How teachers exploit the textbook a survey at Vinh Tuong high school, Vinh Phuc = Cách giáo viên khai thác sách giáo khoa khảo sát tại trường THPT Vĩnh Tường

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
******





PHẠM THỊ MINH TÂM





HOW TEACHERS EXPLOIT THE TEXTBOOK: A SURVEY
AT VINH TUONG HIGH SCHOOL, VINH PHUC

(CÁCH GIÁO VIÊN KHAI THÁC SÁCH GIÁO KHOA: KHẢO SÁT TẠI
TRƯỜNG THPT VĨNH TƯỜNG, VĨNH PHÚC)



M.A MINOR THESIS



Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 601410

HANOI, 2012
iv

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1:
A thematic classification of teacher images for English-
language
Figure 2:
Description of participants
Figure 3:
The observation schedule
Figure 4:
The interview schedule
Figure 5:
Teachers‟ opinions about advantages of textbooks
Figure 6:
Teachers‟ opinions about the disadvantages of textbooks
Figure 7:
Adaptation techniques used by teachers

v

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Abstract
List of figures
PART I: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………. 1
1.
Rationale of the study…………………………………………………
1
2.
Aims of the study…………………………………
2
3.
Research questions……………………………………………………
2
4
Significance of the study………………………………………………
2
5.
Scope of the study………………………………………………………

3
6.
Design of the study……………………………………………………
3

PART II: DEVELOPMENT………………………………………………
CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………….
4
4
1.
Textbook………………………………………………………………
4

1.1. Definition………………………………………………………
4

1.2. The role of textbooks in the EFL/ESL classroom………………
4

1.3. Advantages and disadvantages of textbooks……………………
5
2.
Textbook exploitation and adaptation in EFL classroom……………
7

2.1. Teachers‟ attitudes toward textbook exploitation………………
7

2.2. Different ways in textbook exploitation………………………
10

3.
Review of related studies……………………………………………….
13
4.
The influence of context on teachers‟ use of textbook……………
16



CHAPTER TWO: THE STUDY

1.
Setting and background…………………………………………………
18
vi


1.1. The school………………………………………………………
18

1.2. The teachers and the students……………………………………
18

1.3. The textbooks…………………………………………………….
18

1.4. Assesment procedure……………………………………………
19
2.
Participants……………………………………………………………

19
3.
Instruments……………………………………………………………
20

3.1. Classroom observation…………………………………………
21

3.2. Interviews………………………………………………………
22
CHAPTER THREE: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION…………………….
24
1.
Research question 1……………………………………………………
24
2.
Research question 2……………………………………………………
28
PART III: CONCLUSION…………………………………………………
32
1.
Conclusions……………………………………………………………
32
2.
Pedagogical suggestions for a more effective exploitation of textbooks.
32
3.
Limitations of the study…………………………………………………
34
4.

Suggestions for further research………………………………………
35
REFERENCES……………………………………………………………….
36
APPENDICES……………………………………………………………
I
Apendix A-1
A format of observation notes………………………………
I
Appendix A-2

An extract from the observation data of one of the
participants………………………………………………….

II
Appendix B-1
A format of interview notes………………………………
III
Apendix B-2
A sample of an interview note with one of the participants
V



1

PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale of the study
According to Richards (2005), textbooks are the core element of most
language programs. They are expected to provide teachers and learners with

all the essentials of a subject or the general outline of a course. In many cases,
textbooks are the main source of the language input the students receive and
the language practice which occurs in classroom. For the inexperienced
teachers, the textbook can guide them how to plan and teach the lessons.
There are assumptions saying that textbooks have their own negative effects
on language teaching and learning (Hutchinson & Torres, 1994) but they are
still an important component of almost every language program.
In Vietnam, English has been a compulsory subject at upper-secondary
schools since late 1980s. Like other subjects at schools, English is taught
following the textbook designed by the Ministry of Education and Training
(MOET). There are a considerable number of studies about the difficulties
that teachers and learners meet when using the textbook or about the textbook
evaluation and adaption. These include the studies by Phung (2008), Vu
(2010), Alamri (2008), Litz (2001). Whereas, the teachers‟ attitudes towards
textbook and the way they exploit it have not been paid much attention. For
such reasons, this research is carried out to investigate what the English
teachers at Vinh Tuong upper-secondary school think about textbooks in
general and how they exploit them. The researcher also hopes to give some
suggestions and recommendations basing on the results of the study to
contribute to English teaching and learning at the school.



2

2. Aims of the study
The study is aimed to probe the way that the English teachers at Vinh
Tuong high school, in Vinh Phuc province, exploit textbooks. Within this
purpose, the three central objectives are:
(i) To investigate the teachers‟ opinions about the advantages and

disadvantages of textbooks
(ii) To investigate the way the teachers exploit textbooks
(iii) To give some suggestions and recommendations to contribute to the
teaching and learning English at Vinh Tuong high school.
3. Research questions
In order to achieve the aims of the study, two research questions are
raised:
1. What are the teachers‟ attitudes towards textbooks?
a. What are the teachers‟ opinions about the advantages of textbooks?
b. What are the teachers‟ opinions about the disadvantages of textbooks?
c. What do the teachers use textbook for?
2. What kind of adaptations do the teachers make when using textbooks? Why?
4. Significance of the study
Although the study is carried out as a small scale one, the researcher
hopes that its results can (1) help the English teachers at Vinh Tuong high
school have an overview about the advantages and disadvantages of the
textbook in order to find the most effective way to exploit it; 2) keep teacher
trainers aware of the way that some high school teachers exploit the textbook.




3

5. Scope of the study
The paper focuses on the exploitation of the textbook to teach English
at a particular high school. The participants of the study are restricted to a
group of English teachers at Vinh Thuong high school, in Vinh Phuc province.
6. Design of the study
The study consists of five chapters

Part I: (Introduction), presents the rationale, aims, research questions,
significance, scope and the design of the study
Part II: Development
Chapter 1: (Literature Review) presents an overview of the theoretical
background of the research
Chapter 2: (Methodology) provides the setting of the study, participants, and
instruments
Chapter 3: (Results and discussion) presents the findings for the two research
questions and further discussion on these findings in the relationship
with the literature.
Part III: (Conclusion) summarizes the study, the limitations of the study,
some recommendations as well as suggestions for further studies.
Following this chapter are the Reference list and Appendices.








4

PART II: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter provides an overview of the theoretical background of the
research.
1. Textbook
1.1. Definition
In the Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary (8

th
edition), textbook is
generally defined as “a book that teaches a particular subject and that is used
especially in schools and colleges”. This definition just provides a simple
understanding about textbook. For a more comprehensive view about who use
textbooks, and how they are employed, the definition of Tomlinson (1998) is
more suitable. He states that a course book or a textbook “provides the core
materials for a course. It aims to provide as much as possible in one book and
is designed so that it could serve as the only book which the learners
necessarily use during a course. Such a book usually includes work on
grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, functions and the skills of reading,
writing, listening and speaking” (Tomlinson, 1998, p.vii).
1.2. The role of textbooks in the EFL/ESL classroom
According to Sheldon (1987) as cited in Lawrence (2011, p.5), textbook is
especially designed and published to help learner to improve their language
skills. Textbook is not only a learning instruments, it also supports teachers in
their teaching (O‟neil, 1982; Ur, 1996).
Textbook has been used widespread in different ELT contexts and it plays a
vital role in ELT classrooms all over the world (Laurence, 2011). It is almost
a universal element of ELT teaching (Hutchinson & Torres, 1994) and
essensial in any ELT program (Sheldon, 1988). It is extremely common to see
5

ELT teachers use textbooks in their daily teaching; very few of them would
not (Laurence, 2011).
The important role of textbooks in ELT teaching is obvious. However, the
question of whether textbooks can actually help or hinder the teaching and
learning process has been discussing. From this point, the researcher would
like to review on both the advantages and disadvantages in using textbooks in
ELT teaching.

1.3. Advantages and disadvantages of textbooks
Throughout the history of language teaching and learning research, there are
many studies about using textbooks. These studies express arguments for as
well as against the use of textbooks.
O‟Neill (1982, p.105) approves of using textbooks in teaching because 1) he
can find many things suitable for his students in the materials; 2) they allow
his students to see the lessons beforehand and revise what they have learned;
3) they save his money and time in preparing the lessons; 4) they guide his
adaption and improvisation in the process of teaching.
Sheldon (1988, p.237) identifies three main reasons for which textbooks are
widely used. Firstly, developing their own classroom materials is extremely
difficult for teachers. Secondly, textbooks are “labor-saving tools”, they save
the teachers‟ time and effort in preparing teaching materials. Last but not least,
textbooks help teachers cope with external pressures, such as the heavy
timetables.
Hutchinson and Torres (1994) argue that textbooks play a positive role in
everyday use and in the process of change. They provide a structure for lesson
management and a basis for negotiation in education. They are a “flexible
frame-work” that learners and teachers need to make informed choices. In
6

term of negotiation, textbooks are visible, which makes it possible for all the
relevant parties take part in the process. Moreover, textbooks help to
“re-skill” the teachers; when textbooks are developed, teachers will need
more skills to use it.
Ur (1996, p.193) states that the course book provides a set framework and a
“jumping-off point” for his new ideas in teaching. His students also feel that
their learning is taken more seriously when using a textbook.
Additionally, Richards (2005) claims that textbooks help to standardize the
instruction. Students in different classes get exposed to the same content so

they can be tested in the same way. Wen-Cheng,W (2011) also shares
Richards in the idea that textbooks may provide multiple learning and
teaching resources, for example, workbooks, CDs and Videos .
In general, the most prominent positive effect of textbooks is they meet the
teachers‟ and learners‟ needs. Learners need a textbook for it shows them
what is to be learned and what will be tested; it makes their learning outside
classroom possible. Teachers need a textbook because it is a map, a structure
for their teaching; it saves their time and effort in designing materials; it helps
to standardize the instruction and testing; a highly developed textbook can
even improve the teachers‟ teaching skill. Besides, administrators can use
textbooks to ensure that there is some degree of standardization and parents
can use them to measure their children‟s progress.
It is obvious that “Textbook not only survives, it thrives” (Hutchinson &
Torres, 1994, p.316) for many of its advantages. However, we should be
aware of its potential negative effects in order to make full use of the textbook.
One of the advantages of the textbooks mentioned earlier is that they provide
a basic framework on how a lesson can be delivered. In fact, many teachers,
therefore, would rely heavily on the textbook and become uncreative in
7

teaching and follow the textbook uncritically (Ur, 1996, p.185). This might
lead to the situation that teachers do not want to design their own materials
and teach the textbook, not the language itself (McGrath, 2002). Although the
textbook can be a structure for both teaching and learning process, they
cannot satisfy all the needs of every different learner or class (Ur, 1996;
Williams, 1983). Allwright (1981) argues that textbooks may affect the
involvement of students in the language acquisition process. He suggests that
a pre-packaged set of textbooks cannot sufficiently cater for the complex
learning process. The set structure of textbooks may confine the teachers‟
creativity and imagination and demotivate the learners (Ur, 1996). Teachers

may even be led to the thought that the activities and tasks in the textbook are
better than their own ideas (McGrath, 2002).
In short, the textbook has a lot of positive effects in the learning and teaching
process in spite of some limitations in certain cases. This is the reason that
makes textbooks an “essential constituent” of almost all teaching-learning
conditions in EFL classrooms (Litz, 2001, p.5).
2. Textbook exploitation in EFL classroom
2.1. Teachers’ attitudes toward textbook exploitation
Lakoff and Johnson (1980, p.128) state that imaginative and creative
metaphors can reveal new understanding about our life, knowledge and belief.
According to Botha (2009), metaphors in education refer to unfamiliar
phenomenon, events or actions as familiar ones (e.g. Teachers are guides,
learning is an uphill battle).
According to McGrath (2002, p.7-8) metaphors about textbooks can offer a
useful insight into the way teachers perceive course books. He investigated
metaphors by teachers in different contexts, which can be divided into three
main themes:
8

1. Control: A textbook is compared with “a holly book, a compass, a
straitjacket”.
2. Choice: A textbook provides teachers a wide range of choices as “a
supermarket, a recipe”
3. Support: A textbook supplies teaching with great support like “a
springboard, a survival kit, a crutch”
Each metaphor reveals the context in which teachers work and the way they
use the textbook. Accordingly, the metaphor that compares the course book as
a holy book is particularly worrying because of “its undertones of transferred
responsibility and undue veneration for the authority of the printed word”
(McGrath, 2002, p.8)

McGrath (2006) investigated the metaphors or similes that teachers and
students in a particular context in Hong Kong used for English language
coursebooks then compared them. He asks the participants, both teachers and
students to complete the statement “A course book is…” through metaphors
or similes. The teachers‟ images are organized into three positive categories,
guidance, support and resource and a negative one, constraint.










9


Figure 1: A thematic classification of teacher images for English-language
course books (McGrath, 2006, p.174)
Theme
Instances
Guidance
map
path
guideline
lighthouse
compass
Support

petrol
railing
belt
blind man‟s
stick

anchor

scaffolding

teacher‟s
parachute
Resource
Oil in
cooking
Supermarket

Salad
Tool
stone
Rice

Convenience
store
Music house

Coal mine
Cake
ingredients
Handbag

rainbow
Daily bread

Umbrella

Ring for the
fingers


menu
Constraint
Road block
millstone
straitjacket


There were also metaphors that did not belong to the classification above
because they express mixed feelings through explicit comparisons. For
examples:
A coursebook is like a choker that can make you look good but can also
make another feel suffocated.
A textbook is a thick wood, rich, you learn a lot, you see a lot [but] you get
entangled, you get lost.
A course-book is a smokescreen [subsequently explained as a sop to the
parents rather than a guide to what is actually done in class]
A textbook is like a pair of shoes. It takes time to choose one that you feel
comfortable to wear for a long time. A bad pair will kill you, give you
blisters. A good one will give you confidence to run, to jump, to fly high.
(McGrath, 2006, p.175)

10

Results of McGrath‟s studies show that the teachers, in their minds, are aware
of the advantages as well as the disadvantages of the textbook. This may
positively affect the way they exploit the textbook.
2.2. Different ways in textbook exploitation
From the investigation into teachers‟ attitudes towards textbooks, it can be
seen that there are two common ways of textbook exploitation. The first one
is totally dependent use and the second one is adaptation of textbook.
In many teaching contexts, teachers are under the pressure of following
everything in the textbook. This is mentioned as slavish use of textbooks in
Menkabu (2010, p.7).
It is suggested that teachers in many cases should use the textbook with
adaptation.
Tomlinson (1998, p. xi) defines materials adaptation as:
Making changes to materials in order to improve them or make them
more suitable for a particular type of learner. Adaptation can include
reducing, adding, omitting, modifying and supplementing.
According to McDonough and Shaw (2003) as cited in Menkabu (2010, p.5),
the main purpose of adaptation is “to maximize the appropriacy of teaching
materials in context, by changing some of the internal characteristics of a
course book to suit our circumstances better”. To achieve this purpose, many
researchers have suggested different techniques of adaptation. Ellis (1986,
cited in McGrath, 2002, p.62) mentions four processes, “retaining, rejecting,
reordering and modification”. Also cited in McGrath (2002, p.62), Madsen
and Bowen (1978) refer to adaptation as “one or more of a number of
techniques: supplementing, editing, expanding, personalizing, simplifying,
modernizing, localizing, or modifying cultural/situational content”. Menkabu
11

(2010, p.6) gives more specific explanations of some techniques introduced
by Tanner and Green (1998) and McDonough and Shaw (2003).
Deleting: Some materials or activities are not used for the lack of time,
inappropriate level of difficulty or being irrelevant to the examination in
future.
Editing: Teacher may take the activity in the textbook and change it so that it
is more suitable and interesting to their students. For example, the teacher can
use the vocabulary in the textbook to write exercises which help learners to
develop strategies in vocabulary learning.
Adding: The teacher can use different materials to supply to the textbook
being used.
Replacing: When the teacher sees that an activity in the textbook is not
suitable for their learners, they can replace it by another one.
Reordering: The teacher may reorder some activities in the textbook for
some specific purposes.
In relation to textbook adaptation, the question of supplementary materials
should also be revised. According to Tomlinson (1998, p. XIII)
supplementary materials are “materials designed to be used in addition to the
core materials of a course. They are usually related to the development of
skills of reading, writing, listening, or speaking rather than to the learning of
language items”. Block (1991, p. 213-215) argues that teachers should design
supplementary materials for three reasons. The first reason is
"contextualisation"; the information presented in textbooks is sometimes not
relevant to students. Teachers should use supplementary materials in these
cases to make the lessons more interesting to students. The second reason is
"timeliness" which means the information in textbooks may be out of date.
The third reason is "personal touch" explained as students appreciate the
12

teachers' effort in preparing supplementary materials and are encouraged to

learn. In addition to these reasons, Howard and Major (2005, p.102) state
that teachers design supplementary materials because of the “individual
needs”. Supplementary materials designed by a teacher are suitable for
students in a particular context. These materials are appropriate to the level of
learners in that context. The researchers also point out six factors that teachers
should bear in mind when designing supplementary material; 1) the learners,
2) the curriculum and the context, 3) resources and facilities, 4) personal
confidence and competence, 5) copyright compliance, 6) time. Last but not
least, Howard and Major (2005, p.104-107) suggest ten guidelines for
designing effective supplementary materials, they are:
1. English language teaching materials should be contextualized.
2. Materials should stimulate interaction and be generative in term of
language.
3. English language teaching materials should encourage learners to
develop language skills and strategies.
4. English language teaching materials should allow for a focus on
form as well as function.
5. English language teaching materials should offer opportunities for
integrated language use.
6. English language teaching materials should be authentic.
7. English language teaching materials should link to each other to
develop a progression of skills, understandings and language items
8. English language teaching materials should be attractive.
9. English language teaching materials should have appropriate
instruction.
10. English language teaching materials should be flexible.
13

Generally, the textbook is often invariable whereas the teaching contexts are
variable. Therefore, teachers should know what their learners need in order to

make effective adaptation of the textbook as well as design appropriate
supplementary materials when necessary.
3. Review of related studies
Hutchinson and Torres (1994, p.315) point out that the use of ELT textbook
has not been paid much attention. Menkabu (2010, p.6) also claims that the
number of researches in textbook use in classroom is limited; researchers
often carry our studies on the quality and appropriateness of the textbook. In
this section, some studies on the use of textbooks, both in ELT and non-ELT
context will be reviewed.
The first one is a non-ELT study which is carried out in the United
States by Stodolsky (1989) reviewed by Menkabu (2010, p.7-10). The
researcher investigated the use of textbook in mathematics and social classes
at some elementary schools using the data collected for another study. Though
the observations of six maths and six social studies teachers were not aimed to
study the textbook use, the records of every class were used for this purpose.
Stodolsky explored three aspects in textbook use:
The extent to which topics presented in the textbook were cover,
which sections of the textbook or other materials were used, and
which suggestions in the teacher‟s guide were followed.
(Menkabu, 2010, p.7)
Stodolsky found that the participants used the textbook in different ways.
They preserved all the topics presented in the textbook, but they changed the
order. The observed teachers did not follow all suggestions in the teacher‟s
guide; they just chose the ones that were suitable for their classes. She
concluded that the participants did not use textbooks in a “slavish” way
14

(totally dependent on the textbook); the textbook and the suggestions in the
teacher‟s guide were used critically. However, it is necessary to bear in mind
that the teachers in this study were highly experienced ones; this may be the

reason for them to use the textbook, use and modify the materials comfortably.
In 1996, Rechards and Mahoney conducted a study in ESL context in
Hong Kong. 326 English teachers were involved in this study. They were
asked to identify their beliefs and practices in textbook use by responding to
110 items. A six-point scale, open ended and multiple choice questions and
follow-up observations were used to investigate the teachers‟ beliefs about
textbooks and textbook writers, about the extent in using textbook, about
textbook selection and textbook evaluation. The finding was that most of the
teachers appreciated the usefulness of textbooks in their teaching but they did
not heavily depend on them.
Chandran (2003) (reviewed by Menkabu, 2010, p.8-9) explored the
teachers‟ beliefs and attitudes about the English textbooks in more than thirty
randomly selected Malaysian secondary schools. Sixty teachers, with different
backgrounds, including trainee teachers, newly appointed teachers and
experienced teachers were interviewed. The research showed that most of the
teachers, in fact, did not use the prescribed textbook because it was not
helpful for examinations. They would like to use materials with exercises
similar to the examination format so as to help their students cope with
examinations. I agree with Menkabu (2010, p.9) to the point that the design of
this study could have been strengthened if Chandran had carried out
classroom observations.
The last study in line that Menkabu (2010) reviewed is Lee and
Bathmaker (2006). The researchers investigated the perceptions towards the
use of textbooks of 23 language teachers from 11 secondary schools in
15

Singapore who were teaching 4 classes of Normal Technical students. They
wanted to find out whether the teachers used textbooks to teach literacy skills
or underestimated them because they were not the right materials for
examinations.

The data were collected with a semi-structured questionnaire and follow up
telephone interviews. The study revealed that the teachers used the prescribed
textbook in classroom to teach language skills but they often made some
changes so that it was more suitable for their students. Though the teachers
were aware of the advantages of the textbook, they usually used supplemented
materials which helped the students get exposed to the examination format. It
is obvious that the teachers in this study were not completely reliant in the
textbook. However, the potential reasons for this were explored by Lee and
Bathmarker (2006) in Menkabu (2010, p.9-10), they were “demands of
examination and teachers‟ perceptions towards Normal Technical pupils‟
cognitive weakness in English and their behavioral problems”.
Menkabu (2010) worked with 7 female English language instructors at
a Medical university in Saudi Arabia to explored the ways they used the ESP
textbook and the teacher‟ guide in teaching the first year students. The
research instruments used were class observations and interviews. For the
question how the teachers used the prescribed textbook, the finding was that
the teachers used the textbook in various ways. They often made some
adaptations according to their students‟ needs or their own preferences and
beliefs. It should be noted in this study that the teachers were working in ESP
context and they were always under the pressure of time, examinations and
limited knowledge on medical fields.
In Vietnam, it is difficult to find a study which directly investigates the
language teachers‟ attitudes towards the textbook and the way they use the
16

textbook in classroom. However, there are a considerable number of studies
about difficulties which students and teachers in certain contexts face when
using the prescribed textbooks and the ways they overcome them (Vu, 2010;
Nguyen, 2010; Vu, 2011). We can infer that the prescribed textbooks in Viet
Nam do not completely fit to every teaching context and the teachers are

aware of this. Consequently, they choose to adapt the textbook.
4. The influence of context on teachers’ use of textbook
From the reviewed studies above, we can see that examinations are a common
constraint which affects the teachers‟ use of textbook (Chandran, 2003; Lee &
Bathmaker, 2006; Menkabu, 2010). The institutions, the parents and the
students often base on the results of examinations to assess the teaching and
learning process. This is the explanation for the fact that many teachers
neglect some parts in the textbook which are irrelevant to examinations or
supplement the textbook with test form materials.
Another factor may influence the way teacher use textbooks is their attitudes
towards the cultural contents in textbooks. Gray (2000) conducted a study on
how teachers think about the cultural information in ELT reading materials.
The participants were 12 language teachers in Barcelona, most of whom came
from Britain. They were asked to respond to a short questionnaire. Over 90
percents of the teachers dropped or adapted the topics they felt uncomfortable
for classroom discussion, for example, one of the teacher abandoned the topic
about alcohol for not feeling comfortable with it. However, Gray (2000, p.
280) suggested that further exploration on textbooks as “a cultural artifact or
bearer of messages” is need
In summary, textbooks are proved to have a vital role in second language
teaching all over the world (Hutchinson & Torres, 1994, p.315) regardless of
some of its disadvantages. Yet, there are a limited number of studies on the
17

use of textbooks in ELT classroom (Hutchinson & Torres, 1994; Menkabu,
2010). In Vietnam, it is hard to find out a study directly explore this topic. As
a result, the researcher of the present study aims to contribute to the empirical
studies of textbooks by examining the language teachers‟ attitudes towards
textbooks and how they exploit them at Vinh Tuong high school, in Vinh
Phuc province.

18

CHAPTER TWO: THE STUDY
This chapter presents the context where the study took place followed by the
background information of the participants and the instruments as well as the
procedure used for data collection.
1. Setting and background
1.1. The school
Vinh Tuong is a 10-year-old high school, located in Vinh Tuong town – Vinh
Tuong district, Vinh Phuc province where students come from different
communes nearby. It was a semi-state school from 2003 to 2008. In the year
2009, the school was declared state school. It started with 10 classes, and
widened its number of classes up to over 24 up to now. Each of class has from

40 to 50 students. Beside boards, chalks, pictures and other visual aids
designed by teacher themselves, the class is now equipped with tapes, cassette
players and CDs.
1.2. The teachers and the students
There are 5 teachers of English at Vinh Tuong high school. The teachers
graduated from different universities. Most of them are rather young, which
means inexperienced but willing to learn new things.
The students at the school, in general, are not very good at English. Their
marks for English in the entrance exams are about 5 on average. The students
acknowledge the importance of English, but many of them are demotivated to
learn this subject because of their limited English ability.
1.3. The textbooks
The textbooks used at Vinh Tuong high school are three English books for
upper-secondary school students in Vietnam, English 10, English 11 and
English 12. This set of textbooks was written by a group of lecturers of
College of Foreign Languages (Vietnam national University, Hanoi). They
19

were designed under theme-based approach with 16 units. Each unit is
divided into 5 parts: reading, speaking, listening, writing and language focus.
After every three units, there is a Test Yourself, which provides some
exercises for the students to do in order to test how good they are at English.
1.4. Assessment procedure
Students are assessed mainly on the basis of regular 45-minute written tests
which are set by the English teacher group. These tests are in multiple- choice
formats for the purpose of getting students acquainted with the form of the
university entrance examinations. Students will be evaluated on their
pronunciation, grammar, structures, vocabulary and reading skill. The
speaking, listening, and writing skills are not being tested.
2. Participants

The participants of this study are 5 teachers of English (ranging from 25 to 32
years old) teaching at Vinh Tuong high school. All of them have at least 3
years‟ experience teaching at upper-secondary schools. They are willing to
participate in the study after the researcher has explained to them about the
investigation. The five teachers agreed that each of them would take part in an
interview after the researcher has randomly observed their five classes. The
information about the participants is described in the table below.

Figure 2: Description of participants

Teacher (T)
Gender
Qualification
Years of teaching English
T1
Female
University
3
T2
Male
University
5
T3
Female
University
7
T4
Female
University
6

20

T5
Female
University
3


3. Instruments
The study aims to investigate the teachers‟ attitudes towards textbooks and
their use in classroom. It is a qualitative research which is defined by Mackey
and Grass (2005) in Menkabu (2010, p.18) as a “research that is based on
descriptive data that does not make (regular) use of statistical procedures”. In
a qualitative research, detailed descriptions of individuals or events in their
natural settings are more concerned than issues of generalisability. Therefore,
it works effectively with few participants. According to Dornyei (2007, p.187)
as cited in Menkabu (2010, p.19), multiple method approaches in a qualitative
research can help to achieve “a description and explanation of what is
happening in classrooms”. For instance, Richards and Mahoney (1996)
combined questionnaires with classroom observation in order to investigate
teachers‟ beliefs and practices in respect to textbooks while Basterkmen,
Loewen and Ellis (2004) compared the teachers‟ stated beliefs with their
actual teaching in classrooms by employing interviews and observations.
In this research, the teachers‟ beliefs about the textbook, how they actually
exploit it and their purposes after such practises are investigated. Therefore, a
combination of observation and interview research method is necessary. The
observations are helpful in recording the participants‟ behaviors in a
naturalistic environment while the interviews reveal the participants‟
motivations for their classroom practises. The classroom observations are
conducted first for the purpose of describing the facts. The interviews are

carried out later to investigate the teachers‟ reasons for their practises in
21

classroom. The two research instruments enhance the validity and the
reliability of the study.


3.1. Classroom observation
It is worth using observation method because it provides a reseacher with
„live‟ data from real situations (Cohen et al., 2007 as mentioned in Menkabu,
2010). That is, it can help a researcher to avoid “limitations of self-report bias,
social desirability, or response set” (H.Macmillan & Schumacher, 1993,
p.257). In other words, “it allows researchers to see what people do without
having to rely on what they say they do” (Dornyei, 2007, p.185). However,
researchers should always bear in minds that observations may carry the risk
of bias. The presence of an observer in classrooms may cause the participants
to change their behaviours. For example, they may try harder in class; their
performance can be better or worse than normal. Consequently, “the quality
of oservational data is dependent on the skill with which the researcher
conducts the observation” (Dornyei, 2007, p.186).
According to Cohen et al. (2007) as introduced in Menkabu (2010, p.20),
there are three types of observation, which lie on the structured-unstructured
continuum. In structed observations, researchers have a specific focus with a
list of observation categories, whereas in unstructed observations, a researcher
will observe first then decide what is important for research. A combination
of structured and unstructured observation will form the third type.
Classroom obsevations in this current study are structured. The observation
note is a list of adaptation techniques that the participants may use in their
teaching. For the reason that each unit in the three textbooks English 10,
English 11 and English 12 have the same structure with 5 sections, reading,