An analytical evaluation of Iranian high school ELT textbooks from 1970 to the present

Azizifar, Akbar; Koosha, Mansour; Lotfi, Ahmad Reza

doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.07.010

Cited by 43 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Sarhady (2009) contends that language functions presented in the textbooks are so context-limited that it is too difficult for students to visualize the situation in which communication has happened. And finally, Azizfar et al (2010) have stated that the materials designers have just focused on the mechanical drills. They believe textbooks are limited to substitution and repetition drills, and students are required to produce simple sentences, and that they are not provided with the opportunity to practice communicatively the language they are learning.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However in Iran, there is limited research conducted to evaluate the textbooks that are already in use or those that are intended for use in future. In most of these studies, the researchers have themselves evaluated different textbooks by means of the checklists and questionnaires suggested by other scholars (Aliakbari, 2004;Jahangard, 2007;Razmjoo, 2007;Azizfar, Koosha and Lotfi, 2010). However, the primary users of textbooks are the teachers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Textbook Selection and Evaluation in EFL Context

Rahimpour¹,

Hashemi²

2011

WJE

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Decisions related to textbook selection and evaluation are of great importance. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the three English language textbooks currently used at high schools in Iran from the high school English teachers' point of view.For this purpose, a 46-item questionnaire was developed about the five sections of the textbooks (vocabulary, reading, grammar, language functions, and pronunciation practice), their physical make-up, and practical concerns. Fifty highs school teachers with more than five years of teaching experience were asked to reflect on the questions by checking one of the four options included.The results indicated that the textbooks are not acceptable from the teachers' point of view considering their five sections, their physical make-up, and some practical concerns.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Textbook Selection and Evaluation in EFL Context

Rahimpour¹,

Hashemi²

2011

WJE

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“…Since for Iranian EFL learners textbooks are the primary source of first-hand experience with English (Azizifar et al, 2010), high school English textbooks should be revised, and they should provide students with opportunities to interact with the materials that motivate them to learn English (Gibbs, 1992, as cited in Rahimi & Hassani, 2012). The study also revealed that students did not find the actual textbook activities as being effective in the development of their four language skills.…”

Section: Theory and Practice In Language Studies 171mentioning

confidence: 97%

Iranian EFL Learners’ Perceptions with Respect to Tasks in Comparison with the Actual Content of the Textbooks

Khosroshahi¹,

Farrokhi²

2013

TPLS

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Abstract-Most of the studies in the field of textbook evaluation in Iran have evaluated the textbooks from the perspective of teachers and have ignored the perceptions of the learners. The purpose of this study was to shed some light on the perceptions of Iranian EFL learners towards tasks and to compare their perceptions with the actual content of their textbooks. To this end, the study employed a descriptive and survey-based design. A questionnaire consisting of two different sections was distributed among 100 first-year high school students in four schools. One class in each school participated in the study. The first-year high school English textbook was carefully analyzed with respect to the percentages of tasks and non-tasks. The results of the questionnaire analysis were then compared to the results of the content analysis of the textbook. The comparison showed that the students generally rated tasks as being highly effective in the learning of English. In contrast, in their actual textbook, there was a much less number of these sorts of communicative activities. These findings show that there are wide gaps between the Iranian learners' perceptions and the actual content of their textbooks. These findings can be used by the textbook designers in order to take account of the learners' preferences and perceptions while designing new editions of textbooks.

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“…Indeed, research findings indicate Iranian "school students do not receive any formal L1 and L2 argumentative or academic writing instruction" (Khodabandeh, Jafarigohar, Soleimani, & Hemmati, 2014, p. 255). In their evaluation of Iranian high school English Language Teaching (ELT) textbooks, Azizifar et al (2010) found that these materials are limited to mechanical drills and fail to encourage learners to negotiate and develop communicative skills. In a similar study, Safarnavadeh, Aliasgari, Mosapour, and Ananisarab (2009) found that the main course objective of Iranian school English language subjects was grammatical precision and mechanistic application of models.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Learners’ Argumentative Writing Performance in Private Language Institutes

Nimehchisalem¹,

Abbasi²,

Ebrahimzadeh³

et al. 2015

ASS

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Literature on Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' problems in their writing skills is lacking. The present study analyzes a group of Iranian EFL students' written samples to diagnose their main area(s) of difficulty in writing argumentative essays. For this purpose, a sample of 69 argumentative essays was collected. Two raters used an analytic argumentative writing scale to score the samples. Based on the scores assigned to their written samples, majority of these students indicated excellent 'content' and 'organization' levels; competent 'task fulfillment', 'vocabulary', and 'style' levels; modest 'grammar' levels; and finally, very limited levels of 'mechanics' skills. The findings indicate the positive and promising role of English language institutes in students' writing skills. The results have pedagogical implications that will help English language instructors and program developers in Iranian English language learning-teaching institutes improve the outcome of their instruction. Further research is necessary to study the EFL writing skills of Iranian school students.

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An analytical evaluation of Iranian high school ELT textbooks from 1970 to the present

Cited by 43 publications

References 2 publications

Textbook Selection and Evaluation in EFL Context

Textbook Selection and Evaluation in EFL Context

Iranian EFL Learners’ Perceptions with Respect to Tasks in Comparison with the Actual Content of the Textbooks

Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Learners’ Argumentative Writing Performance in Private Language Institutes

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