Standards-Based Approach to textbook evaluation has been blooming in recent decades. Nevertheless, this practice has received very little attention in Morocco. The present study aims to bridge a gap in the literature of the Moroccan context by investigating the extent to which three locally designed ELT textbooks conform to the theoretical principles of the Standards-Based Approach which defines the teaching of English as a foreign language in the country (Ministry of National Education, 2007). Its objective is to examine whether and how these textbooks present contents that enable learners to meet the content standards included in the goal areas of Communications, Cultures, Connections and Comparisons. The study is informed by the theoretical framework of the Standards-Based Approach. It adopts a mixed-methods design that uses content analysis as a mixed data analysis method combining both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The findings reveal a number of shortcomings relevant to the representation of the content standards as several standards are not sufficiently addressed in the activities included in these textbooks. Eventually, some suggestions are addressed to policy makers, textbook designers and teachers to overcome the identified problems in current and future textbooks. The study is expected to sensitize ELT practitioners about the viability of using textbook evaluation in boosting both the quality of ELT textbooks and the quality of the teaching learning outcomes. Keywords: textbook evaluation; EFL; standards-based approach; MoroccoThe teaching of English as a foreign language in Moroccan public high school, according to the Ministry of National Education [MNE] (2007) (2007), implicitly describe the major components of the teaching and learning of English in Moroccan public high schools. They present the overall content standards that any English language learner must strive to meet to graduate from high school. First, meeting standards of the goal area of Communication enables learners to communicate in spoken and written forms, present information both oral and written and interpret spoken or written messages in a way that takes into account the pragmatic and sociolinguistic factors that affect communication. The standards under the goal area of Cultures further help learners to function in culturally appropriate way by deepening their knowledge about the cultural perspectives, practices and products of both local and foreign communities. Moreover, culture-related standards enable learners to understand differences and similarities between their own culture and the target culture(s) and instill universal values of tolerance and coexistence within cultural equality.The goal area of Connections contains standards that establish a strong relationship between English and other school subjects because the English language allows not only reinforcing knowledge that learners obtain from other school subjects but also presents a body of knowledge that can only be accessible through this lan...
<p>Research shows that the changing realities of the 21<sup>st</sup> century necessitate a fundamental shift in language education towards promoting 21<sup>st</sup> Century Skills. This paper investigates the extent to which three Moroccan ELT textbooks currently used in teaching second year Baccalaureate students in public high school provide activities that help learners build skills that match the needs of the 21<sup>st</sup> century. It also explores the types of activities that are used to promote these skills and eventually suggests some ways in which these skills could be promoted effectively in future textbooks. It draws the attention of teachers, educational policy makers, school inspectors and textbook designers to the importance of incorporating activities that facilitate the acquisition of a set of skills that meet the demands of the 21<sup>st</sup> century. The study adopts a concurrent triangulation design and used content analysis as a mixed method that combines quantitative and qualitative techniques. Quantitative findings show that textbooks tend to provide very little activities that enable learners to develop their ICT skills. Also, they do not encourage learners to think creatively and develop career and life-skills. Qualitative findings indicate that textbooks tend to present these skills in a traditional way that does not cater for the 21<sup>st</sup> century context. This paper concludes with suggesting activities that will help future textbooks present 21<sup>st</sup> Century Skills in ways that will facilitate the transfer of these skills to Moroccan English language learners.</p>
This paper investigates ways in which textbook evaluation can help in implementing a positive change in EFL teachers’ professional careers. It draws the attention of Moroccan high school English language practitioners to the viability of using textbook evaluation as a reflective practice to enhance teachers’ professional development. It argues that a systematic textbook evaluation allows teachers to develop professionally while reflecting on the content of the textbooks they are using. This process can be formative within the formal guided context of in-service teacher training programs where voluntary teachers regularly meet in teacher learning communities (TLCs)devoted to textbook evaluation. The objective of such collective reflective activity is to encourage teachers’ lifelong learning as they will learn from each other’s experiences and improve their teaching practices. Eventually, they will agree on effective reflective practices which promote teachers’ professional development. The findings recorded by TLCs could be used in improving the quality of future textbooks. A survey was designed to explore the attitudes of Moroccan high school English language teachers towards the suggested model of textbook evaluation and its ability to promote teachers’ professional development. The findings demonstrated that the teachers are in favor of the suggested textbook evaluation model as they believe that it has the potential of gearing not only their professional development, but also the quality of current and future ELT textbooks.
This paper examines ways in which three Moroccan ELT textbooks currently used in teaching second year Baccalaureate students in public high schools promote values of global citizenship. It also investigates the extent to which these textbooks present activities that develop learners' sense of belonging to global and local communities and provide them with skills, knowledges and behaviors that would make them good citizens of the world. The study uses the theoretical framework of the Standards-Based Approach and UNESCO's (2015) global citizenship learning domains. It adopts a convergent parallel mixed-methods design and uses content analysis as a data analysis method which combines both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The data are collected using a checklist that is designed based on UNESCO's framework. The materials include three textbooks: Gateway to English 2, Insights into English 2 and Ticket to English 2. The findings demonstrate that although the three textbooks actually provide a number of activities that promote aspects of citizenship, there is still room for improving learners' awareness of various global issues including democracy, human rights and conflict resolution. Other problems related to developing learners' critical perspective towards global citizenship themes in reading texts, speaking, listening and writing activities and project works were identified. The study concludes with implications that inform teachers and textbook designers about the importance of empowering values of global citizenship in ways that strengthen learners' critical thinking and problemsolving skills.
This paper investigates the representation of race and social class in three second year Baccalaureate ELT textbooks currently used in Moroccan public high school. The study hopes to draw the attention of teachers, textbook designers and educational policy makers to the viability of textbook evaluation in improving the quality of Moroccan ELT textbooks. It aims to identify the extent to which Gateway to English 2, Insights into English 2 and Tickets to English 2 provide an authentic representation of race and social class through examining the frequency of appearance of, the visibility of, the space allotted to and the firstness of characters belonging to different races and social classes in texts, dialogues, images and exercises. The study is informed by the theoretical framework of the Standards-Based Approach and adopts content analysis as a mixed research methods that allows for quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data. The findings reveal an undisputable discrepancy marked by the dominance of the Caucasian race and the marginalization of the lower class. Finally, this paper suggests practical ways in which future textbooks could avoid or at least reduce the effect of these discrepancies.
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