HANOI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES **************** TRẦN THỊ MINH TRANG EVALUATING THE QUALITY OF THE NEW TEXTBOOK TIẾNG ANH 10 DEVELOPED UNDER THE NATIONAL 2020 PROJECT (Đánh giá chất lƣợng sách giáo khoa Tiếng Anh 10 biên soạn khuôn khổ Đề án Ngoại ngữ Quốc gia 2020) MA MINOR PROGRAM THESIS Major: English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111 Hanoi - 2016 HANOI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES **************** TRẦN THỊ MINH TRANG EVALUATING THE QUALITY OF THE NEW TEXTBOOK TIẾNG ANH 10 DEVELOPED UNDER THE NATIONAL 2020 PROJECT (Đánh giá chất lƣợng sách giáo khoa Tiếng Anh 10 biên soạn khuôn khổ Đề án Ngoại ngữ Quốc gia 2020) MA MINOR PROGRAM THESIS Major: English Teaching Methodology Code : 60140111 Supervisor: Prof Dr Hoang Van Van Hanoi - 2016 DECLARATION I, Trần Thị Minh Trang, hereby certify that this thesis is the result of my own research and the substance of this thesis has not, wholly or in part, been submitted for a degree to any other university or institution Hanoi, 2016 Signature Trần Thị Minh Trang i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my special and sincere thanks to my supervisor, Prof Dr Hoang Van Van, who has given me great help with this thesis Without his experienced guidance, valuable suggestions and dutiful supervision, my research would be far from finished I also wish to acknowledge my debt of gratitude to the staff members of the Postgraduate Department and the lecturers at College of foreign Languages, Vietnam National University for their valuable lectures, which provide me with scientific knowledge that help to fulfill the study I am also thankful to many teachers of English and students at upper secondary schools in Ha Nam, teachers of English in certain upper secondary schools in Ha Nam Yen Bai, Dien Bien, Hai Duong, Vinh Phuc, Son La Provinces for answering the questionnaires and interviews Last but not least, my thanks go to my family, especially my husband, who has given me so much love, patience and encouragement ii ABSTRACT The basic goal of material evaluation is selecting teaching materials which are appropriately relevant for a particular teaching context The current study aimed at evaluating the quality of the New Textbook Tiếng Anh 10 developed under the National Foreign Language 2020 Project to get feedback from teachers teaching it and students learning from it so as to establish its strengths and weaknesses and to see if it is suited to the teachers and students The study results showed that the New Textbook Tiếng Anh 10 meets almost all criteria given and seemed to be highly suitable for Upper Secondary Vietnamese teachers and students and also got positive feedbacks from teachers and students However, there is something that needs to be done to improve the quality of the materials The research consists of four parts The first part introduces the rationale, aims and objectives, research questions, scope as well as the significance of the study The second part is concerned with the literature review that the study mainly based on; the methodology that the researcher used to carry out this study as well as the findings and discussion.Basically, Tieng Anh 10 was written with the high quality, meeting most of the criteria for a modern language textbook In particular, it suits the teachers teaching it and students learning from it The last part provides a summary of the strengths and weaknesses of the textbook as seen from the point of view of the teachers and students‟ evaluation It also and points out some limitations of the research and make some suggestions and recommendation for further study iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS DOET Department of Education and Training CEFR The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages EFL English as a Foreign Language ESL English as a Second Language ELT English Language Teaching GCSE General Certificate of Secondary Education MOET Ministry of Education and Training NFL The National Foreign Language TA 10 The New English Textbook, Tiếng Anh 10 LIST OF CHARTS Chart Teachers and Students‟ Evaluation of the Textbook on Each Category Chart The evaluation of the teachers on nine categories Chart The evaluation of the students on the seven categories LIST OF THE APPENDICES APPENDIX Questionnaire for teachers of the New English Text Book, Tiếng Anh 10 APPENDIX Questionnaire for students of the New English Text Book, Tiếng Anh 10 APPENDIX 13 Transcrips of the interviews for the teachers and students iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv LIST OF CHARTS iv LIST OF THE APPENDICES iv TABLE OF CONTENTS v PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale for the Study Aim of the Study .2 Research questions Scope of the study Significance of the Study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW .3 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Teaching and Learning English in Vietnam under the National Foreign Language Project Entitled: “Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, Period 2008-2020” 1.2.1 Teaching and Learning English at Upper Secondary Schools in Vietnam 1.2.2 The National Foreign Language 2020 Project 1.2.3 The Pilot English Curriculum for Vietnamese Upper Secondary Schools v 1.3 The New English Textbook, Tiếng Anh 10 1.4 Textbook Evaluation 1.4 Textbooks 1.4.2 Roles of Textbook .9 1.4.3 The Needs for Textbook Evaluation .11 1.4.4 Quality Standards for Textbook 12 1.4.5 Textbook Evaluation Methods 15 1.4.6 Related Studies on Evaluation of the Textbook 18 1.5 Summary .19 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 20 2.1 Introduction 20 2.2 Research Method 20 2.2.1 Sites of the Research 20 2.2.2 The Subject of the Research: 20 2.2.3 The Participants 21 2.3 Research Instrument 21 2.3.1 Questionnaire and Interview 21 2.3.2 Survey Procedure 25 2.3.3 Methods of Data Analysis .25 2.4 Summary .26 CHAPTER FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 27 3.1 Recapitulation .27 3.2 Overall Rating .27 3.3 Teachers and Students‟ Evaluation of the Textbook on Each Category 28 3.3.1 Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbook on “Objectives” Category 28 3.3.2 Students‟ Evaluation of the Textbook on “Contents” Category .29 vi 3.3.3 Teachers and Students‟ Evaluation of the Textbook on “Layout and Design” Category 30 3.3.4 Teachers and Students‟ Evaluation of the Textbook on “Topics” Category 30 3.3.5 Teachers and students‟ evaluation of the textbook on “Language Skills” Category 31 3.3.6 Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbook on “Methodology” Category .32 3.3.7 Teachers and Students‟ Evaluation of the Textbook on “Types of activities” Category 32 3.3.8 The Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbook on “Teaching aids” Category .32 3.3.9 Students‟ Evaluation of the Textbook on “Supplementary materials” Category 33 3.3.10 Teachers‟ Evaluation of the Textbook on “Linkage” Category 33 3.3.11 Teachers and Students‟ Evaluation of the Textbook on “Cultural values” Category 34 3.4 Summary of the main findings 36 3.4.1 Main findings for research question 36 3.4.2 Main findings for research question 38 3.4.3 Main findings for research question 39 3.5 Summary .40 PART C: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 41 Recapitulation .41 Conclusion 41 Limitations 42 Suggestions for Further Studies 42 REFERENCES 43 APPENDICES I vii PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale for the Study English is one of the most common international languages in the world Learning English helps students form and develop their English communicative ability by practicing listening, speaking, reading and writing skills English learning is also a beginning step in forming and developing long-life studying skills, working ability in the future and cultural-social activity participation at the same time Besides, English study gives students a chance to form their idea-expressing ability confidently, independently and creatively With the thorough understanding of the importance of English, the quality of English teaching and learning has attracted considerable interest from the society Such issues as the quality of teachers, facilities, and curriculum have been widely discussed in the media In order to have a quality curriculum, the quality of the textbooks plays an extremely important role Nevertheless, a countless number of English textbooks are available on the market today The eyes can easily be deceived by colorful covers, a beautiful layout and attractive artwork As an inexperienced teacher it can be particularly difficult to know what to look for a good textbook for use Therefore, the selection of a course book is one of the most important decisions a teacher will make to have a textbook that involves matching the material against the context in which it is going to be used, following the aims of the teaching program, as well as fitting the personal methodology of the teacher In 2008, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has implemented its policy of radical and comprehensive reform, in which the quality of education, teachers and textbooks has received a lot of special attention When working on the national project “Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, period 2008 - 2020”, at the end of 2012, MOET approved “Pilot English Curriculum for Vietnamese Upper Secondary Schools” continuing the Primary and Lower Secondary Pilot English Curriculum and assigned Vietnam Education Publishing House to organize the writing of the set of textbooks, B learning structural units ( GRAMMAR) The text book distinguishes the different purposes and skills involved in the learning vocabulary (VOCABULARY) The textbook provides guidance on the initial presentation of passages for reading comprehension (READING) The textbook demonstrates various devices for controlling and guiding content and expression in composition exercises ( WRITING) The Project part in the textbook provides students an opportunity to apply the language and the skills they learn through the unit to perform the task in a realistic situation (PROJECT) LAYOUT AND DESIGN The textbook contains appropriate pictures, diagrams, table, etc The textbook is durable (Quality of paper and binding) Appearance, color and layout of the book 26=17.3% 27=18% 71=47.3% 23=15.4% 25=16.7% 41=27.3% 68=45.3% 3=2% 12=8% 4=2.7% 14=9.3% 13=8.7% 19=12.7% 33=22% 71=47.3% 20=13.3% 36=24% 62=41.3% 19=12.7% 13=8.7% 22.2% 25.6% 39=26% 35.1% 46=30.7% 47=31.3% 13.6% 3.5% 15=10% 3=2% 32=21.3% 38=25.3% 54=36.1% 20=13.3% 29=19.3% 31=20.7% XV 57=38% 26=17.3% 6=4% 7=4.7% C 10 11 12 13 D 14 15 16 17 cover are suitable for upper secondary students TOPICS There is enough variety and range of topics The selected topics are familiar to the students The language in the textbook is natural and real The textbook contains fun elements LANGUAGE SKILLS The listening contents are suitable to the topic of the unit and the age of upper secondary students The listening activities follow the order from easy to difficult (from Listen and repeat, to Listen and identify information, to Listen and put information in order, etc.) to help the pupil to develop listening skills The listening activities are practiced in context (supported by images and word cues) The speaking contents are suitable to the topic of the unit, closer to real life and suitable to the age of 20.7% 9.6% 3.3% 40=26.7% 46=30.7% 45=29.9% 18=12% 1=0.7% 40=26.7% 39=26% 55=36.6% 13=8.7% 3=2% 33=22% 42=28% 61=40.6% 10=6.7% 4=2.7% 11=7.3% 42=28% 68=45.4% 17=11.3% 12=8% 17.8% 27% 39=26% 23=15.3% 21=14% 28.2% 38.2% 43.7% 9.6% 1.9% 10=6.7% 3=2% 14=9.3% 2=1.3% 40=26.7% 70=46.7% 17=11.3% 2=1.3% 52=34.6% 46=30.7% 45=30% 26=17.3% 35=23.3% XVI 66=44.1% 69=46% 16=10.7% 4=2.7% 18 19 20 21 E 22 23 24 25 upper secondary students The speaking activities in the textbooks are varied (from monologue to pair work, and to group discussion, etc) The reading contents are suitable to the topic of the unit, closer to real life and suitable to the age of the Vietnamese upper secondary students The reading text types (monologue, dialogue, letter, email, etc) and reading comprehension activities (read and gap-fill, read and answer, read and select an appropriate picture…) of the textbooks are rich and diversified Writing contents are suitable to the topic of the unit, close to real life and suitable to the age of upper secondary students TYPES OF ACTIVITIES There are a variety of activities in the textbook The instructions in the material are clear The number of activities is suitable The textbook provides 30=20% 44=29.3% 58=40.7% 29=19.3% 29=19.3% 84=56.1% 19=12.7% 27=18% 45=30% 65=43.3% 13=8.7% 2=1.3% 6=4% 2=1.3% 18=12% 3=2% 34=22.7% 65=43.3% 20=13.3% 4=2.7% 15.8% 23.8% 44.5% 12.2% 3.7% 29=19.3% 36=24% 68=45.3% 12=8% 5=3.4% 38=25.3% 61=40.7% 24=16% 6=4% 21=14% 16=10.7% 36=24% 68=45.3% 22=14.7% 29=19.3% 33=22% 70=46.7% XVII 15=10% 8=5.3% 3=2% F 26 27 28 G 29 30 31 communicative exercises that enable learners to carry out their communicative tasks in real-life situations SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS The sound quality on the audio CDs The workbook helps the students to revise, consolidate and develop the contents (language knowledge and communication skills) in Student‟s Book The Workbook extends the contents (language knowledge and communication skills) of Student‟s Book appropriately CULTURE VALUES The textbooks have Vietnamese cultural contents The textbook has British, America and other countries cultural contents The textbook contents are suitable to pupil‟s background knowledge and social culture 16% 20.7% 16.9% 2.% 26=17.3% 34=22.7% 56=37.3% 30=20% 4=2.7% 22=14.7% 35=23.3% 73=48.7% 18=12% 2=1.3% 24=16% 24=16% 17.1% 27.1% 44.4% 71=47.3% 28=18.7% 4.2% 1.6% 23=15.3% 34=22.8% 89=59.3% 2=1.3% 2=1.3% 25=16.6% 62=41.4% 13=8.7% 2=1.3% 29=19.3% 40=26.7% 74=49.3% 4=2.7% 3=2% 48=32% 50% 3=2% Thank you very much for your cooperation! XVIII APPENDIX (Vietnamese version) PHIẾU KHẢO SÁT DÀNH CHO HỌC SINH HỌC SÁCH TIẾNG ANH 10 MỚI Bảng câu hỏi khảo sát thiết kế cho đề tài nghiên cứu “Đánh giá chất lượng sách Tiếng Anh 10 Sự trợ giúp em việc trả lời câu hỏi bảng khảo sát giúp đỡ lớn tác giả Tác giả cam kết không tiết lộ thông tin cá nhân mà em cung cấp Trân trọng cảm ơn hợp tác tham gia em! THÔNG TIN CÁ NHÂN Họ tên (Không bắt buộc) Trƣờng: (Không bắt buộc) HƢỚNG DẪN Để trả lời câu phiếu khảo sát, em vui lịng tích √ vào lựa chọn phù hợp (Xuất sắc) (Rất tốt) (Tốt) Xuất sắc A TỶ LỆ BÌNH QUÂN (35 tiểu mục) NỘI DUNG NGỮ ÂM: Sách đưa trợ giúp cho việc học phát âm ( vd: hệ thống âm tiết) NGỮ PHÁP: Sách có tình hữu ích nhiều thủ thuật khác giúp cho việc học đơn vị cấu trúc TỪ VỰNG: Sách phân biệt cho người học mục đích sử dụng khác đưa thủ thuật giúp cho học sinh học từ vựng cách dễ dàng ĐỌC: Sách đưa hướng dẫn cách trình bày XIX (Chƣa tốt) Rất tốt (Không tốt) Tốt Chƣa tốt Không tốt B C 10 11 12 C 13 14 đoạn văn giúp cho học sinh tiếp cận đọc hiểu dễ VIẾT: Sách đưa hướng dẫn cách sử dụng biện pháp tìm ý, phát triển nội dung tập viết DỰ ÁN: Phần tập lớn sau đơn vị học giúp cho học sinh có hội sử dụng kiến thức ngôn ngữ kĩ học đơn vị học để vận dụng vào nhiệm vụ thực tế THIẾT KẾ VÀ MINH HỌA Sách có tranh, ảnh , bảng biểu … phù hợp với nội dung học Sách bền đẹp (chất lượng giấy bìa sách) Hình thức, màu sắc, cách trình bày bìa sách phù hợp với học sinh THPT Kích thước sách vừa vặn cho học sinh mang theo CHỦ ĐỀ Sách có chủ đề đa dạng Các chủ đề lựa chọn sách quen thuộc với học sinh Ngôn ngữ sử dụng sách tự nhiên thực tế KỸ NĂNG NGÔN NGỮ Nội dung nghe phù hợp với chủ đề đơn vị học độ tuổi học sinh THPT Các hoạt động nghe theo trình tự từ dễ đến khó (nghe XX 15 16 17 18 19 20 D 21 22 23 nhắc lại, nghe xác định thông tin, nghe xếp thông tin, vv,) để giúp học sinh phát triển kỹ nghe hiểu Hoạt động nghe luyện tập văn cảnh (trong tình huống, có tranh ảnh, có từ ngữ gợi ý) Nội dung nói phù hợp với chủ đề đơn vị học, gần gũi với đời sống thực độ tuổi học sinh THPT Việt Nam Các hoạt động nói sách đa dạng (từ độc thoại, đối thoại theo cặp, nói theo nhóm….) Nội dung đọc phù hợp với chủ đề đơn vị học, gần gũi với đời sống thực độ tuổi học sinh THPT Việt Nam Loại hình đọc (độc thoại, đối thoại, thư, email,…) hình thức hoạt động đọc hiểu (đọc điền từ, đọc trả lời câu hỏi, đọc chọn tranh… )đa dạng, phong phú Hoạt động cho kỹ viết thiết kế phù hợp độ dài, chủ đề học, gần gũi với đời sống thực độ tuổi học sinh HOẠT ĐỘNG Sách có nhiều hoạt động đa dạng, phong phú Các hướng dẫn sách rõ ràng, dễ hiểu Số lượng hoạt động đơn vị học phù hợp với học sinh XXI 24 Sách cung cấp tập có tính giao tiếp giúp học sinh áp dụng hoạt động giao tiếp vào tình thực tế G GIÁO CỤ 25 Chất lượng âm đĩa CD 26 SBT hỗ trợ học sinh ôn tập, củng cố phát triển nội dung (kiến thức ngôn ngữ kĩ giao tiếp) sách học sinh 27 SBT mở rộng nội dung (kiến thức ngôn ngữ kĩ giao tiếp) học sinh cách hợp lý H YẾU TỐ VĂN HĨA 28 Sách có nội dung văn hóa Việt Nam 39 Sách có nội dung văn hóa Anh, Mỹ nước khu vực 30 Nội dung sách phù hợp với kiến thức môi trường văn hóa xã hội học sinh Trân trọng cảm ơn hợp tác em! XXII APPENDIX TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEWS FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS A EMAIL INTERVIEW FOR TEACHERS Do you think that the objectives of the new English Textbook 10 can be covered within the time allocated for it? What is your opinion about this item? Participant I think that within the time allocated the objectives of the new English Textbook are a little bit hard to be covered More than a half of students in our school are not good at listening, speaking and writing skills They find it very hard to fulfill all the tasks posed in the lessons Only 30% of students can meet the requirement of all the tasks Participant In my own point of view, within the time allocated, all the objectives posed are impossible to be finished because the language focus part is too long Besides, the skills can be learnt in the class but through the tasks but they are not regularly practised in daily life I think that only quick-minded are able to cover all the objectives posed Participant The listening and reading lessons are rather difficult for students in our school, especially for those who did not follow the new English Textbook in the Lower Secondary School There are so many activities in these parts that students cannot cover all the activities within the time allocated (45 minutes) The language part is too long It contains grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation It is difficult for students to master all in a 45 minute-period XXIII What you think about fun elements in this textbook? Participant In my opinion, the fun elements are necessary not only for primary pupils but also lower and upper secondary students These elements can reduce stress during the lesson However, the fun elements in this textbook are not enough Participant There are not many funny factors in the textbook Pictures, photos and situations are just normal instructions to introduce knowledge and information I often explore the fun elements on the internet to attract them in the lessons Participant I think that the funny items are very important for the pupils in the early age However, for the uppersecondary students the fun elements are not really necessary, sometimes they are distractors In this textbook, the fun elements are suitable for our students What you think about the audio CD of the textbook? Participant For me, the quality of the sound in the audio CD in this textbook is good It is easy for students to follow the speech However, there are few voices in the CD (only two voices) What‟s more, the intonation of the speaking is monotonous not natural The speech is somehow like the transformation of “ text to speech” It should be like the natural conversation, not normally utter out Participant I think the sound quality of the audio CD is OK but I wish the voices were more natural and more interesting XXIV What you think about the teaching aids in the text? Participant I think that the language, skills and topics in the textbook is suitable for 10 graders However, textbook alone is not enough Beside workbook, the teachers should find more suitable materials for students to self study The textbook not have the other supplementary materials like that or the website to help teachers and students solve this problem Participant The listening skills need more listening exercises for students to practise at home The wookbook does not give students chance to practise listening at home Do you think that the writing contents are suitable to the topic of the unit, close to the real life and suitable to the age of upper secondary students? What is your opinion about this item Participant I think that the writing contents are suitable to the topic of the unit, close to the real life and suitable to the age of upper secondary students such as daily housework, healthy food, biography of some famous persons, a letter to apply for a job, roles of women in the society, etc Participant For me, the writing contents in this texbook are really good, suitable to the topic of the unit, realistic and student- friendly Especially, the contents go well with the writing forms that help the teachers and students fulfill the writing tasks easily XXV Participant In my opinion, the students are very familiar with the writing content given in the textbook They can use the writing content to fulfill the writing task in each unit without much difficulty Compared with the old English Textbook 10, the writing part in this textbook is far better XXVI B INFORMAL INTERVIEW FOR STUDENTS Does the project part in the textbook provide students an opportunity to apply the language and the skills they learned through the unit to perform the tasks in the realistic situation? What is your opinion about this item? Participant I think that the project part in the textbook is very interesting It helps us to study effectively We have a chance to find things by ourselves and how to collaborate in a team The most helpful trait in this part is that I can improve my oral presentation and power point using skills as well as being confident when talking in front of the crowd Participant The project assignment helps me to apply the language and skills learnt in the unit to the real life context However, we sometimes find it very difficult when the teacher does not guide us carefully Participant I am really interested in taking part in the project part because it‟s lots of fun to go out together to study and play togerther We often prepare carefully for the task but sometimes the time for the presentation in the class is not enough for us to present all our work In other case, we prepare the power point presentation very carefully but we can‟t make it presented because the projector doesn‟t work What you think about the fun elements in the textbook? Participant In my opinion, the funny items are very necessary for us to learn more effectively They give us less strain and more absorbed in the lesson I think that there should be more fun elements in this textbook XXVII Participant I think there are a few fun elements in the textbook Sometimes, our teacher finds the funny and interesting stories out of the textbook for us to read at home Do you think that the number of activities in the textbook is suitable? What is your opinion about this item? Participant The activities in the textbook are useful for us but in some part of the unit, there are too many activities that we cannot cover all in a 45 minute lesson, such as in Language, speaking and listening parts Participant I like the activities in this textbook because they help me to improve my language and skills However, for some of my friends, the activities are too many to cover all Participant We sometimes not have enough time for listening, speaking and writing lessons because of the number of the activities After some first lessons, our teacher ofter asked us to prepare carefully at home before class We now not have to worry about the time for each lesson Do you think that the writing contents are suitable to the topic of the unit, close to the real life and suitable to the age of upper secondary students? What is your opinion about this item? Participant In my opinion, the writing contents are very suitable to the topic of the unit, close to the real life and suitable to the age of upper secondary students The contents help me to follow the writing steps easily XXVIII Participant I like the contents in the writing lessons They are very realistic and suitable to our age Do you think that the workbook helps students to extend the content (language and communication skills) in the student’s books? What’s your opinion about this item? Participant The workbook helps us to extendd the content (language and communication skills) in the textbook However, the language knowledge should be paid more attention for us to pass the GCSE exam Participant I like the textbook but I need more materials to practice listening skills and language knowledge to prepare for the final exam at the end of the secondary education XXIX ... suited the teachers and students, we have conducted the study with the title: ? ?Evaluating the quality of the New English Textbook, Tiếng Anh 10 developed under the National 2020 Project? ?? The researcher... a positive view of the quality of the New English Textbook, Tiếng Anh 10 This can be seen from the table that, the overall rating of the teachers of Tiếng Anh 10 on 35 items at the three scales... textbook Tiếng Anh 10? Scope of the study Given the aim and the research questions, the study is confined to the evaluation of the new set of high school English textbook, Tiếng Anh 10 The study