Evaluation of ESL Teaching Materials in Accordance With CLT Principles through Content Analysis Approach

Introduction

English, together with Urdu, is treated as the official language in Pakistan where it enjoys the status of the language of power and is recognized as a language with more cultural capital than any other language spoken in Pakistan (Rahman, 2007). Business contracts, government documents, shop and street signs and other activities are maintained in English. Not only this, English is also the language of the court in Pakistan (Hasan, 2009). In addition, English is taught at all levels of education in Pakistan (Kausar, Mushtaq & Badshah, 2016; Panhwar, Baloch & Khan, 2017; Warsi, 2004).

Many schools use local languages as well. However, main focus is on English as a second language in Pakistan. According to Punjab Education and English Language Initiative (PEELI, 2013), all public schools in Punjab, Pakistan will use English as a medium of instruction. According to Mansoor, the demand of English in higher education is very high (2005), therefore, English is used as a medium of instruction in higher education institutes in all subjects excluding language subjects (Mashori, 2010; Rahman, 2004). However, the focus of this chapter is primary school education level.

With the worldwide spread of English, the knowledge of English language has got an extraordinary significance causing an increase in the teaching of English as a foreign or second language in many countries of the world (Ander, 2015; Crystal, 2012; Graddol, 2006) that further resulted in the availability and use of different teaching materials such as computer programs, electronic resources, movies, multimedia, paper based resources, pictures, songs and textbooks. The aim of all of these resources has been to create interactivity between teaching and learning of these resources. However, the role of textbook has always been more significant from the students’ as well as the teachers’ perspectives; i.e., from teachers’ perspective it has served as a reference whereas from students’ perspective the textbook has set the context for instruction (Ur, 2007). The same view has been shared by Richards who says that the textbooks help the teachers supplement their instructions whereas the textbooks help the students maintain their contact with the language (2001). In fact, the textbooks are pre constructed and fully specified contents which serve accountability interests by creating a certain amount of uniformity of what happens to the students as well as teachers in different classrooms (Prabhu, 1987) which, in the view of Chambliss and Calfee (1998), offer “a rich array of new and potentially interesting facts, and open the door to a world of fantastic experience” (p. 7).

In EFL/ESL contexts, the textbooks serve as a universal component (Davison, 1976; Hutchinson & Torres, 1994). It not only “represents the visible heart of any ELT program”, but also offers many advantages to the learners as well as teachers (Sheldon, 1988, p. 237). In fact, textbooks serve different roles in an ELT curriculum i.e. they provide an effective source for material presentation, self-directed learning, activities as well as ideas, reference for learners and support for less experience teachers (Cunningsworth, 1995). Moreover, textbooks help the teachers save and spend time in worthwhile activities and decrease occupational over-burden by yielding a respectable return on investment (for, the textbooks are less expensive and involve low lesson preparation time as compared to teacher made materials) (O’Neill, 1982; Sheldon, 1988). Additionally, textbook saves the students from the danger of inexperience teachers (Kitao & Kitao, 1997; O’Neill, 1982; Williams, 1983). Hutchinson and Torres are of the view that the textbooks foster innovation by supporting the teachers against threatening and disturbing change processes, by introducing new methodologies as well as gradual changes and fostering scaffolding which helps the teachers create new methods on their own (1994). In addition, majority of the learners learn the language with the help of textbooks which according to Tomlinson (2010) serve as a guide for them to prepare for exams.