English for today, for classes 9-10 : an empirical study

Abstract

This study is concerned with the evaluation of the English textbook currently used for classes 9-10 of secondary schools in Bangladesh. Our students‘ level of English proficiency in all the four skills – reading, writing, listening, and speaking, even after the completion of SSC, is very inadequate. One of the major reasons for this may be the absence of effective textbook/materials. It is, therefore, necessary to examine the effectiveness of the textbook/materials in light of the recent theoretical developments in the field. The purpose of the study is to examine: (a) layout and design of the book, (b) activities and tasks in the book, (c) skills covered and balance of skills, (d) language type provided, (e) grading and sequencing of the items, and (f) subject and content used. For empirical research, the study used teachers‘ and students‘ questionnaires survey and for the researcher‘s own evaluation of the book, the teacher‘s questionnaire in the form of a checklist was used. The results show that the textbook in question has a number of strengths, but at the same time it has several weaknesses too. Finally, the study suggests measures to overcome the weaknesses of the book.