Adapting New Interchange Intro used at Hai Phong Foreign Language Center - Hai Phong University = Điều chỉnh giáo trình New Interchange Intro sử dụng tại Tr

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES


NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG LOAN

ADAPTING “NEW INTERCHANGE INTRO” USED
AT HAIPHONG FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER –
HAIPHONG UNIVERSITY

(Điều chỉnh giáo trình “New Interchange Intro” sử dụng
tại Trung tâm Ngoại ngữ Hải Phòng, Đại học Hải Phòng)

M.A MINOR THESIS

FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
CODE: 601410


HA NOI - 2010

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES


NGUYỄN THỊ PHƯƠNG LOAN

ADAPTING “NEW INTERCHANGE INTRO” USED
AT HAIPHONG FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER –
HAIPHONG UNIVERSITY

(Điều chỉnh giáo trình “New Interchange Intro” sử dụng
tại Trung tâm Ngoại ngữ Hải Phòng, Đại học Hải Phòng)

M.A MINOR THESIS

FIELD:
CODE:
SUPERVISOR:
ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
601410
PHẠM THỊ NGỌC PHƯỢNG, M.A


HA NOI - 2010

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration
Acknowledgements
Abstract
List of figures, tables, and charts

PART A: INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………
I. Rationale………………………………………………………………… ………
II. Aims…………………………………………………………………………………
III. Scope…………………………………………………………………………… …
IV. Research questions ………………………………………………………………….
V. Research methodology……………………………………………………… ……
VI. Design of the study …………………………………………………………………

PART B: DEVELOPMENT ………………………………………………
Chapter 1: Literature review ……………………… ………………………………….
1. Materials in language teaching …………………………………………………
1.1. The notion of materials ……………………………… … …… …………
1.2. Limits of materials in EFL/ESL class ……………………………………….
1.3. Roles of materials in EFL/ESL class…………………………………………
2. Materials evaluation …………………………………………… ……………….
2.1. Definition ………………………………………….…… ………………….
2.2. Reasons for materials evaluation…………………… ……………… …
2.3. Types of materials evaluation…………………… …… …………………

2.4. Criteria for materials evaluation………………………………………… …
3. Material adaptation ………………………………………………………….……
3.1. Definitions of adaptation…………………………………………………….
3.2. Purposes of adaptation……………………………………………………….
3.3. Reasons for adapting…………………………………………………………
3.4. Objectives of adapting ……………………………………….………………
3.5. Categories of adaptation……………………………………………………
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3.5.1. Adaptation as addition ……………………………………………
3.5.2. Adaptation as change ……………………………………………
3.6. Techniques for adaptation……………………………………………….…
3.6.1. Adding; extending and expanding ……………………………… ….
3.6.2. Deleting; subtracting and abridging…………….……………………
3.6.3. Simplifying …………………………………… ……………………
3.6.4. Reordering …………………………………… ……………………
3.6.5. Replacing ………………………………….…………………………
3.7. A frame work for adaptation ………………………………………………
Chapter 2: The study … …………………… ……………… ………….
1. Background ……………………………………………………………………….
1.1. An overview on Haiphong Foreign Language Center, Haiphong University
1.2. Teachers and teaching method ………………………………………………
1.3. Students ……………………………………………………………………
1.4. Materials …………………………………………………………………
1.5. Materials evaluation …………………………………………………….…
1.5.1. Guideline 1 …………………………………………………………
1.5.2. Guideline 2 …………………………………………………………
1.5.2.1. Syllabus type ………………………………… …………
1.5.2.2. Language input ……………………………………… …
1.5.2.3. Skills syllabus ………………………………………… ….

1.5.3. Guideline 3 …………………………………………………………
1.5.4. Guideline 4 …………………………………………………………
1.5.5. Summary and overall evaluation …………………………………….
2. Research methodology ……………………………………………………………
2.1. Subjects ……………………………………………………………………
2.2. Data - collection method …………………………………………………….
2.3. Procedure …………………………………………………………………….
2.3.1. Attitude of the teachers and students towards the syllabus …………
2.3.2. Attitude of the teachers and students towards the lessons and tasks
2.3.3. Evaluation on the objectives of the textbook …………………………
2.3.4. Evaluation on the content of the textbook ……………………………
2.3.5. The extra activities for the textbook chosen by the teachers ………….
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3. Implications……………………………………………………………………….
4. Samples of Adaptation ………………………………………………….………
4.1. Supplementing …… ………………………………………………
4.2. Extending …………………………………………………………………….
4.3. Replacing …………………………………………………………………….

PART C: CONCLUSION……… ………………………………………
1. Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………
2. Limitations of the study………………… ……………………………………….
3. Suggestions for further research…………………… ……………………………

References ……………………………………………………….………………………
Appendices ………………………………………………………………………………

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LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES, AND CHARTS
Figure 1: A framework for adaptation (McDonough and Shaw, 1993)
Figure 2: New Interchange Intro’s receptive skills syllabus (Richards, J.C, 2000)
Figure 3: New Interchange Intro’s writing syllabus
Table 1.1: Evaluation on the students’ needs
Table 1.2: Evaluation on the needs the textbook meets
Table 2: Applied activities to the textbook
Chart 1: The viewpoint of the teachers and students towards the syllabus
Chart 2.1: The viewpoint of the teachers and students towards the lessons and the tasks
Chart 2.2: Viewpoint of the teachers and students towards the difficulties of the lessons and
tasks

Chart 3: Evaluation on the content of the textbook
Chart 4.1: Use of the book viewed by teachers
Chart 4.2: Use of the book viewed by students

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PART ONE: INTRODUCTION
I. Rationale
The role of English language as a lingua franca makes it a unique language in the world.
This distinctiveness does not only refer to the language itself, but also to the ways it is
taught as a foreign language. In Vietnam, English has gained its popularity in teaching and
learning over the last few decades. Demand for learning English even gets stronger when
Vietnam fosters its international relations. English, in parallel with the knowledge of some
other fields, turn out to be a key to open the door into the bustling world. In any walk of life
in Vietnam, you can find people use English, from the big cities to mountainous areas, from
the international conferences to daily conversations, or just few pidgin words with the
foreign tourists. People learn and use English with different purposes, but there is a fact that
they are trying to learn English with the hope that they can use it effectively.
To learners of English at Haiphong Foreign Language Center – Haiphong University, this is
not an exception. Every learner, naturally and obviously, wants to become the masters of all
the four skills. Though there are some who propose what they need is speaking a fluent
English, therein they consider listening a tool for the realization of their goal, there are also
some who say writing is necessary because documenting reports, letters, memos, etc is what
they daily deal with in their office, learning to read effectively remains the top in the targets
of them.
Due to the above points, English is taught at A, B, C level with the objectives of introducing
effective communicative language teaching techniques, providing students with basic
knowledge of English (especially grammar and vocabulary) and training them to be capable
of the four skills, integrating grammatical elements with language skills so as to make the
grammar genuinely functional and communicative, creating more opportunities for

interaction between teachers and students and among students themselves.
Therefore, the textbooks used in most of these courses are the series New Interchange. The
primary goal of the books is to teach the ability to communicate according to the situation,
purpose, and roles of the participants.
In the limitation of the thesis, the researcher wishes to give some adapted activities to the
first level book – New Interchange Intro – which is designed for beginners and for learners
needing a thorough review of basic structures and vocabulary in order to make it really
suitable to learners‟ needs. As a result, the thesis title goes as:
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“Adapting „New Interchange Intro‟ used at Haiphong Foreign Language Center,
Haiphong University”.
II. Aims of the study
The study is ultimate aimed at producing some samples of adaptation for elementary
students at HFLC. The specific aims are as follows:
 Investigate the teaching and learning context at HFLC.
 Analyze teachers and learners‟ viewpoints towards the use of the textbook.
 Collect and analyze teachers and learners‟ evaluation on the textbook.
 Adapt some activities in the textbook New Interchange Intro.
III. Scope of the study
The researcher is well aware that in order to have suitable material adaptation, a great
number of criteria such as the audience, the content, the methodology, etc should be taken
into consideration. Also, each criterion needs taking into account a variety of aspects.
However, due to the limitation of this minor thesis, only the following issues are touched
upon:
 Teachers and learners‟ evaluation on the textbook New Interchange Intro.
 Adapting some activities for the textbook New Interchange Intro to make students
more active and interested in lessons.
IV. Research questions
The minor thesis tries to investigate the following questions:

 What are the HFLC teachers and students‟ evaluation and viewpoints towards the
textbook?
 Should the textbook be adapted to suit the objectives and content of the course?
 What should be adapted to suit the objectives and content of the course?
V. Research methodology
To conduct the research, survey questionnaires are used. Questionnaires are delivered to
100 students and 10 teachers to identify their attitudes towards the textbook, the need of
applying these activities. Collected data from questionnaires are then analyzed, the findings
are critically discussed, and some activities are adapted.
VI. Design of the study
The thesis includes three parts:
Part I: INTRODUCTION presents an overview of the study with rationale, aims, scope,
research questions, and methodology of the study.
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Part II: DEVELOPMENT consists of two chapters:
Chapter one: Literature briefly presents the notions of materials, materials evaluation, and
materials adaptation, and introduces techniques for adaptation textbooks.
Chapter two: Research methodology elaborates the analysis of current situation of teaching
and learning in HFLC. Time and efforts have been spent on accumulating information about
teachers and their teaching methods applied. Then an attempt has been made to evaluate the
strong points and weak points of the textbook. Also, in this chapter, survey is conducted to
identify the HFLC teachers and students‟ evaluation and viewpoints towards New
Interchange Intro, and find out if the textbook should be adapted to suit the objectives,
content, and methodology of the course, if so, what should be adapted to suit the objectives,
content, and methodology of the course? An analysis of data collected based on the
instrumentation of survey questionnaires will be given. Last but not least, the researcher
focuses on the adapted samples for the textbook.
Part III: CONCLUSION gives a summary of main findings, limitations of the study and
suggestions for further research.

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PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT
Chapter one: Literature Review
The review of literature for this thesis will give a theoretical base for materials evaluation
and focus on some important aspects of adaptation. The first issue addressed in this chapter
relates to teaching materials with regards to their merits and demerits in language teaching
and types of materials. The second one presents some main issues in materials evaluation
such as definition, reasons for materials evaluation, types of materials evaluation, and
criteria for evaluation. The chapter will end with some theoretical discussions about
materials adaptation.
1. Materials in language teaching
1.1. The notion of materials
In the EFL/ESL class, materials are the important aspect of the curriculum. They are the
most observable feature of a teacher‟s methodology, and can contribute greatly to a course‟s
syllabus. They “include anything which can be used to facilitate the learning of a language
… can be linguistic visual, auditory or kinaesthetic” (Tomlinson, 2001: 66). Thus, the
notion of materials does not lie only in a conventional boundary, but in various types as
well.

However, such a notion of materials is too large to deal with. For the purpose of this thesis,
the researcher wishes to focus on text materials (textbooks) only. It is the “visible heart of
any ELT program” (Sheldon, 1988: 237); “an almost universal element of teaching”
(Hutchinson and Torres, 1994: 315); and a guide for a teacher, a memory aid for the pupils,
a permanent record or measure of what has been learnt. This indicates that a textbook can be
both a boon and burden. Majority of teachers take it as a tool to facilitate their teaching
whereas others consider it as a burden to get through, but it largely depends upon the
attitude of the people who handle it. Those who take it as a helpful tool use it flexibly and
“combine with other resources” (ibid).
1.2. Limits of materials in EFL/ESL class
Most experts agree, however, that heavy dependence on a single coursebook is not
good for students‟ needs, (Swales, 1980; Nunan, 1991; Allwright, 1981; Cunningsworth
1995). Allwright (1981: 8) emphasizes that “content (potential intake) is not predictable. It
is something that emerges because of the interactive nature of classroom events.” Although
a textbook may assist in some way, it cannot determine the over-all content of a language
program.
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A strong alliance placed on the textbook by the teacher can reveal his considerations, or
lack of, toward the over-all learning/teaching process. Additionally, to those teachers who
have no input toward the materials used in their teaching context, there may be no
distinction between syllabus, methodology and the textbook used. All may be intertwined
into an officially approved publication from which personal creativity is void.
Cunningsworth (1995) provides four disadvantages to an approach which is heavily
dependent on a single textbook. First, there can be a lack of variety in teaching procedures.
Second, innovations toward individual student‟s needs are reduced. Third, spontaneity and
flexibility are diminished and last, there can be a lack of creativity in teaching techniques
and language use.
Other theorists such as Porreca (1984), Florent and Walter (1989), Clarke and Clarke
(1990), and Renner (1997) have criticized textbooks for their inherent social and cultural

biases. Many EFL/ESL textbooks still contain rampant examples of gender bias, sexism,
and stereotyping.
The scholars seem to be in the same boat regarding the limitations of the textbooks. It is true
that every language class in developing countries comprises of varied groups of learners. As
such, addressing their needs and interest is a Herculean task for a textbook writer. Including
the need of all individual learners in a single volume will make it an encyclopedia.
However, in the mean time, exclusion of the need of the learners of the particular linguistic
proficiency will demotivate them as well.
1.3. Roles of materials in EFL/ESL class
Many theorists such as O‟Neill (1982), Sheldon (1988), Cunningsworth (1995), Edge and
Wharton (1998), and Richards (2001) state the following advantages for the use of
textbooks:
 Textbooks fulfill a wide range of practical needs, particularly in contexts where
English is being taught in a non-English-speaking environment and where teachers either
lack training or sufficient time to analyze each group‟s needs.
 The textbook helps provide a route map for both teachers and learners, making it
possible for them to look ahead to what will be done in a lesson as well as to look back
on what has been done.
 Textbooks provide structure and predictability, which help give participants in social
interactions like lessons a safe base, a platform for negotiation and exploration.
 Textbooks provide teachers, especially those lacking in training and experience,
with a sense of self-confidence and security.
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 Most textbooks are designed and developed by experts in the field, conversant with
current theoretical approaches and methodological practices. The quality of
sophistication in their design, content, and organization would be difficult to match with
home-grown materials.
 Textbooks can act as agents of change, allowing innovative ideas to be introduced
within their structured framework in a way that enables teachers and learners to develop

in harmony with these new ideas. Indeed, Edge and Wharton (1998) see the ELT
textbook functioning as a genre of mass communication, where its authors can enter into
positive dialogue with teachers and students on a number of issues of current
significance to ELT professionals.
 By dealing with a certain amount of routine work for teachers, the textbook frees
them to attend to more important aspects of lesson planning (including materials
adaptation and supplementation), and to concentrate on using their creative skills.
In conclusion, textbooks should be accessible to a variety of students, regardless of their
learning goals, as well as being adaptable to the diversity of teachers and teaching styles,
and adaptability and supplemental materials are supportive additions.
2. Materials evaluation
2.1. Definition
Evaluation is a part of planning and implementation of a language course (the other parts
are needs analysis, course design, teaching/learning process, and assessment). Though in
theory there should be a circular movement and linear sequence of those parts, in practice
evaluation stands in close interaction and independence relationship with the
teaching/learning process and course design. Evaluation is a matching process (Hutchinson
and Waters, 1987: 97) designed to establish the degree of match between the needs and
available solutions. And “materials evaluation is a procedure that involves measuring the
value (or potential value) of a set of learning materials. It involves making judgements
about the effect of the materials on the people using them.” (Tomlinson, 2003). Tomlinson
points out the following aspects to measure:
 the appeal of the materials to the learners;
 the credibility of the material to the learners, teachers and administrators;
 the validity of the materials;
 the reliability of the materials;
 the ability of the materials to motivate the learners;
 the value of the materials in terms of short-term learning;
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 the value of the materials in terms of long-term learning;
 the learners‟ perceptions of the value of the materials;
 the teachers‟ perceptions of the value of the materials;
 the assistance given to the teachers in terms of preparation, delivery and assessment;
 the flexibility of the materials – the extent to which it is easy for a teacher to adapt
the materials to suit a particular context.
 the contribution made by the materials to teacher development;
 the match with administrative requirements.
2.2. Reasons for materials evaluation
According to Sheldon (1988), textbook evaluation is necessary because the selection of an
ELT textbook often signals an important administrative and educational decision in which
there is considerable professional, financial, or even political investment. A thorough
evaluation, therefore, would enable the managerial and teaching staff of a specific
institution or organization to discriminate between all of the available textbooks on the
market. Moreover, it would provide for a sense of familiarity with a book‟s content thus
assisting educators in identifying the particular strengths and weaknesses in textbooks
already in use.
One additional reason for textbooks evaluation given by Cunningsworth (1995) and Ellis
(1997) is that textbooks evaluation helps teacher move beyond impressionistic assessments
and acquire useful, accurate, systematic, and contextual insights into the overall nature of
textbooks (Litz, 2005). From this, textbooks evaluation can be a particularly worthwhile
means of conducting action research as well as a form of professional empowerment and
improvement. It is through the evaluation of a textbook that a teacher knows the content of
the book, the style in which it is written, and its strength and weaknesses, which facilitate
him to adapt it to suit the course aims, learners‟ needs, and the teachers‟ beliefs.
2.3. Types of materials evaluation
Cunningsworth (1995: 42,44) suggests that there are three different types of materials
evaluation which are “predictive” or “pre-use”, “in-use”, and “retrospective” or “post-use”
(reflective).
He argues that the most common form is probably the “predictive” or “pre-use” evaluation

that is designed to examine the future or potential performance of a textbook. The other
types of textbooks evaluation are the “in-use” evaluation designed to examine material that
is currently being used and the “retrospective” or “post-use” (reflective) evaluation of a
textbook that has been used in any respective institution.
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2.4. Criteria for materials evaluation
As there are many textbooks available commercially these days, systematic criteria have to
be developed or adapted from the ones available in the literature to evaluate them. „It is
clear that course book assessment is fundamentally a subjective, rule-of-thumb activity, and
that no neat formula, grid, or system will ever provide a definitive yardstick,‟ (Sheldon,
1988: 245). Sheldon further makes it clear that „ELT books are frequently seen as poor
compromise between what is educationally desirable on the one hand and financially viable
on the other‟, (p. 237). A number of scholars (Candlin & Breen, 1979; Williams, 1983;
Breen et al., 1987; Hutchinson and Waters, 1987; Sheldon, 1988; Cunningsworth, 1995;
Littlejohn, 1996; to name but a few) have offered criteria for textbooks evaluation. These
invariably deal with:
 External criteria (extra-linguistic: authenticity of language, availability of
supplementary materials, adequate instructions for the student and guidance for the
teacher, appropriate level of integration into the course of study, quality of editing and
publishing, price).
 Internal criteria (related to language: pronunciation, grammar, content).
3. Materials adaptation
There is a wide range of adapting textbooks in the ELT world these days. It is done
because different countries teaching English practice different cultures, traditions, customs,
and above all, use different text materials and methodologies. The materials designed
keeping in view a particular country and culture may not be equally suitable for others.
Therefore, they have to be adapted to suit to the local needs and linguistic proficiency of the
learners in questions.
3.1. Definitions of adaptation

Many definitions of adaptation have been given by scholars for long. According to Madsen
and Bowen (1978), “every teacher is in a very real sense an adapter of the material he uses”,
and adaptation is a process of employing “one or more of a number of techniques:
supplementing, editing, expanding, personalizing, simplifying, modernizing, localizing, or
modifying cultural/situational content”. Meanwhile, Ellis (1986: 47) mentions the processes
of “retaining, rejecting, reordering, and modification”. In 1998, Tomlinson refers to
adaptation as “making changes to materials in order to improve them more suitable for a
particular type of learner. Adaptation can include reducing, adding, omitting, modifying,
and supplementing”.
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Whatever the definitions they give, adaptation can be understood as a process of
matching so as to maximize the appropriacy of teaching materials in context, by changing
some of the internal characteristics of a textbook or a set of materials to better suit a specific
situation.
3.2. Purposes of adaptation
The two most frequently cited purposes for adaptation are as follows:
 To make the material more suitable for the circumstances in which it is being used,
i.e. to mould it to the needs and interests of learners, the teacher‟s own capabilities and
such constraints as time, or, as McDonough and Shaw (1993: 85) put it: „to maximize
the appropriacy of teaching materials in context, by changing some of the internal
characteristics of a coursebook to better suit our particular circumstances‟
 To compensate for any intrinsic deficiencies in the material, such as linguistic
inaccuracies, out-of-datedness, lack of authenticity (Madsen and Bowen, 1987) or lack
of variety (Tice, 1991).
3.3. Reasons for adapting
It is obvious that no matter how careful the teacher is in choosing the textbook, how well
she knows students in class, she will have to adapt the materials either consciously or
subconsciously.
McDonough and Shaw (1993) give a list of reasons for adaptation, which clearly reflects a

concern that communicative language teaching implies an unsystematic approach to
grammar presentation and a belief that a systematic approach to grammar presentation is
necessary.
 Not enough grammar coverage in general.
 Not enough practice of grammar points of particular difficulty to these learners.
 The communicative focus means that grammar is presented unsystematically.
 Reading passages contain too much unknown vocabulary.
 Comprehension questions are too easy, because the answers can be lifted directly
from the text with no real understanding.
 Listening passages are inauthentic, because they sound too much like written
material being read out.
 Not enough guidance on pronunciation.
 Subject matter inappropriate for learners of this age and intellectual level.
 Photographs and other illustrative material not culturally acceptable.
 Amount of material too great/ too little to cover in the time allocated to lessons.
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 No guidance for teachers on handling group work and role play activities with large
a class.
 Dialogues too formal, and not really representative of everyday speech.
 Audio material difficult to use because of problems to do with room size and
technical equipments.
 Too much or too little variety in the activities.
 Vocabulary list and a key to the exercise would be helpful.
 Accompanying tests needed.
According to Cunningsworth (1995), adaptation depends on such factors as: the dynamics
of the classroom; the personalities involved; the constraints imposed by syllabuses; the
availability of resources; the expectations and motivations of the learners.
Adaptation is also appropriate when materials are not ideal in (a) methods; (b) language
content; (c) subject matter; (d) balance of skills; (e) progression and grading and (f) cultural

content.
Candlin and Breen (1980)‟s list implies that published materials are limited in that they do
not provide many opportunities for real communication; instead they simply provide oral
practice of linguistic structures:
 Communicative materials do not provide enough opportunities for negotiation
(personal or psychological) between the learner and the text.
 Communicative materials do not provide enough opportunities for interpersonal or
social negotiation between all participants in the learning process, between learners and
teachers, and learners and learners.
 Activities and tasks do not promote enough communicative performance.
 Activities and tasks do not promote enough metacommunicating opportunities.
 Activities and tasks do not promote co-participation. Teachers and learners are not
involved as co-participants in the teaching-learning process.
In addition, Helgesen (2005) gives the avoidance of PARSNIPS – variations on the theme
of: Politics, Alcohol, Religion, Sex, Nudity, Israel, Pork, and Smoking, which is seen as one
of the most notorious things that occur in textbooks. There may be good reasons to avoid
most of these when a book is aimed at an international audience, but many of these reasons
simply are not relevant in a known class of known students, and indeed include many
important aspects of life that must be included in an English course. For example, how
could a business English course achieve an aim of helping business people socialize with
their Australian counterparts without mention of alcohol? How could intercultural
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understanding be achieved without mention of religion? A course without some aspects of
PARSNIPS will not just be a very bland course; it will also be an incomplete and
inadequate course. Phillipson (2004) goes a step further and mentions that avoiding
PARSNIPS in real classrooms is, in most cases, unethical.
As for the teachers themselves, their individual teaching and life experiences, styles, areas
of expertise and weakness, all add an inevitable uniqueness to each lesson. As Charles
Sandy (2002) said, “no two teachers interact with a language textbook in the same way.

Teachers also give meaning to a textbook by who they are and what they‟re capable of as
they guide students through it”. This may or may not be conscious adaptation, but is still
adaptation.
From the above reasons for material adaptation, it can be referred that the number of
classroom situations when materials adaptation is advisable is uncountable.
3.4. Objectives of adapting
It is important to have clear adaptation objectives for the materials, because knowing what
“works” for your class will help guide your choice of adaptation techniques as well as
decide the suitable content or language choice.
McDonough and Shaw (1993) point out that greater attainment of appropriacy from
materials means adapting to personalize, individualize, localize, and modernize.
Personalizing refers to increasing the relevance of content in relation to learners‟ interests
and their academic, educational, or professional needs. Individualizing will address the
learning styles both of individuals and of the members of a class working closely together.
Localizing takes into account the international geography of English language teaching and
recognizes that what may work well in Mexico City may not do so in Edinburgh or in Kuala
Lumper. Madsen and Bowen (1978) include a further category of “modernizing”, and
comment that not all materials show familiarity with aspects of current English usage,
sometimes to the point of being not only out of date or misleading but even incorrect.
Islam and Mares (cited by Tomlinson, 2003) expand this list into:
 Add real choice
 Cater for all sensory learners styles
 Provide for more learner autonomy
 Encourage his higher-level cognitive
 Make the language input more accessible
 Make the language input more engaging
3.5. Categories of adaptation
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3.5.1. Adaptation as addition

 Extemporisation: In adaptation process it is not necessary for a teacher to involve in so
much extra work, because the most natural form of adaptation is extemporisation, which is a
spontaneous on the part of the teacher to a problem or an opportunity (Madsen and Bowen
1978, McDonough and Shaw 1993). Extemporisation may be carried out by the substitution
in a textbook example of the familiar for the unfamiliar; the paraphrase of a textbook
instruction or explanation that has not been understood; or reference to previously taught
items (structures, vocabulary, phonemes, functions) when teaching new items.
 Extension: Extension seems to have been largely ignored in the literature (McDonough
and Shaw, 1993: 88 – 90). It refers to the provision by the teacher of additional material in
order to enhance understanding or learning such as further examples of a rule or further
items in an exercise.
 Exploitation: Exploitation is “the creative use of what is already there (e.g. text, visual,
activity) to serve a purpose which is additional to that foreseen by the textbook writer”. For
example, a text accompanied by a photograph may intend to develop comprehension skills
and linguistic resources but a teacher might use it for some additional purposes such as to
predict the content or brainstorm related vocabulary; the topic and language of the text
might provide the basis for discussion of students‟ own experiences.
 Supplementation: Supplementation is quite common among teachers. According to Ian
Mc Grath (2002:80):
Supplementation, which means no more than “adding something new”, stems
primarily from the recognition of a deficit: it is an attempt to bridge the gap between
a coursebook and an official syllabus (or statement of aims), or a coursebook and
the demands of a public examination, or a coursebook and students’ needs.
We can supplement a textbook in one of two ways:
a. By utilizing items, such as exercises, texts or activities, from another published
sources.
b. By devising our own materials, this may include the exploitation of authentic visual
or textual items.
3.5.2. Adaptation as change
When teachers of ELT consider adaptation, they should be concerned about some issues.

Cunningsworth (1984: 66) suggests:
 What does the exercise actually get the learner to do?
 What do I want the learner to do?
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 How can get the exercise to do what I want it to do for the learner?
 What is the objective of the activity?
When asking themselves the four questions, starting with the objective of the activity, then
the methods and the content and topic, teachers may find the problem of “the textbook
straightjacket”. Tice (1991: 23) provide some flexible ways to make a change:
Many coursebook adopt a very similar format for each unit and include a rather
limited range of exercise types… You can also set up role-plays and sketches based
on the reading and listening tests. Grammar exercised can be adapted; for example,
supply the answers to an exercise to half the class, and let them work with a partner
who doesn’t have the answers. Or supply the answers to an exercise; some wrong,
and then do a sentence auction (in groups, learners bid for correct sentences.
McDonough and Shaw‟s description of the purpose of adaptation mentions two processes
which are involved in adaptation: the evaluation of materials against contextual criteria and
the tailoring of the materials to suit these criteria. What teachers of ELT have to pay much
attention to is the foci and the forms of this kind of change. The foci would include “(1)
language – the language of explanations, examples, texts, exercises and the language that
students are expected to produce; (2) the contexts and content to which the language relates;
and (3) procedure and classroom management – who does what with whom and how this is
organized.
The fourth kind of change – restructuring might be an attempt to make the order more
logical. Examples of this would include resequencing activities such as cutting up a text and
asking students to put it together again, presenting a picture story in jumbled order…
3.6. Techniques for adaptation
According to McDonough and Shaw (1993), there are a number of points to bear in mind
regarding the techniques that can be applied to bring about change. First, techniques are

selected according to the aspect of the materials that needs alteration. Second, content can
be adapted using a range of techniques; or, conversely, a single technique can be applied to
different content areas. Third, adaptation can have both quantitative and qualitative effects.
Finally, techniques can be used individually or in combination with others, so the scale of
possibilities clearly ranges from straightforward to rather complex. McDonough and Shaw
(1993) suggest five main techniques for adaptation: adding, deleting, modifying,
simplifying, and reordering. Other scholars such as Cunningsworth (1995), Tomlinson
(1998), and McGrath (2002) share the same boat about the techniques with just a little
difference in terms. Tomlinson (1998) gives five techniques: adding (extending and
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expanding), deleting (subtracting and abridging), simplifying, reordering, and replacing
material. McGrath (2002) gives four techniques: selecting, rejecting, adding, and changing.
3.6.1. Adding; extending and expanding
When adding to published materials, the teacher is supplementing the existing materials and
providing more material. The teacher can do this by either extending or expanding.
Extending is to supply more of the same type of materials, thus making a quantitative
change in the material. For example, an activity may practice a particular grammar point by
asking the learner to complete a sentence with the missing verb in the correct form, such as
the simple past. The textbook may have provided ten sentences for this treatment, but the
teacher may value this type of activity for her particular class and adapt the textbook by
adding five more sentences with missing verbs.
Meanwhile, expanding is to add something different to the materials, so the change is
qualitative. For example, when teaching the simple past, the teacher may feel her students
need to be made aware of the different sounds of verb endings but the textbook does not
address this phonetic issue. Consequently, she may add an activity or series of activities that
deal with the phonetics of the past simple.
It is important to note that additions to materials can come at the beginning, at the end or in
the middle of the materials being adapted.
3.6.2. Deleting; subtracting and abridging

As with the technique of adding, material can be deleted both quantitatively (subtracting) or
qualitatively (abridging). Adding and deleting work together in the sense that part of a text
or an exercise may be taken out and then replaced with something else of the same types.
Moreover, a task may be deleted and compensated by a more suitable one to meet the
objectives of the whole unit. So it is necessary to take into account the balance of the lesson
as well as the time allocation when these techniques of adaptation are applied.
3.6.3. Simplifying
When simplifying, the teacher could be rewording instructions or text in order to make them
more accessible to learners, or simplifying a complete activity to make it more manageable
for learners and teachers. It is worth pointing out here that there is a distinct danger of
distoring language when attempting to simplify a text and thus making the text inauthentic.
McDonough and Shaw (1993) suggest simplification could be in the following forms:
 Sentence structure: sentences are reduced in overall length, or complex sentence is
rewritten as a number of simple ones
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 Lexical content: so that the number of new vocabulary items is controlled by
reference to what students have already learnt.
 Grammatical structures: for example, passives are converted into actives, simple
past to simple present, etc.
3.6.4. Reordering
This technique refers to “the possibility of arranging the parts of a textbook in a different
order. This can be the adjustment of the sequence within a unit, or even the arrangement of
different units in a textbook”. (McDonough and Shaw, 1993) Nevertheless, there are limits
to the scale of what teachers can do, and too many changes may result in almost complete
reworking of a textbook. The technique of reordering can be used in the following
situations:
 Materials typically present “the future” by “will” and “going to”. For many learners,
especially at intermediate level and above, it is helpful to show the relationship between
time reference and grammatical tense in a more accurate way.

 The length of teaching program may be too short for the textbook to be worked
through from beginning to end. Apparently in this case, the students‟ need of language
will determine the sequence in which the material will be taken. There is little point in
working systematically through a textbook if key aspects of grammar, vocabulary, or
communicative function are never reached.
 “Reordering” can include separating items of content from each other as well as
regrouping them and putting them together.
3.6.5. Replacing
When replacing material, a teacher may decide that a more appropriate visual or text might
serve an activity better than the ones presented in a published material. This is often the case
with culturally specific or time-specific activities. A teacher may decide to replace an
illustration for one that students could identify with more closely or use information
concerning a popular figure with what the students are familiar rather than the one presented
in the published materials. Teachers may also decide to replace a whole activity depending
on the goals of a particular class or lesson. For example, a reading activity might be
replaced with a listening activity.
To sum up, the ability to be able to adapt textbooks in these ways is an essential skill for
teachers to develop. Through the process of adaptation, the teacher personalizes the text
making it a better teaching resource as well as individualizes it for a particular group of
learners. Normally this process takes place gradually as the teacher becomes more familiar
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with the book since the dimensions of the text which need adaptation may not be apparent
until the book is tried out in the classroom.
3.7. A framework for adaptation



Need to

Localize Individualize etc
By means of
Techniques


Adding Deleting Modifying Simplifying Reordering
Applied to
Content areas


Language practice Texts Skills Classroom management etc
Figure 1: A framework for adaptation (McDonough and Shaw, 1993)
In conclusion, the literature review has examined various studies and issues concerning
adapting materials in EFL/ ESL class. Brief discussions from the researcher have also given
out with the review. In order to have a practical view deep into the problem, a research
methodology is vital. This would be dealt in the next chapter.



Chapter two: The Study
To realize the objectives of the thesis, this chapter first starts with an overview on HFLC, in
which background, facility, trend of development of the Center is briefly presented. In
addition, an analysis on teachers, students, materials, and material assessments will be very
Match or congruence
“External” criteria
“Internal” criteria
Personalize
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important for the realization of the study, for without them the author will find it impossible
to sort out reasonable adaptation of the material.
1. Background
1.1. An overview on Haiphong Foreign Language Center, Haiphong University
Haiphong Foreign Language Center (HFLC), Haiphong University was established in 1976
and has become a reliable address for those who are eager to learn foreign languages. The
scale of study is widely expanded for learners, from elementary (A level), pre-intermediate
(B level), intermediate (C level), and to upper-intermediate (tertiary level) from the year of
1990.
HFLC has currently over 170 classes with nearly 7,000 students. Generally, in the Center,
students at A level classes occupy the largest proportion, next come students at B level, and
the smallest is students at C level. There have been an increasing number of learners
attending tertiary education from 6 classes annually in 1990 to 30 classes in 2010. These
figures show that it is potential for teachers at this Center to access to students of various
levels, different competence, and variable requirements, thereby can develop their teaching
methods as much as they can.
1.2. Teachers and teaching method
In the Center, there are 24 official teachers of English and nearly 100 contracted teachers. In
classes of A, B, or C level, each teacher is responsible for one class separately. This means
he/she has to perform his/her task with four skills simultaneously. Hence it is not easy at all
for a teacher to do well all the time with four different skills.
In addition, most of the teachers especially who used to be teachers of Russian and had
informal or in-service ELT training courses though experienced enough still reveal their
limitations in language knowledge and are not used to applying communicative approach in
their teaching. They often attach themselves to the traditional teaching method, in which
grammar and vocabulary always become the focus of their attention every lesson and three
teaching stages: presentation, controlled practice, and free-practice are dominantly used. In
all three stages of the lesson, teachers remain the center of the class.
1.3. Students
The students of English at HFLC are quite different in age, sex, and learning purposes.

Some of them are still very young, and they learn English sometimes under the pressure of
their parents. In such cases, the motivation is not strong and clear enough. There are also
many school children attending English classes to get a good ability of English grammar to
do well in their examinations. So apart from grammar, other skills are not paid much
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attention to. To adult learners, all of the four skills are essential both in communication and
working management. The learners are, therefore, strongly activated. Also, there are a
considerable number of teachers from different primary or secondary schools in Haiphong
whose English knowledge needs upgrading regularly. These learners have certainly
experienced certain methods of teaching and learning English before joining the lessons in
the Center.
With learners of various ages, language competence, learning purposes, etc, it is hard for
teachers in the Center to find the best way to give their lectures, especially when four skills
of English are interwoven and required simultaneously but only one teacher takes the class.
1.4. Materials
English, as mentioned above, is taught at different level (A, B, C level, and tertiary
education). At A, B, C level, the books Streamline English – Departure, Connection, and
Destination by Bernard Hartley & Peter Viney are mainly used in evening classes. At the
same time, the series books New Interchange by Jack C.Richards are used for some instant
classes in the mornings and afternoons.
Being a textbook, Streamline English provides reading passages of various topics but not
theme-based. Mainly they are designed for the aims of teaching grammar more than reading
skill, oral skill and writing skill. From the combination of the four skills in one text, and
probably poor organization of the book, teachers at the Center find it hard to develop
intensively each skill separately. Therefore, the appearance of the series New Interchange
has put a new way in teaching and learning English at the Center, despite of its small-scale
usage. The reason for this is that New Interchange is a multi-level textbook which covers
the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, as well as improving
pronunciation and building vocabulary. Particular emphasis is placed on listening and

speaking. The primary goal of the book is to teach the ability to communicate according to
the situation, purpose, and roles of the participants. The language used in New Interchange
is American English; however, the book reflects the fact that English is the major language
of international communication and is not limited to any one country, region, or culture.
In the limitation of the thesis, the author wishes to give some evaluations on the first level
book – New Interchange Intro – which is designed for beginners and for learners needing a
thorough review of basic structures and vocabulary. Then some samples of adaptation will
be given out.
1.5. Material evaluation
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New Interchange Intro contains 16 six-page units, each divided into two topical/functional
“cycles,” as well as four review units. Full level of New Interchange Intro contains between
90 and 120 hours of class instruction time. The amount of time spent on Interchange
Activities, Reading, Optional Activities, and the Workbook can be increased or decreased
depending on specific classes‟ time.
As Sheldon (1988: 247) suggests, no general list of criteria can ever really be applied to all
teaching and learning contexts without considerable modifications, most of these
standardized evaluation checklists contain similar components that can be used as helpful
starting points for ELT practitioners in a wide variety of situations.
A number of textbook evaluation checklists and guidelines have been studied for the present
thesis to evaluate the textbook New Interchange Intro. For the purpose of the minor thesis,
the author would like to apply the four-guideline approach proposed by Cunningsworth
(1995: 15-17). These guidelines are broad principles that underlie much longer and more
familiar checklists of the type commonly used in “predictive” evaluations, i.e. those done
when choosing a book for a certain course (Ellis, 1997: 36). By themselves, however, the
guidelines support the thesis by allowing detailed comment on the syllabus and
methodology employed. They also follow a logical progression from general to particular.
1.5.1. Guideline one: Coursebooks should correspond to learners‟ needs. They
should match the aims and objectives of the language learning program.

 Statement of audience, aims, and objectives
Needless to say, each textbook has an explicit set of objectives. The textbook is composed
with those objectives in mind and its ultimate aim, or purpose, becomes the fulfillment of
those objectives. According to the author, New Interchange Intro is meant for use by adult
and young adult learners and provides about 120 hours of class instruction time. The author
claims that the course “has an integrated, multi-skills syllabus that links topics,
communicative functions, and grammar.” Grammar is presented communicatively, with
controlled accuracy-based activities leading to fluency - based communicative practice. In
this way, there is a link between grammatical form and communicative function.
This combination of the traditional and the communicative appears to be the key to the New
Interchange Intro philosophy. The underlying premise seems to be that traditional
approaches are effective in developing formal competence but in themselves are not
enough. This idea has a strong history among methodologists and coursebook writers. New
Interchange Intro‟s author presents the equation as simple: make up for the deficiencies of
one approach by supplementing from another.