language According to Jack C Richard (2001) ―Teaching materials are a key component in most language programs Whether the teacher uses textbooks, institutionally prepared material, or his or her own materials, instructional materials generally serve as basis for much of the language input learners receive and the language practice in the classroom In the case of inexperienced teachers, materials may also serve as a form of teacher training – they provide ideas on how to plan and teach lesson as well as formats that teachers can use Much of the language which occurs throughout the world today could not take place without the extensive use of commercial materials‖ Hutchingson and Torres (1994: 315) believe: ―…No teaching-learning situation, it seems, is complete until it has its relevant textbook‖ Sheldon (1998:237) even puts a lot of emphasis on definite essential role of materials when saying: ―textbooks represent the visible heart of any ELT program‖ Cunningsworth (1995, 7) summarizes the role of materials (particularly course books) in language teaching as follow: Firstly, ―they are psychologically essential for students since their progress and achievement can be measured concretely when we use them‖ Secondly, ―published materials have more credibility than teacher than teacher-generated or ―in-house‖ materials‖ Thirdly, ―textbook are efficient in terms of time and money, and they can and should allow for adaptation and improvisation‖ Fourthly, ―textbooks yield a respectable return on investment, are relatively 44 APPENDIX QUESTIONAIRES FOR TEACHERS Respondent Number: PERSONAL INFORMATION Teacher’s Name (optional): _ School: (Optional) _ Qualification:  Diploma  College  B.A  M.A Nationality: Experience in teaching English:  First years  2-5 years  above years INSTRUCTION To respond to this questionnaire, please put a tick () in the appropriate choice as follows: (strongly disagree) (disagree) (agree) (strongly agree) No 10 11 Statement A- Objectives In general, the book meets the general objectives of teaching English language for primary in Vietnam The developmental objectives are specified at the beginning of each lesson in the teacher's book Designed objectives suit the level of graders at primary B-Content General Appearance The cover is eye-cactching and informative The font size and type used in the book are appropriate for primary students in Vietnam The book has a complete and detailed table of contents Every lesson is give an appropriate title The book offers a full glossary Design and Illustration The page layout and design of Let's Go is clear and organized effectively The use of headings, icons, labels, italics, etc is consistent The artwork is attractive and meaningful that motivates students Accompanying Materials 1 12 There are full components(CD-ROM, Workbook, Teacher's Book, Student's Card, Teacher's Cards, Wallcharts and other supplementary materials) for teacher and students 13 Those accompanying materials are informative and helpful in general Topic Contents The topics in Let's Go series are varied and suitable to graders with different 14 interests and personalities Language Contents Main grammar items in Let's Go series are introduced appropriately to primary 15 students 16 An edequate vocabulary list is included in the book 17 Pronunciation (Phonics) work is a strong point of this material Social and Cultural Contexts TT Statement The social and cultural contexts in the book are comprehensible for teachers 18 and students 19 The book offers rich values for students Language Skills The book provides an appropriate balance of four language skills 20 (Listening, Speaking, Reading and writing) 21 22 23 The four skills(reading, speaking, listening and writing) are well intergrated in each unit of Let's Go The reading material meets your needs well There is sufficient material for spoken English (e.g dialogues, role-plays, etc) in the book 27 Writing activities are suitably designed in terms of length, degree of accuracy and amount of guidance Practice and Testing Let's Go provides students with a variety of exercises and activities to practice language items and skills Communicative exercises and activities really help students to their communicative tasks in real life Every exercise has a clear direction 28 Test materials in Let's Go 2nd Edition meet your testing and assessment needs 29 The book provides models for final achievement tests C- Teaching Methodology Teachability The book helps teachers save more preparation time 24 25 26 30 2 31 32 33 34 35 36 Guided games & activities in Let's Go make students enjoy the lesson The book helps teachers cater for mixed ability students and classes of different sizes Flexibility Activities in Let's Go offer chance for teachers and student to localize them Teaching Methods The teaching methods used in the book(student-centered and TPR) are the latest in the field D- Other criteria Price of the book accessible to students in the most part of Vietnam Give your comments about changes should be done in Let's Go 2nd Edition for better use in future: Thank you very much for cooperation! APPENDIX 2: Decision N0 50/2003/QĐ-BGD&ĐT issued 30th, Oct, 2003 Reflected Objectives Skills After finishing the optional program of English at primary, students have communication basic at skill simple of using level in English the type as of a means of listening, speaking, reading and writing (in which listening and speaking are focused at the first stage according to these following themes: - Himself or herself and friends - Family and everyday activities - School and studying and playing activities - World around you 1.1 Listening * Listen and comprehend short and simple sentences belonging to already learnt topics * Listen and understand main content of short and simple dialogues and paragraph in the scope of learnt topics 1.2 Speaking * Ask and answer simple questions about learnt topics * Use basic learnt words and sentences to talk about himself/herself, family, school and studying and playing activities 1.3 Reading * Read and comprehend dialogues or simple 40-50 words paragraph in scope of the regulated themes and language items * Read and understand main content of simple reading text relating to themes and language items that are learnt 1.4 Writing * Write simple sentences relating to topics and communicative situations in scope of learnt language content * Fill in simple form such as book label, time-table, envelop, mail, poster card, and personal information forms General knowledge Students master basic, simple and minimum background of English used in communication that is appropriate with their age in the area of the above suggested themes 2.1 Language knowledge * Phonics: Students can pronounce exactly vowels and consonants (focus on difficult rare sounds in Vietnamese) and some consonant chunks; speak with word stress and intonation of sentences in English Allocation of phonology depends on language content of each theme * Vocabulary: Students can use about 120-140 words for grade * Grammar: - Verbs of study action, everyday actions, entertainment which is used in present simple tense, present continuous, simple past tense and future expressions - Nouns of human, animals, objects, places, time, cardinal number…singular and plural nouns, countable and uncountable nouns… - Personal pronoun, interrogative pronoun, identified pronoun - Possessive adjective and possessive pronoun which show characteristics, nature, shape, colour, size… - Adverb of time, place, manner and frequency - Prepositions of time and place - Articles - Linking words in simple compound sentence Sentences: - Simple sentence, basic and simple compound sentence - Interrogative sentence - Imperative sentence 2.2 Students have the first place understanding of countries, people and culture of English speaking countries: * Popular names of the native people * Names of famous countries, cities, symbols, places * Studying activities, everyday activities, playing activities of the children at English speaking countries such as: greeting, making acquaintance, introducing themselves… APPENDIX 3: Language Points Comparison The material The Course Present Simple : be, have Present Simple : be, have This is/That is This is/That is Let’s Let’s There is/There are There is/There are Wh-question: what, how, who, where, how Wh-question: what, how, who, how old, where, many how many Yes/No question: Is it…? Yes/No question: Is it…? Is there…? Are there…? Do you have …? Imperatives: classroom commands Imperatives Modal : may Personal/impersonal pronouns: I, you, he, she, Personal/impersonal pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, they it, we, they Possessive adj/pron: my, your Possessive adj/pron: my, your, his, her, its, our, their Nouns (singular and plural): proper names, Nouns (singular and plural): proper names, school objects, family members, rooms, house school objects, family members, rooms, house things, pets, toys, numbers (1-10)… things, pets, toys, numbers (1-10)… Adjectives: pretty, ugly, short, tall, thin, fat, Adjectives: big, small, new, warm, hot, cold… young, old… Quantifiers: a lot, many, some… Conjunction; and Conjunction; and Article: a, an, the Article: a, an, the Prepositions of place: up, down, out, at, to… Prepositions of place: in, on, under… APPENDIX 4: Let’s Go 1A syllabus LET'S GO 1A_SUGGESTED SYLLABUS LET'S GO 1A (4 UNITS) _ 35 WEEKS/ 70 LESONS UNIT WEEK LESSON SECTION LANGUAGE ITEMS 1 1-2 Prepare for the beginning of the PAGE FUNCTIONS Greetings academic year Let’s Talk 2-3 4-5 Let’s Sing 3-5 6-10 Let’s Learn 6-7 11-14 Hello, I am (Scott) Hi! My name is (Kate) Let’s Learn 15-16 Let’s Move 17 Let’s Listen Introducing yourself What’s your name? 4-5 Asking What’s this?/ It’s somebody’s (a ruler) Some More 6-7 Is this (a book)? Yes, it is No, it isn’t name Asking about objects (singular) Identifying objects (singular) Classroom commands 18 Let’s Talk 10 19-20 Let’s Sing 11-13 21-25 Let’s Learn 13-15 26-29 Let’s Learn How are you? I’m fine Thank you What color is this? It’s (red)! This is a (blue) Some More 15-16 30-31 10 11 This is a (red) and Asking about colors 12-13 Identifying 14-15 (book) Let’s Move Greetings colors Describing objects 16 Classroom 16 REVIEW 17-18 32 Let’s Listen (yellow) book 17 33-35 Let’s Review REVIEW 18-19 commands THE FIRSTTERM TEST 18-19 36-37 Let’s Talk 19-20 38-39 Let Sing 20-22 40-43 Let’s Learn 22-24 44-47 Let’s Learn This is my friend, (Sarah) Hello, (Sarah) Let’s play! What are these? They’re (cassettes) Some More 24-25 48-49 Let’s Move 25 50 Let’s Listen 20 21 (Ten) (sneakers) friends Suggesting an 22-23 activity 24-25 How many (sneakers)? Introducing Asking about objects (plural) Identifying 26 27 objects (plural) Asking about numbers Counting 1-10 Classroom commands 26 51-52 Let’s Talk 27 53-54 Let’s Sing 28-29 55-58 Let’s Learn 30-31 59-62 Let’s Learn Hi, Mom! I’m home This is my (mother) It’s nice to meet you Some More 32 63-64 Let’s Move 33 65 Let’s Listen 28 29 Who’s (she)? family members Meeting 30-31 someone politely 32-33 It’s nice to meet you, too Introducing Asking about people Identifying 34 35 people Describe people (She’s) my Negative (grandmother) commands (She’s) (short) Don’t (watch TV) REVIEW 33 - 66-70 REVIEW 35 THE SECONDLet’s Review TERM TEST 10 36-37 APPENDIX 5: Past and current trends in English language textbook Then Now Author and academic centered Market led Uncertain global market Specific fragmented markets European focus Pacific Rim/Latin American focus Sell what is published International or local culture Culture and methodology of origin Indigenous learning situation English for its own sake English for specific purposes UK/US publisher dominance Rise in local publishing Native speaker expertise Nonnative speaker competence Culturally insensitive Cultural sensitive Low risk/competition High risk/competition Little design Design rich Artificial texts and tasks Authenticity Single-volume titles Multicomponent/multimedia Table 1: Comparison of trends in English language textbook 11 Appendix 6: Figure 3: The materials evaluation model proposed Littlejohn (1998:3) Analysis of the target situation of use Materials analysis The culture context From analysis: The institution * What is their explicit nature? The course (proposed aims, content, * What is required of users? Methodology and means of evaluation) * What is implied by their use? The teachers To description: The learners Aspects of design Aspects of publication Match and evaluation How appropriate are the aspects of design and aspects of publication to the target situation of use? Action Adopt the materials Supplement the materials Reject the materials Make the materials a critical object Adapt the materials 12 by APPENDIX 7: The materials evaluation model proposed by McDonough and Shaw Macro- evaluation inappropriate/potentially appropriate (External) exit Micro- evaluation inappropriate/appropriate adopt/select ( Internal) exit Figure 2: The materials evaluation model proposed by McDonough and Shaw (1993:75) 13 Thank you for evaluating AnyBizSoft PDF Merger! To remove this page, please register your program! Go to Purchase Now>> AnyBizSoft PDF Merger  Merge multiple PDF files into one  Select page range of PDF to merge  Select specific page(s) to merge  Extract page(s) from different PDF files and merge into one ... teaching Then, it presents major issues in materials evaluation, including definition of materials evaluation, reasons for materials evaluation, types of materials evaluation, principles for materials... teaching and types of materials The second part addresses issues in materials evaluation which involve reasons for materials evaluation, definition of materials evaluation, teacher’s role in material... of evaluation, it is divided into three sub types which are: Formative evaluation, preliminary evaluation and summative evaluation As the first type of evaluation, it is defined: ―Evaluation