TESL In-Service Teachers' Experiences When Evaluating an Oral History Workbook

Azlina Abdul Aziz, Rosmizal Makhtar

Abstract


The implementation of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in English curriculum has led to the use of CEFR aligned foreign textbooks in Malaysian schools. However, the application of CEFR English textbooks from the United Kingdom has encountered a few oppositions as the advocates of Malaysian based textbooks believe that English should be written contextually by emphasizing the local cultures and histories. In lieu of this, a group of in service teachers in a Masters course had developed and evaluated each others Oral History materials. The research objectives are to find out what are the material evaluation criteria frequently attended to by in service TESL teachers when evaluating an oral history workbook and to what extent the in-service teachers have gained from evaluating oral history workbook developed by their peers. A mixed methodology research approach using basic frequency count, percentages and qualitative data was employed in this study. Data was gathered from 109 in service TESL teachers via their Personal Reflective Journal (PRJ), which they had written after evaluating an oral history workbook based on Tomlinsons and Mukundans evaluation checklists. The findings showed the frequently attended criteria by the in service teachers and that there are new criteria that can be added to the evaluation checklists. It is anticipated that this study could encourage educators to develop their own classroom materials, for material evaluators to consider the English textbook contextually and for a revision to the material evaluation checklists to reflect current 21st century pedagogy.


Full Text:

PDF

References


Abdul Aziz, A., Narayanasamy, J., Mohamad, M., & Abdul Hameed, H. (2019). Student-teachers’ experiences in creating oral history texts. 3L: The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies, 25(3), 79-89.

Abdul Rahim, H. & Jalalian Daghigh, A. (2019). Locally developed versus global textbooks: an evaluation of cultural content in textbooks used in English language teaching in Malaysia. Asian Englishes, 22(3), 317-331. doi:10.1080/13488678.2019.1669301

Ahmed, S. (2017). Authentic ELT materials in the language classroom: An overview. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 4(2), 181-202.

Akbasli, S., Sahin, M. & Yaykiran, Z. (2016). The effect of reading comprehension on the performance in science and mathematics. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(16), 108-121.

Al-Zoubi, S. M. (2018). The impact of exposure to English language on language acquisition. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 5(4) 151-162.

Ali, I. (2018). ELT materials evaluation: A system and criteria. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 8(7), 797-812.

Alqahtani, M. (2015). The importance of vocabulary in language learning and how to be taught. International Journal of Teaching and Education, 3(3), 21-34.

Ampa, A. T., Basri, M. & Adriani, A. A. (2013). The development of contextual learning materials for the English speaking skills. International Journal of Education and Research, 1(9), 1-10.

Baker, E. D., Hope, L. & Karandjeff, K. (2009). Contextualized teaching & learning: A promising approach for basic skills instruction. The Research & Planning Group for California Community Colleges.

Bourke, J. M. (2006). Designing a topic-based syllabus for young learners. ELT Journal, 60(3), 279–286.

Burgo, C. (2016). Oral History as an innovative language teaching technique for Spanish heritage language learners. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 28(3), 451-459.

Fredricks J. A., Blumenfeld, P.C. & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1) 59-109.

Hajrulla, V. (2012). Bringing cultural content and authentic materials to enhance problem-based learning in EFL classes. Lingua Mobilis, 5(38), 95-108.

Hashim, H., Md Yunus, M. & Embi, M. A. (2016). Pre-University English as second language (ESL) learners’ attitude towards mobile learning. Creative Education, 7(8), 1147-1153. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ce.2016.78119

Horn, K. (2014). Oral history in the classroom: Clarifying the context through historical understanding. Yesterday & Today, 11, 72-83.

Howard, J. & Major, J. (2004). Guidelines for designing effective English language teaching materials. The TESOLANZ Journal, 12, 50-58.

Johar, N. A. & Abdul Aziz, A. (2019). Teachers’ Perceptions on Using the Pulse 2 Textbook. Journal of Educational Research & Indigenous Studies, 2(1), 1-15.

K. Walbert. Oral history in the classroom. (n.d.). http://www.aughty.org/pdf/oralhist_classroom.pdf

Klimova, B. (2015). The role of feedback in EFL classes. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 199, 172-177.

Maroko, G. M. (2013). Development of language materials for national development: A language management perspective. International Journal of Education and Research, 1(7), 1-14.

McGrath, I. (2013). Teaching materials and the roles of EFL/ESL teachers: Practice and theory. Bloomsbury.

Md Yunus, M., Nordin, N., Salehi, H., Sun, C. H., & Embi, M. A. (2013). Pros and cons of using ICT in teaching ESL reading and writing. International Education Studies, 6(7), 119-130.

Mofareh, A. (2019). The use of technology in English language teaching. Frontiers in Education Technology, 2(3),168-180.

Mukundan, J. & Nimehchisalem, V. (2012). Evaluative criteria of an English language textbook evaluation checklist. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 3(6), 1128-1134.

Mukundan, J., Nimehchisalem, V. & Reza, H. (2011). Developing an English language textbook evaluation checklist: A focus group study. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 1(12) 100-106.

Pazilah, F. & Hashim, H. (2018). Using infographics as a technology-based tool to develop 21st century skills in an ESL context. Journal of Educational and Learning Studies, 1(1), 35-38.

Reynolds, L. (2013, June 11). Giving student feedback: 20 tips to do it right. informED. https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/giving-student-feedback/

Richards, J. C. & Rodgers, T. S. (2001). Approaches and methods in language teaching. Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/cbo9780511667305.021

Rohayati, T. (2013). The implementation of contextualization in teaching vocabulary to elementary students. Journal of English and Education, 1(2), 115-123.

Saqlain, N. U., Saad, I. & Islam, R. U. (2014). Impact of contextualized text on students' learning of writing skills at tertiary level. JISR-MSSE, 12(1), 73-92.

Sarica, G. N. & Cavus. N. (2009). New trends in 21st century English learning. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1, 439-445.

Strachan, L. M. & Winkel, C. (2020). Oral history: An unpredictably effective strategy for teaching ESL to Saudi Arabian students. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 9(1), 158-168.

Tomlinson, B. (2013). Developing Materials for Language Teaching. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Tomlinson, B. (Ed.). (2008). English language learning materials: A critical review. Continuum.

Yukhymenko, M. A., Brown, S. W., Lawless, K. A., Brodowinska, K. & Mullin, G. (2014). Thematic analysis of teacher instructional practices and student responses in middle school classrooms with problem-based learning environment. Global Education Review, 1(3), 93-109.

Zakaria, M. A. & Abdul Aziz. A. (2019). The impact of digital storytelling on ESL narrative writing skill. Arab World English Journal, 5, 319-332.

Zazulak. S. (2017, April 26). Using authentic material from the real world to teach English. https://www.english.com/blog/authentic-material/




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/3L-2021-2703-04

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


 

 

 

eISSN : 2550-2247

ISSN : 0128-5157