Nghiên cứu tính phù hợp của giáo trình American Headway 1 dùng cho sinh viên năm thứ nhất của Đại học Công nghiệp Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh cơ sở Thanh Hóa

Vietnam national university, Hanoi
University of language and International studies
Faculty of Post- graduate studies
**************


Lê thị ca sơn


Appropriateness of the textbook
American headway 1 for the first year students at
ho chi minh city university of industry based in
thanhhoa province

(Nghiên cứu tính phù hợp của giáo trình American Headway 1 dùng cho
sinh viên năm thứ nhất của Đại Học Công Nghiệp TP Hồ Chí Minh cơ sở
Thanh Hoá)

M.A. Minor thesis


Field: English teaching methodology
Code: 601410






HANOI- 2010

Vietnam national university, Hanoi
University of language and International studies
Faculty of Post- graduate studies
**************


Lê thị ca sơn


Appropriateness of the textbook
American headway 1 for the first year students at
ho chi minh city university of industry based in
thanhhoa province

(Nghiên cứu tính phù hợp của giáo trình American Headway 1 dùng cho
sinh viên năm thứ nhất của Đại Học Công Nghiệp TP Hồ Chí Minh cơ sở
Thanh Hoá)

M.A. Minor thesis


Field: English teaching methodology
Code: 601410
Supervisor: Đỗ Bá Quý, M.Ed.




HANOI- 2010
iv

Table of contents

Page
Declaration
i
Acknowledgements
ii
Abstract
iii
Table of contents
iv
List of ABBREVIATIONs
vii
List of Tables and charts
viii
Part A: Introduction
1
1. Rationale………………………………………………………………………
1
2. Aims of the study…………………………………………
1
3. Research questions……………………………………………
2
4. Significance of the study………………………………
2
5. Methods of the study……………………………………………………………
2
6. Scope of the study………………………………………………………………
2

7. Design of the study………………………………………………………………
3
Part B: Development
4
Chapter 1: Literature review
4
1. 1. Textbook……………………………………………………………………
4
1.1. 1. Definitions of textbook……………………………………………………
4
1. 1.2. The roles of textbook………………………………………………………
4
1. 1.3. Textbook evaluation………………………………………………………
5
1. 1.4. Textbook adaptation………………………………………………………
8
1.2. Language skills………………………………………………………………
10
1.2. 1. Receptive skills……………………………………………………………
10
1.2 1.1 Listening……………………………………………………………………
10
1.2.1.2. Reading…………………………………………………………………….
10
v

1.2.2. Productive skills……………………………………………………………
11
1.2.2.1. Speaking…………………………………………………………………
11

1.2.2.2. Writing……………………………………………………………………
11
1.3. Language elements………………………………………………………
12
1.3.1. Grammar…………………………………………………………………….
12
1.3.2. Vocabulary…………………………………………………………………
12
1.3.3. Pronunciation………………………………………………………………
13
1.4. Summary……………………………………………………………………….
13
Chapter 2: An overview of the textbook and current

Situation of using textbook at HUI
14
2.1. Current situation of using textbook……………………………………………
14
2.1.1. Brief introduction of HUI……………………………………………………
14
2.1.2. Teachers and teaching methods……………………………………………
15
2.1.3. Students and their background………………………………………………
16
2.2. An overview of the textbook…………………………………………………
17
Chapter 3: Methodology………………………………………………
19
3.1. Setting………………………………………………………………………….
19

3.2. Research design………………………………………………………………
20
3.3. Participants…………………………………………………………………….
20
3.4. Data collection instruments……………………………………………………
21
3.4.1. Survey questionnaires………………………………………………………
21
3.4.2. Interview……………………………………………………………………
22
3.5. Data collection procedures…………………………………………………….
22
3.6. Summary……………………………………………………………………….
23
Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion…………………………………
24
4.1. Data and data analysis ……………………………………………………
24
4.1.1. Survey questionnaires………………………………………………………
24
4.1.2. Interview……………………………………………………………………
34
4.2. Feasible solutions……………………………………………………………
36
vi

4.2.1. Extension…………………………………………………………………….
36
4.2.2 Re-ordering…………………………………………………………………
37

4.2.3. Modification…………………………………………………………………
37
4.2.4 Braching……………………………………………………………………
38
4.2.5. Addition……………………………………………………………………
39
Part C: Conclusion………………………………………………………
40
1. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….
40
2. Limitation of the study and suggestions for further studies…………………….
40
Reference……………………………………………………………………
42
Appendices

vii



List of ABBREVIATIONS

HUI Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry
ELT English language teaching
GE General English
ESP English for Specific Purposes
AH1 American Headway 1
PPP Presentation - Practice - Production

viii



List of Tables and charts
TABLES
Table 1: Content of the textbook “American Headway 1”
Table 2: The teachers’ experience of teaching
Table 3: The role of the textbook in teaching and learning English
Table 4: Teachers’ opinions about the presentation of four skills in the textbook
Table 5: Students’ opinions about the presentation of four skills in the textbook
Table 6: Teachers’ opinions and students’ opinions about the difficult degree of four
skills in the textbook
Table 7: Teachers’ opinions and students’ opinions about skill development
Table 8: Teachers’ opinions and students’ opinions about the level emphasis on the four
macro skills of each unit in the textbook
Table 9: Teachers’ opinions and students’ opinions about the location of time for four
macro skills
CHARTS
Chart 1: Students’ history of learning English
Chart 2: Students’ time of learning English
Chart 3: Teachers’ satisfaction of the textbook
Chart 4: Students’ satisfaction of the textbook
Chart 5: Teachers and students’ attitudes towards grammar points in the textbook
Chart 6: The approach to grammar in the textbook
Chart 7: The stage of PPP approach paid most attention
Chart 8: The number of techniques of PPP approach is used in each unit
Chart 9: The quantity of new words in every unit
Chart 10: Students’ vocabulary after learning the textbook

Chart 11: The textbook includes materials for pronunciation works
Chart 12: Students’ pronunciation after completing the textbook

1
Part A: Introduction
1. Rationale for the study
The textbook is “the visible heart of any ELT (English Language Teaching) program”
(Sheldon 1988:237). Textbooks help to standardize instruction and assessment. That is,
by giving students in different classes the same textbook, teachers can teach and test them
in the same ways (Richards 2005). The textbooks also provide syllabus for a program,
thus supporting novice teachers, training them in methodology and saving their time and
effort for more worthwhile pursuits than material production (Cunningsworth 1995).
What are more, students also often expect to use the textbook in their learning program
(Sheldon 1988). Without textbooks, they may think their learning is not taken seriously,
thus, textbooks are psychological essential for students. Textbooks may constitute an
effective resource for learning in the classroom and self-directed learning (Cunningsworth
1995). A learner without a textbook might be out of focus and teacher-dependent.
However, textbooks are not always professionally designed and do not always fit the
curriculum and closely correspond to the aim of a teaching program and the needs of the
students. Thus, textbooks should be carefully evaluated and selected before being used for
a certain language program.
As a teacher of HUI (Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry), I have worked quite
closely with the textbook “American Headway 1”. I have noticed that although the book
has shown a great deal of improvements, it also bears several limitations. These
limitations may cause considerable difficulty for both students and teachers, especially,
for teachers who wish to teach in a communicative way.
For all those reasons, I think that textbook evaluation helps the managerial and
teaching staff select the most appropriate material available for a particular course. It also
helps to identify the strengths and weakness of a particular textbook. This is to inform
teachers in the process of textbook adaptation and decision-making for the next course.

To this end, I have decided to carry out a study entitled “Appropriateness of the textbook
“American Headway 1” for the first year students at HUI based in Thanh Hoa Province.
2. Aims of the study
The study aimed at:
- Evaluating "American Headway 1" in the terms of its methodology and
practicality. Specifically, it seeks to answer such a question as how the four
language skills and language elements are taught and practiced.
- Finding out the strengths and the weaknesses of the textbook
- Suggesting changes to enhance the textbook's appropriateness for the first year
students' needs at HUI based in Thanh Hoa Province

2
3. Research questions
The research is carried out with an attempt to find out the answer to the following
research questions:
- Is the textbook “American Headway 1” suitable for the students‟ level and the
teachers at HUI based in TH Province in terms of language skills and language
elements?
- What suggestions should be offered to help teachers and students to overcome
the weaknesses of the textbook?
4. Significance of the study
In order to serve the purpose of teaching and learning effectively, the textbook needs to
be professionally designed, fits the curriculum and closely corresponds with the aim of
the teaching program and the needs of the students. Thus, teachers and learners working
with the textbook might experience considerable difficulty in achieving the ultimate
goal of their teaching and learning program, which is developing students‟
communicative competence. The current study helps to identify the problem and
suggests ways of improving them. This contribution would be of practical value to
textbook authors, teachers and students.
5. Methods of the study

In order to achieve the aims mentioned above, the study was designed to use two
methods: survey questionnaire and informal interview. The data can be recorded
formally and informally. The interview is used to record information from teachers and
students. The survey questionnaire to both students and teachers is to get more
information to support the study.
6. Scope of the study
The author of the study is always aware that a great number of criteria should be taken
into consideration for a textbook and each criteria on need taking into account various
aspects. However, within the limits of a minor thesis, this study only seeks the
appropriateness of the textbook “American Headway 1” in terms of their methodology
and practically. Specially, it seeks to examine the communicative nature of the textbook
and the ease of their use. That is, to seeks to answer such question as how the four
language skills and language elements are taught and practiced.




3
7. Design of the study
The minor thesis is divided into three parts: Introduction, Development and
Conclusion.
Part A (Introduction) presents the rationale, the aims, the scope, the methods and the
design of the study.

Part B (Development) consists of four chapters
Chapter 1 reviews the theoretical background, which is relevant to the
purpose of the study.
Chapter 2 gives a brief introduction of the textbook and current situations
of teaching and learning at HUI.
Chapter 3 describes the research methodology, which focuses on the

context of the study, participants and the instruments and data collection procedures.
Chapter 4 deals with data analysis and some suggestions

Part C (Conclusion) summaries the study and offers some suggestions for further
research.

















4
Part B: development
Chapter 1: Literature review
1.1. Textbook
1.1.1. Definition of textbook
Textbook is one type of material. It can be referred to as a book that treats a
subject comprehensively and is a basic for study. In GE course, a textbook has the
function of a source of language, a learning support, a source for stimulation and

motivation, and also source of reference. Textbooks play an important role in the
success of the language course. However, “there is no such a thing as a perfect
textbook” (Brown, 1995: 166). Sometime textbooks should be evaluated to judge the
appropriateness to the target students.
Textbook is generally defined by Microsoft Encarta (2005) as a book that treats a
subject comprehensively and is used by students as a bias for study. A book exploited in
teaching-learning situations. In many circumstances, the expectation is that teaching will
be based on a single textbook, although other materials may be used at the teacher‟s
discretion.
The textbook is written based on standard curriculum and its principal users are
teachers and learners in school. There is some degree of standardization in the textbook
rather than others because there is usually an inspectorial system and public examinations
to ensure the suitability of the textbook. Textbook has still been approved and upgraded
when having been in use within school system. That is why textbook serves as a standard
instrument of knowledge for both teachers and learners. Textbooks are viewed as
resource in achieving aims and objectives that have already been set in terms of learners‟
needs.
1.1.2. The role of textbook in EFL/ESL classroom
Garinger (2001) points out that “Textbooks play a pivotal role in language
classroom in all types of educational institutions - public school, colleges and language
school- all over the world”. Riazi (2003, p52) also agrees with that point of view and
clarifies that “textbooks play a very crucial role in the realm of language teaching and
learning and are considered the next important factor in the second/foreign language
classroom after the teacher”
Sheldon (1988, p237) explains that textbooks not only „represent the visible heart
of any ELT program‟ but also offer considerable advantages for both teachers and

5
students when they are being used in the EFL/ESL classroom. Researchers have
suggested several advantages of using textbooks. For example, textbooks help to

standardize instruction and assessment. That is, by giving students in different classes the
same textbook, teacher can teach and test them in the same way (Richarchs 2005).
Textbooks also provide syllabus for program, thus supporting novice teachers, training
them in methodology and saving their time and effort for more worthwhile pursuits than
material production (Cunningsworth 1995). Without textbooks, they may think their
learning is not taken seriously, thus textbooks are psychologically essential for student.
Textbooks may constitute an effective resource for learning in the classroom and self-
directed learning (Cunningsworth 1995). A learner without a textbook might be out of
focus and teacher dependent.
In spite of the aforementioned positive view of textbook use, however,
there have also been certain reservations about this use. One of the most cited concerns is
that textbooks are often implicitly prescriptive and thus might control the method,
processes, and procedures of classroom practice and „deskill‟ teacher (Allwright
1982).Another concern is that since textbooks are often written for global markers, they
may out suit all classrooms and might require adaptation to better meet student‟ true
needs (Richarch 2005). More importantly, recent criticisms have been targeted at the
quality of the textbooks. It has been repeated shown that many English testbooks
represent biased views of gender and stereotyping (Clarke and Clarke 1990; Carrell and
Korwitz 1994; Renner 1997). Other researchers such as Prodromou (1988) and Alptekin
(1993) pointed out that textbooks are often cultural artifacts because it is impossible to
teach a language without embedding it in its culture base.
It is owing to these potential problems that textbooks should be carefully
evaluated and selected before being used for a language program. Despite that fact,
textbooks have a vital and positive role play in teaching and learning process in schools
in Vietnam.
1.1.3. Textbook evaluation
1.1.3.1. Definition
Hutchinson and Waters (1987:96) point out that „Evaluation is a matter of judging
the fitness of something for a particular purpose‟. Evaluation is a complete process
“which begins with determining what information to gather and ends with ringing about

change in current activities or influencing future ones” (Dudley – Evan & St.John,
1998:128). Evaluation of a textbook is considered to function as a kind of educational

6
judgment…Evaluation implies judgment-making which therefore means that evaluation
is subjective. When we compare a description of a textbook with a description of a
context in order to establish in a preliminary way whether that textbook might be suitable
for that context we are evaluating.
There are two main reasons for carrying out material evaluation. Firstly, there
may be need to choose among the materials available the most suitable one to use for a
particular situation. Secondly, there can be a need for material evaluation to determine
whether the material which have been chosen works for that situation after it has been
used for a period of time (Ellis, 1997)
Textbook evaluation is the fact that it can be very useful in teacher development
and professional growth. Cunningsworth (1995) and Ellis (1997) suggest that textbook
evaluation helps teachers move beyond impressionistic assessments and it helps them to
acquire useful, accurate, systematic, and contextual insights into the overall nature of
textbook material. Textbook evaluation, therefore, can potentially be a particularly
worthwhile means of conducting action research as well as a form of professional
empowerment and improvement. Similarly, textbook evaluation can be also be a valuable
component of teacher training programs for it serves the dual purpose of making students,
teachers are aware of the important features to look for in textbooks while familiarizing
then with a wide range of published language instruction materials.
1.1.3.2. Types of textbook evaluation
Researchers offer different ways of categorizing material evaluation. However, that
offered by McGrath (2002) seems to be the most widely accepted. He divided material
evaluation into three stages:
- Pre-use evaluation: establishes potential suit
- In-use evaluation: gathers data on planning decisions, implementation and
response; may stimulate preliminary reconsiderations.

- Post-use evaluation: uses data on in course use data on effects to assess suitability
of selection.
1.1.3.3. Textbook evaluators
Dudley – Evans & St. John (1998); Tomlinson (1998); Robinson (1991) and Richarchs
(2001) agree that the evaluation of materials can be conducted by outsides (those who are
not involved in the program, for example
1.1.3.3.1. Textbook evaluation by outsiders

7
As many researchers believe, the advantages of having outsiders involved in the
textbook evaluation are obvious. They can bring “fresh” and “objective” perspectives into
the evaluation. However, there may be some disadvantages; outsiders as evaluators will
have their own views on language teaching methods. They may not obtain a full
understanding of the teaching and learning situation in which the evaluation is being
carried out.
1.1.3.3.2. Textbook evaluation by insiders
Textbook evaluation by insiders has some advantages as indicated by Tomlison
(1998). Because insiders have already been involved in the program, they will understand
the teaching and learning situation better than anyone else. However, the insiders “may
be too close and involved” (Dudley-Evan and St. John, 1998: 131), the evaluation may be
influenced by their teaching experience and their subjective points of views.
1.1.3.4. Methods of textbook evaluation
McGrath (2002:25) refers to three basic methods of textbook evaluation: The
impressionistic method, the checklist method and the in-depth method.
1.1.3.4.1. The impressionistic method
The impressionistic method is concerned to obtain a general impression of the
material and involves glancing at the publisher‟s blurb (i.e. the brief description of the
book on the back cover) and content pages of each textbook (for an indication of the
syllabus-type and coverage), and then skimming though out the book looking at various
features of it such as organization, topics, layout and visuals. This kind of overview is of

course inadequate if it constitutes the sole basis for textbook evaluation and selection
1.1.3.4.2. The check-list method
The checklist has at least four advantages: it is systematic which ensures that all
elements that are deemed to be important are considered, it is effective which permits a
good deal of information to be recorded in a relatively short space of time; the
information is recorded in a convenient format which allows for easy comparison
between competing sets of material; and it is explicit and provides the categories that are
well understood by all involved in the evaluation while offers a common framework for
decision making (McGrath, 2002)
1.1.3.4.3. The in-depth method
In-depth techniques go beneath the publisher‟s and author‟s claims. It considers
the kind of language description, underlying assumption about learning or values on

8
which the materials are based or, in a broad sense, whether the materials seem likely to
live up to the claim that are being made for them (McGrath,2002)
1.1.3.5. Previous Research on textbook evaluation
Textbook evaluation is carried out by many previous researchers from many
different countries to evaluate textbook being taught in their countries. They all aim to
determine the value and suitability of the book toward the specific language program
“Textbook evaluation and ELT management – A South Korean Case Study” by
David R.A. Litz (2005), this study applies a wide variety of relevant and contextually
appropriate criteria for the evaluation of the textbook that are being used in the language
classroom to find out whether content of the book are of an acceptable standard or level
of quality and appropriate to the learners for whom are being used. A series of textbook
evaluation questionnaires had been created to layout and design, range and balance of
activities, skill appropriateness, subject content, language types represented in the
textbook.
“Evaluation of EFL Materials Taught at Iranian Public High School” by Ali
Jahangard (2007), the study firstly evaluates four EFL textbooks which have been

prescribed for used in Iranian high school by the Ministry of Education and then the
study gives some suggestion to alleviate some of the shortcomings encountered in the
textbook.
The research of this study has the same purpose to evaluate the effectiveness of
the material in use and offers suggestions to improve the material in use.
1.1.4. Textbook adaptation
1.1.4.1. Definition
Adaptation is a process of matching and its purpose is to maximize the
appropriateness of teaching material in context, by changing some of internal
characteristics of a course book or a set of materials to better suit our particular situations.
According to Madsen and Bowen (1978: ix), adaptation is an action of employing
“one or more of a number of techniques: supplementing, expanding, personalizing,
simplifying, modernizing, localizing, or modifying cultural/situational content”.
Similarly, from Tomlinson‟s point of view (1998: xi), adaptation is referred to “reducing,
adding, omitting, modifying and supplementing”
In reality, a textbook can never totally be an effective tool for teachers to follow
without any adaptation. Most teachers adapt materials every time they use a textbook in
order to maximize the value of the book for their particular learners.

9
1.1.4.2. Areas of adaptation
According to McDonough and Shaw (1993), the following are the possible areas which
are often taken into account in adaptation:
1. Lack of grammar coverage in general
2. Lack of practice of grammar points of particular difficulty to these learners
3. Reading passages contain too much unknown vocabulary
4. Comprehension questions are too easy
5. Subject matters are inappropriate for learners of this age and intellectual level
6. Photographs and other illustrative materials are not culturally acceptable
7. Amount of material is too much / too little to cover

8. Lack of guidance of teachers on group work and role play
9. There are no vocabulary list or a key to exercises provide
The reason for adaptation presented above can be grouped into: aspects of language use;
skills; classroom organization and supplementary material
1.1.4.3. Methods to adapt textbook
Maley (1998:281) suggests the following options to adapt materials:
- Omission: the teacher leaves out things deemed inappropriate, offensive,
unproductive, etc for the particular group.
- Addition: where there seem to be inadequate coverage, teachers may decide to
add to textbooks, either in the form of texts or exercise material.
- Reduction: Where the teacher shortens an activity to give it less weight or
emphasis.
- Extension: where an activity is lengthened in order to give it an additional
dimension. (For example, a vocabulary activity is extended to draw attention to
some syntactic patterning).
- Rewriting/modification: teachers may occasionally decide to rewrite material,
especially exercise material, to make it more appropriate, more “communicative”,
more demanding, more accessible to their students, etc.
- Replacement: text or exercise material which is considered inadequate, for
whatever reason, may be replaced by more suitable material. This is often culled
from other resource materials.
- Re-ordering: teachers may decide that the order in which the textbooks are
presented is not suitable for their students. They can then decide to plot a different
course through the textbooks from the one the writer has laid down.

10
- Blanching: teachers may decide to add options to the existing activity or to
suggest alternative pathways through the activities.
1.2. Language Skills
1.2.1. Receptive skills: Reading and Listening

1.2.1.1. Listening
Listening is an essential element of communication and it is also essential for
interaction. A learner can express himself orally but never be able to communicate with
speaker of English if he is unable to understand what is said to him.
Listening is an invisible mental process, making it difficult to describe. Listeners must
discriminate between sounds, understand vocabulary and grammatical structures, interpret stress
and intention, retain and interpret this within the immediate as well as the large socio-cultural
context of the utterance (Field, 1989:38)
Grant (1987,page 19) states that the listening skill includes everything from
learning particular sounds to comprehending complicated message. Without this skill,
communication can break down. Therefore, successful communication really depends on
listeners or receivers of messages. Steil & Watson (1983:22) also suggested that listening
is a major communication activity.
1.2.1.2. Reading
The term “reading” has been used in different ways.
Dean (2000:2) mentions Anderson‟s view of reading as “the process of
constructing meaning from written texts. It is a complex skill requiring the coordination
of a number of interrelated sources of information”
Anderson (1999:1) states that “reading is an active, fluent process which involves
the reader and the reading material in building meaning”
Goodman (1988: 135) shares this view as he defined reading as “a
psycholinguistics process by which the reader, a language user, reconstructs, as best as he
can, a massage which has been encoded by a writer as a graphic display”.
In short, reading is an active process in which the reader utilizes his background
knowledge and experience to understand the author‟s thought. Reading is not separated
from comprehension. Reading comprehension involves communication as it is the
process of encoding and decoding between the sender, who has messages in mind,
encodes them into a written or spoken text and the receiver, who decodes the text into his
mind.

11
1.2.2. Productive skills: Speaking and Writing
1.2.2.1. Speaking
It is obvious that speaking is the key to human communication. Though speaking
takes many definitions, following are some of the definitions by the most famous
researchers According to Byrne (1976:8), “speaking is a two-way process between the
speaker(s) and the listener(s) involving the productive skill of speaking and the receptive
skill of understanding.” Both the listener and the speaker have a positive function to
perform: the speaker has to encode the message to be conveyed in appropriate language,
while the listener has to decode the message.
Brown (1983) also states that “speaking is an interactive process of constructing
meaning that involves producing, receiving and processing information.” Its form and
meaning are dependent on the context in which it occurs, including the participants
themselves, their collective experiences, the physical environment, and the purposes for
speaking.
Chaney (1988:13) defined that “speaking is the process of building and sharing
meaning through the use verbal and non-verbal symbols in a variety of contexts”.
Different researchers have different concepts of speaking but they all agree with one very
important feature of speaking, that is a two way process between the speaker and listener.
1.2.2.2. Writing
There are various definitions of writing in the literature of research into writing.
Byrne (1991. p.1) defined writing in a broad sense. Accordingly, writing was considered
as “act of forming graphic symbols” or simply “making marks on the flat surface of some
kinds”
Candlin & Hyland (1999, p.2) defined writing as a complicated action, is “much
more than the generation of text-linguistic products”. They thought of writing “as text, as
process and as social practice” (p.1). They stated, “Each act of writing also constricts
the reality that it describes, reproducing a particular mode of communication and
maintaining the social relationship that implies” (p.2)

Another researcher, Lannon (1989), looked at writing in a more complicated
process relating to research. It is “a process of transforming the material discovered by
research inspiration, accidents, trial and error, or whatever into a message with a
definite meaning…writing is a process of deliberate decision” (p9)
In short word “writing” itself may imply an act, a process or a skill, which needs practice
and study to develop. It requires both physical and mental powers from the writer.

12

1.3. Language elements
1.3.1. Grammar
Oxford Advanced Learner‟s dictionary defines grammar as “rules for forming
words and combining them into sentences (1993:394). As explained in the dictionary,
grammar is what language teachers introduce to learners and helps the practice regularly.
Jeremy Harmer provides a similar view: “Grammar is the way in which words
change themselves and group together to make sentences. The grammar of a language is
what happens to words when they become plural or negative, or what word order is used
when we make questions or join two clauses to make one sentence” (1981:1)
A broader idea about grammar is explained by Penny Ur: “grammar may be
roughly defined as the way a language manipulates and combine words (or bits of words)
in order to form longer units of meaning” (1988:4). She clarifies the term “grammar: in
the book „A course in language teaching”: “Grammar is a set of rules that define how
words (or parts of words) are combines or changed to form acceptable units of meaning
within a language” (1996: 87)
All the ideas given above agree on a point that grammar is a set of rules of
forming words and making sentences from words. This help to orient language teachers
to the focus of grammar teaching.
1.3.2. Vocabulary
The term "vocabulary" appears to be a very simple concept but in fact, we can find
it extremely difficult to give an exact definition of vocabulary. Based on different

criteria, linguistics defined vocabulary in different ways. According to Peny, Ur (1996:
60), vocabulary‟ as the words we teach in the foreign language. However, a new item of
vocabulary may be more than a single word: a compound of two or three words or multi-
word idioms". Pyles and Algeo (1970: 96) also noted that: "It is in words that sound and
meanings inter- lock to allow us to communicate with one another and it is words that
we range together to make sentences, conversations and discourses of all kinds".
In general, vocabulary is the total number of all the words that a language
possesses, including a single word, two or three word items expressing a single idea and
multi- word idioms whose meaning cannot be deduced from the analysis of the
component words. Vocabulary can be defined as the words we teach in the foreign
language and a useful convention is to cover all such cases by talking about vocabulary
"items" rather than "words". It can be seen that a "vocabulary" item can be more than

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one word. Therefore, it is necessary not to make confusion between vocabulary item and
word.
1.3.3. Pronunciation
The notion of “pronunciation” has been defined in different ways by many
writers:
Ur (1996) defined that “The concept of “pronunciation” may be said to conclude the
sounds of the language or phonology: stress and rhythm; intonation; combination sounds;
linkage of sounds”
In Longman dictionary of contemporary English (1978), “pronunciation” is
defined “the way in which a word is usually pronounced”
Dalton, (1994) described pronunciation in general terms “as the production of
significant sound in two senses. First, sound is significant because it is used as part of a
code of a particular language. In this sense we can talk about pronunciation as the
production and reception of sounds of speech. Second, sound is significant because it is
used to achieve meaning in context of use. Here the code combines with other factors to
make communication possible. In this sense we can talk about pronunciation with

reference to acts of speaking”
1.4. Summary
This chapter has reviewed theories related to the textbook and the role it plays in
the process of teaching and learning as well as important issues of textbook evaluation
that need to be considered when conducting textbook evaluation. It has also reviewed
some of the previous research on textbook evaluation in different contexts in the world
and some theoretical discussions about textbook adaptation. The next section of this
chapter presents the theories of language skills and the theories of language elements that
have reviewed through its definition. All these serve as a basis for carrying out an
evaluation of the textbook at a specific school presented in the next chapter.






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Chapter 2: An overview of the textbook and
current situation of Using textbook at HUI
2.1. An introduction of the context of using textbook “American Headway 1” at
HUI
2.1.1. Brief introduction of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry based in Thanh
Hoa Province
Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry based in Thanh Hoa Province (HUI) has
been in operation for 2 years in Thanh Hoa Province. Before that, its name is Thanh Hoa
Teachers' Training School (THTTS) and its duty was to train only elementary school
teachers, so English serves as a means that provides students with basic knowledge about
grammar and vocabulary. Since October, 2008, HUI joined with THTTS to become Ho
Chi Minh City University of Industry based in Thanh Hoa Province. There are many new
branches have been opened such as Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering,

Chemical Engineering. Bank Financing, Marketing studies, Accounting …. Accordingly,
English has become a major subject for the students of these fields.
Every year our University admits more than 3000 newly enrolled students for a
course of 2, 3 or 4 years study, of whom 200 students are trained in the Science Bachelor
which is the biggest section at HUI. After graduating students of this field will become
main engineers or main architects for our country. Therefore, the authority in our
university has decided that English is the main subject with the purpose of helping these
non-major students to develop their English communicative skill to meet the demand of
their future employment.
The objective of the course, first of all is to provide students with general
knowledge of English. Secondly, the course aims at improving the professional
knowledge of English to adapt their future job requirement. At HUI, the teaching of
English is divided into two stages. During the first stage (consisting of the first three
terms), students study general English with four micro skills namely: speaking, listening,
reading and writing. The second stage lasts one term in which students learn English
related to their field.
The first stage is considered to be the most important to student‟s development of
the four macro language skills since they have more time and chances to practice their
skills basically than in the second one.

15
As far as the materials are concerned, “American Headway 1” textbook and
workbook are chosen in GE classes. The time devoted to GE is 90 periods for A1 and A2
level of English and 60 periods for A3 level of English (each period lasts 45 minutes).
2.1.2. Teachers and teaching methods
Our school has got 10 teachers of English language aged from 24 and 45. Ten of
them had formal ELT training in different universities inside VietNam, they graduated
from College of Foreign Languages- Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Hong Duc
University and Vinh University. One of them is Dr in Russian and re-trained to teach
English. Another is taking MA course at College of Foreign Languages- Vietnam

National University, Hanoi. The oldest teacher has more 15 years of teaching experience
and the youngest teacher has got one year. Most of them have little chance to access to
the latest alteration of language teaching methods. They have to face with many
difficulties, of which the gap of content knowledge and the choice of appropriate teaching
methodology as well as textbook seem to be the major concerns.
However, the teaching staff at HUI is energetic and willing to devote their time
and energy to teaching. In terms of language teaching, an information exchange among
these teachers shows that they usually employ the traditional method of teaching even
though the teachers are always aware of the importance of the new trend in teaching
method nowadays: learner- centered approach, communicative approach when teaching
English to the first students of the general knowledge. They try to give their students
independence in studying by asking them to work through the text or discussing subject
matters in groups, giving them some instructions before asking them to make
presentation or role play in front of the class, students at the time play the key role in the
lesson and they feel highly motivated in learning. However, only one or two teachers can
sometimes do these and the amount of time spent on such activities is not much.
Actually, all teachers in our college and I, myself included have to work harder
and make our best effort to respond to the requirement of the new teaching situation.
At HUI, English teaching and learning activities are mostly carried in fixed
classrooms that make it difficult for teachers to make a change in applying new ideas of
new teaching methods in language teaching. What‟s more, there are often more than 50
students in each class. It is not easy to carry out a communicative task in a mixed ability
and large classroom.



16
2.1.3. Students and their background
Students of HUI come from all parts of Thanh Hoa province (Thanh Hoa city,
districts and mountainous areas). Students from Thanh Hoa city and towns (Bim Son,

Sam Son) seem better at English. Students come from mountainous areas such as Muong
Lat, Quan Hoa, Ba Thuoc… never learn English before. Some of them have learned
English for 7 years at secondary and high school some have only learned English for 3
years and some others have never learned English before. The students experienced
traditional method of English teaching at high school (the Grammar- translation method)
the emphasis of which is on the learning of the rules of the language, not on the
acquisition of language skills. They have been familiar with Grammar-Translation from
years at school so they need to know every unfamiliar word and translate everything into
Vietnamese in order to understand an English text and learning used focus on reading and
writing but not listening or speaking. In addition, the course duration is limited hence the
students do not have enough time to practice the language in class. Thus, they had very
few chances to speak English. In fact, the first-year non-major students of English find
the university learning style completely different and they find it difficult to join
classroom activities. As a result, they can not speak fluently and most of them do not feel
confident in communicating in English. Because the students are rarely given chances to
work in pairs, in group or take par in some activities such as discussion or games. Many
students don‟t have the habit of learning independently and tend to depend mainly on the
given text books and the teachers for knowledge. Only a small number of them are
interested in the subject, studious and several learn it quite well. Furthermore, the
majority of the students does not have appropriate learning strategies and have passive
learning styles, all of them lack of the General English skills.
At HUI, before entering university all first year students have to take part in the
survey entrance exam with fifty multiple choice questions in paper. Then they are divided
into three groups: A1, A2 and A3. Students with lowest level (A1) of English follow the
course book “American Headway 1” from unit 1 to unit 7 for 1 semester (90 periods).
Students with level (A2) of English follow the course book “American headway 1” from
unit 8 to unit 14 for 1 semester (90 periods). And student with highest level (A3) of
English follow the course book “American Headway 2” from unit 1 to unit 7 for 1
semester (60 periods). This classification allows them a suitable pace of progress. So,
they are real beginners at English when entering the first year of college and of different

language proficiency levels. Thus, the large number of first year students at HUI must use

17
the textbook “American Headway 1”. As a teacher of HUI for over 2 years, I have
already found many inappropriate features of this textbook for my first year students.
2.2. Overview of the textbook “American Headway 1”
Following is the description of the currently used course book for first year students at
HUI
 Book Information: John and Liz Soars. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN-
10: 0-19-435375-3.
 Book title: “American Headway 1”. One of the recent additions to Oxford is a revised
version of the Headway series that is centered on American English; hence the name
American Headway.
 Book objectives:
- “American Headway 1” combines the best of traditional methods with more
recent approaches to make the learning of English stimulating, motivating, and
effective.
- “American Headway1” can be sued by both true and false beginners. It provides a
foundation in the structure of language, gradually building students‟
understanding of the basic grammar, vocabulary, and function of English
 Book content: The student‟s book is in use with 14 units under different topics: Hello
everybody, Meeting people … American Headway 1 is geared toward students at the
elementary level.
The teaching contents for each unit are summarized in a book map which is provided on
the first page of each book. Each of the textbook is accompanied with cassettes tapes,
student‟s workbook and teacher‟s manual.
There are 14 teaching units. American Headway 1, the level reviewed here, is an
integrated skills textbook that focuses mainly on grammar and vocabulary. Each unit
consists of five sections, Starter, Practice, Vocabulary, and Integrated Skills. In addition,
there are scattered Pronunciation and Everyday English sections throughout the book.

Each unit begins by focusing on specific grammatical structures, followed by practice.
Next are the „skills‟ sections: listening and speaking, reading and speaking, vocabulary
and listening, thought not necessarily in that order. The last section in every unit is
“Everyday English” which addresses function such as “What time is it?”, “Directions”
and so on. The combination of all these components results in a very packed textbook.



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Units
Grammar
Vocabulary
Skills work (in the student book)
Writing (in
the
workbook)
1. Hello
everybody
- Verb to be: am/is/are
-Possessive adjectives:
my, your, his…
- Countries: Japan.
Mexico…
- everyday objects: a key,
a newspaper
- Plural nouns
- Reading and writing: introducing
yourself
- Listening and speaking: The alphabet
song

2. Meeting
people
- Verb to be: Questions
and negatives
- Negatives and short
answers
- Possessive “s”
- The family
- opposite adjectives
- Food and drink
Reading and listening: A letter from
America

3. The world
of work
- Present simple 1:
he/she/it
- Questions and negatives
- Verbs
- Jobs
- Reading: Seamus Mc Sporran - the man
with thirteen jobs
- Listening and speaking: Seamus‟ s day

4. Take it
easy!
Present simple 2:
I/they/we/you

- Verbs
- Leisure activities
- Speaking: a questionnaire: How do you
live?
- Reading and listening: Three people
talk about their favorite season
- Speaking: What your favorite season?
Leisure activities

5. Where do
you live?
- There is/are
- How many…?
- Preposition of place
- Some and any
- this/that/these/those
- Rooms
- household items
- What‟s in your bag?
- Parts of the plane
- Places
- Speaking and listening: What are the
differences between the two pictures?
- Reading and speaking: At home on a
plane
- Listening and speaking: Homes around
the world

6. Can you
speak

English?
- Can/can‟t
- Was/were
- Could
- was born
- Countries and language
- Verbs
- Words that sound the
same
- Speaking: questionnaire: what can you
do?
- Reading and speaking: super kids

7. Then and
now
- Past simple 1: regular
verbs/irregular verbs
- Time expressions: Last,
ago. Yesterday…
- Verbs
- Spelling and silent
letters
- Speaking: what did you do at the end of
the 20
th
century?
-Reading and speaking: Two famous
firsts: George Washington and Nelson
Mandela

8. How long
ago?
- Past simple 2: Negatives
and ago
- Time expressions: in
1992, on Sunday, at
10.30 o‟clock
- Which word is
different?
- Phonetic symbols
- Relationships
- Reading and listening: Three inventors
- Speaking; Incredible information
- Listening and speaking: How did you
two meet?

9. Food you
like!
- Count and non count
nouns
- Do you like…? /Would
you like…?
- A and Some
- much/many
- Food and drink
- Stores and shopping
- Listening and speaking: my favorite
food
- Reading and speaking: food around the
world; meal in your country

10. Bigger and
better!
- Comparatives and
Superlatives
- Have got
- City and country
adjectives
- City and country nouns
- Speaking: Maria‟s the youngest
- Reading and speaking: Three musical
cities

11. Looking
good!
- Present continuous
- Whose is it?
- Possessive pronouns
- Clothes
- Describing people
- Words that rhyme
- Phonetic symbols
- Tongue twisters
- Listening and speaking: Who‟s at the
party? / a song

12. Life‟s an
adventure!
- Going to
- Infinitive of purpose

- Verbs
- The weather
- Reading and speaking: Dangerous
sports

13. You‟re
pretty smart!
- Question forms
- Adverbs and adjectives
- Describing feelings
- Speaking and listening: Noises in the
night
- Reading and listening: A story in a
story

14. Have you
ever?
- Present perfect
* ever and never
*yet and just
*since and for
- Present perfect and past
simple

- Past participles
- At the airport
- Speaking: things you have done
- Reading and speaking: How to live to
be 100? / a song

Table 1: Content of the textbook “American headway 1” (language skills and language elements)