A proposal for esp coursebook selection for third year students in tourism and hospitality department in a university based on needs analysis approach

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

GRADUATION THESIS

A PROPOSAL FOR ESP COURSEBOOK
SELECTION FOR THIRD-YEAR STUDENTS IN
TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY DEPARTMENT IN A
UNIVERSITY BASED ON NEEDS - ANALYSIS
APPROACH

Supervisor:
Student:
Course

Dr. Le Thi Hong Duyen
Ta Minh Loan
QH17E6

HA NOI – 2021


ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ
KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH

KHOÁ LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP

ĐỀ XUẤT LỰA CHỌN GIÁO TRÌNH TIẾNG ANH
CHUYÊN NGÀNH CHO SINH VIÊN NĂM 3 KHOA

QUẢN TRỊ DU LỊCH VÀ KHÁCH SẠN DỰA VÀO
PHÂN TÍCH NHU CẦU

Giáo viên hướng dẫn:
Sinh viên:
Khoá

TS. Lê Thị Hồng Duyên
Tạ Minh Loan
17E6SP

HÀ NỘI – NĂM 2021


Signature of Approval:

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Supervisor’s Comments & Suggestions
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TABLE OF CONTENT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ...................................................................................... 1
ABSTRACT............................................................................................................ 2
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 3
1. Rationale ......................................................................................................... 3
2. Research aims.................................................................................................. 4
3. Research questions .......................................................................................... 4
4. Scope of the study ........................................................................................... 4
5. Research method of the study ......................................................................... 5
6. Significance of the study ................................................................................. 5
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................ 6
2.1. English for Specific Purpose ........................................................................ 6
2.1.1. Definition of ESP .................................................................................. 6
2.1.2. Classification of ESP ............................................................................. 8
2.2. Needs analysis ............................................................................................ 10
2.2.1. Definition of Needs analysis ............................................................... 10
2.2.2. The role of Needs analysis in ESP ...................................................... 10
2.2.3. Models of Needs Analysis ................................................................... 11
2.3. Material evaluation .................................................................................... 12
2.3.1. Definition of material evaluation ........................................................ 12
2.3.2. Reasons for material evaluation .......................................................... 13
2.3.3. Types of material evaluation ............................................................... 13
2.3.4. Approaches to material evaluation ...................................................... 14
2.4. Review of previous studies ........................................................................ 17
2.4.1. International studies ............................................................................ 18
2.4.2. Domestic studies.................................................................................. 18
CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................ 20
3.1. Participants and sampling` ......................................................................... 20
3.1.1. The students ......................................................................................... 20

3.1.2. The recruiters ....................................................................................... 20
3.2. Data collection instruments ........................................................................ 21
3.2.1. Document analysis .............................................................................. 21
3.2.2. Questionnaires ..................................................................................... 22
3.2.3. Interviews ............................................................................................ 23


3.3. Data collection procedures and methods ................................................... 23
3.4. Summary .................................................................................................... 24
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .................................................. 25
4.1: The analysis of recruiters' expectations ..................................................... 25
4.2. The analysis of students' needs .................................................................. 29
4.2.1. Present situation analysis..................................................................... 29
4.2.2. Learning needs analysis....................................................................... 36
4.3: Material evaluation and suggested adaptation ........................................... 45
4.3.1. Aims .................................................................................................... 45
4.3.2 Contents ................................................................................................ 45
4.3.3. Methodology ....................................................................................... 55
4.4. Matching and suggestions for material adaptation .................................... 56
4.4.1. Matching .............................................................................................. 56
4.4.2. Suggestion for material adaptation ...................................................... 57
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ............................................................................. 59
5.1. Summary of the findings ............................................................................ 59
5.2. Implications and suggestions ..................................................................... 59
5.3. Limitations and suggestions for further research ....................................... 60
REFERENCE........................................................................................................ 61
APPENDIX 1: Questionnaire for third-year students .......................................... 63
APPENDIX 2: Questionnaire for recruiters from travel agencies ....................... 71
APPENDIX 3: Semi-structured interview questions for recruiters ...................... 73
APPENDIX 4: Questionnaire consent form ......................................................... 74

APPENDIX 5: Samples of interview transcription with travel agencies ............. 76


LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: ESP classification by experience, (Robinson, 1991, p.3) ........................... 9
Figure 2: Levels of analysis of language teaching materials (Littlejohn, 2011, p.185)
................................................................................................................................... 15
Figure 3: A preliminary framework for materials analysis, evaluation and action,
(Littlejohn, 2011, p. 202) .......................................................................................... 16
Figure 4: Students' evaluation on their English Proficiency according to CEFR Scale
................................................................................................................................... 30
Figure 5: Students' opinions about the content organization throughout the course 32
Figure 6: Students' most confident skills ................................................................. 33
Figure 7: Students' most challenging skills .............................................................. 33
Figure 5: Students' opinions on the content organization throughout the course .... 37
Figure 9: Students' opinions on methods to teach grammar points ......................... 38
Figure 10: Students' expectations on language skills and language components .... 39
Figure 11: Students' opinions on text-types preferenceError! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 12: Students' opinions on content organization within the course unit ........ 42
Figure 13: Student's awareness of professional competences ................................. 49
Figure 14: The book map of English for Tourism Intermediate .............................. 53
Figure 15: The table of contents of Oxford for Careers Tourism 1 ......................... 53


LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 The structure of student's questionnaires ...............................................23
Table 2 Students' opinions about the usefulness of professional competences ..30
Table 3 Students' previous learning English experience ....................................33
Table 4 Students' aims from the textbook .......................................................... 37

Table 5 The level of importance of four skills ....................................................41
Table 6 Students' preferences in topics from the material ..................................43
Table 7 Students' opinions about the sequence of content in each unit ..............46
Table 8 The usefulness of reading and listening exercises from students'
perspectives ..........................................................................................................47
Table 9 The usefulness of speaking exercises from students' perspectives .......48
Table 10 The usefulness of writing exercises from students' perspectives .........48
Table 11 Students' opinions about recommended guidance material in the
textbook ................................................................................................................49
Table 12 The number of exercises to practice micro and macro skills in Book 2
.............................................................................................................................. 53
Table 13 The similarity in text types Book 1 and Book 2 .................................54
Table 14 Additional text types offered in Book 1 and Book 2 .......................... 55
Table 15 Shared topics in Book 1 and Book 2 ...................................................57
Table 16 The recruiters' opinions on the usefulness of professional skills from
different topics .....................................................................................................58
Table 17 Types of speaking and writing exercises in Book 1 and Book 2 ........63
Table 18 A summary of the matching process between the results of needs
analysis and that of material evaluation .............................................................. 66


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EAP

English for Academic Purpose

ELT

English language Teaching

EOP

English for occupational purpose

ESP

English for Specific Purpose

LSA

Learning situation analysis

PSA

Present situation analysis

TSA

Target situation analysis


DECLARATION
I hereby certify that the minor thesis entitled "A proposal for ESP coursebook
selection for third-year students in Tourism and Hospitality Department of a
university in Ha Noi based on needs-analysis approach" is the result of my own
research, and that it has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other
universities or institutions. I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library
can be accessible for the purposes of study and research.
Hanoi, 2021

Tạ Minh Loan


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First and foremost, my deepest appreciation goes to my thesis supervisor, Dr.
Lê Thị Hồng Duyên, for supporting me to complete this research. Without her
guidance and persistent help, this thesis would not have been completed. She has
given insightful comments and suggestions for my research weekly and answers all
my questions. I am also grateful for her useful and inspiring lectures during the
English for Specific Purpose Course at ULIS, which has motivated me to conduct this
research.
My appreciation and gratitude are also extended to a group of six third-year
students majoring in Hospitality and Tourism who have assisted me greatly in
contacting with participants during my data collection process.
Last but not least, I would like to express my deep appreciation to my partners,
Hoang Minh Anh, who has provided me with warm encouragement during the
completion of my thesis.

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ABSTRACT
Materials have been considered as a crucial element for a learning process since
it is the guidance for not only teachers but also students. This thesis attempts to select
an ESP textbook for a group of third-year students majoring Tourism and Hospitality
Department in a university based on needs analysis of learners and headhunters in
travel agencies.
The data collection instruments in this study were questionnaires, interviews
and the document analysis. Two potential textbooks are analyzed according to the

criteria in Hutchinson and Waters' models. The surveys conducted for travel agencies
and students focus on three aspects of needs which are target situation analysis,
present situation analysis, and learning needs. Finally, the findings from the
document analysis and the surveys are discussed.
The result of the thesis would select the most appropriate textbook for the target
group of learners.

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CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
The unprecedented development of globalization giving birth to a socioeconomic life has made English emerge as a global force in the world’s economy. As
a result, English language has become the global de-facto standard for information
exchange in business, culture and politics, especially in tourism sectors when
employees are required to work with foreigners and overseas agencies on a daily
basis. Therefore, in an attempt to become well-prepared candidates in the workforce,
students majoring in Tourism and Hospitality are now in higher demand for ESP
programs than ever.
However, the application of ESP programs for mainstream students in the
Tourism and Hospitality Department in a university in Ha Noi has not been fully
developed. Instead, students from mainstream program are mainly provided with a
general English course. Meanwhile, most of them are aware of the needs for an ESP
programs since a general English course can barely provide them with specialized
vocabulary and professional skills practice.
Therefore, it is necessary to design an ESP program for this group of students
starting off by selecting an appropriate material catering for the specific students’
needs in this department. The crucial role of selecting materials is noticeable when it
can determine the learning and teaching process. According to Sheldon (1988),
textbooks "represent the visible heart of any ELT program" (Sheldon, 1988,p.237).

Also, Hutchinson and Torres suggested that "the textbook is an almost universal
element of teaching and no teaching-learning situation can complete until it has its
relevant textbook” (Hutchinson & Torres, 1994, p.315).
Although there is a plethora of English for tourism coursebooks introduced in
the market, the selection has never been easy since each textbook has its own
strengths and weaknesses and hardly can teachers find a material that meets all the
requirements set out with regard to content, language focus, methodology. Due to the
difficulty encountered by teachers, the researcher has decided to carry the following
research: "A proposal for ESP coursebook selection for third-year students in
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Tourism and Hospitality Department of a university in Ha Noi based on a needsanalysis approach".
2. Research aims
The study aims at selecting an appropriate textbook for third-year students in
the Hospitality and Tourism Department by evaluating two textbooks that are
currently available in the market while conducting a comprehensive needs analysis.
It focuses on the needs of learners and recruiters from 2 travel agencies. Then, the
two textbooks are evaluated according to the model of Hutchinson and Waters (1987)
based on three main criteria including aims, content, and methodology of the
materials.
3. Research questions
To achieve the aims of the study, the answers for the following questions are
sought:
1) What are the expectations of recruiters in tourism agencies from graduate
students in terms of skills, language proficiency, specialized knowledge?
2) What are the needs of third-year students for learning ESP at the Tourism
and Hospitality Department?
3) Among the chosen textbooks (English for Tourism Intermediate and Oxford
English for Careers Tourism 1), which textbook is the most desirable based

on the identified needs?
4. Scope of the study
The study conducts needs-analysis focusing on target situation analysis, present
situation analysis and learning needs. Moreover, two chosen textbooks are evaluated
based on a number of criteria such as audience, aims, content, methodology according
to the model of Hutchinson and Waters (1987). The main purpose of this study is to
select the most appropriate material which is available in the current market rather
than designing a new textbook for the chosen learners.

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Due to the limited scope of the thesis, 104 third-year students studying in the
Hospitality and Tourism Department in the chosen university are invited to fulfill the
survey questions. Moreover, two headhunters from two travel agencies also take part
in the interview.
5. Research method of the study
As this study requires the evaluation of two ESP textbooks, a mixed method is
applied with the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods. The former
approach is applied through questionnaires for students and recruiters, while the latter
is practiced in the form of a semi-structured interview with recruiters from two travel
agencies and document analysis. This mixed method allows the researcher to obtain
quantitative results from a sample but then follow up with a few individuals to help
explain those results deeply (Creswell, 2009).
6. Significance of the study
It is hoped that the findings of this study would help teachers bridge their
knowledge gap about what students expect from the course and what the job market
demands from students in terms of language proficiency, contributing to the
curriculum development in the chosen university. Teachers in Tourism and
Hospitality Department can use the research findings as a reference for their decision

in designing a comprehensive ESP course for students.

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
The first part of this chapter presents an overview of ESP, needs analysis in ESP
and relevant framework concerning material evaluation. To be more specific, the first
part discusses the overview of ESP in terms of its definition, categorization and needs
analysis in ESP, while theories related to material evaluation regarding its roles,
approaches and criteria are proposed in the second part. This chapter ends with the
review of some previous studies concerning the material evaluation process.
2.1. English for Specific Purpose
English for Specific Purpose (ESP) has generally been considered as a brand of
English Language Teaching (ELT), but it has developed its own methodology
(Dudley Evans & St John, 1998). While ELT aims at providing learners with general
knowledge, ESP always emphasizes practical outcomes and concerns the specific use
of language according to different groups of learners. English is considered as the
medium to perform tasks in the target environment rather than an end of itself.
Therefore, the underlying methodology of ESP stems from the specific learner’s
needs.
However, there is still vague clarification between teaching English for Specific
Purposes and teaching general English. For this reason, several concepts and theories
related to ESP are clearly presented before the textbook evaluation process takes
place.
2.1.1. Definition of ESP
The discussion about the definition of ESP attracts various opinions as different
authors have different approaches to define ESP. Some authors give definition based
on the characteristics of ESP, while others compare ESP to ELT to shed light on the
differences between them.

To be more specific, Strevens’s definition compares the ESP and ELT through
characteristics absolute characteristics and variable characteristics (Strevens, 1988).
For absolute characteristics, he claims that these are the similar features between ELT
and ESP including the aim to meet the specific needs of learners, content relevance

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and language appropriation focusing on syntax, lexi discourse, semantics. As for
distinguished characteristics, ESP tends to prioritize restricted skills such as listening
or speaking skills and the order of priority might be changed during the course.
However, compared to the definition discussed by Strevens, that of Dudley-Evans
eliminates the confusion factor in terms of content related requirements. It also
clarifies the relation and the differences between ELT methodology and ESP by
stating general characteristics of ESP learners in terms of age, language’s level, and
their target environment.
Hutchinson and Waters (1987), on the other hand, see ESP as an approach rather
than a product, in which all decisions for content and method selection are based on
the learner's reasons for learning. This means that ESP entails the relation of learners'
needs, the language required and the learning context (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987).
ESP, according to their definition, is not a matter of teaching specialized varieties of
English. In fact, it is an approach to teach language based on the learners' needs for
meaning. Robinson (1991) also agrees with the primacy of needs analysis when
defining ESP with two key defining criteria: normally goal-directed and a limited
time period (Dudley-Evans & John, 1998).
Overall, although there are many ways to define ESP, some common ideas
about ESP can be withdrawn. Firstly, what lays the foundation of ESP is the learners’
needs to acquire a language and the specific requirement of where language is used.
This is, in fact, also a distinctive feature of ESP compared to general English. In ESP,
English is not taught as a subject separated from the learner's real world, but subject

matter is highly integrated into the course (Rahman, 2015). A similar idea is also
presented by Nahid et al (2017) when they also agree that:
"English for specific purposes is recommended to learners who are
required to meet the essential, specific and precise needs to respond
to the considerable demands in vocational or academic training.
(Nahid et al, 2017, p.86)
Secondly, ESP should not be separated from ELT, in fact it is an approach with its
own methodology to language teaching. Since ESP approaches English as a medium
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for learning other specialized subjects, their principles of teaching always place
emphasis on practical outcomes (Dudley-Evans & John, 1988).
2.1.2. Classification of ESP
In this study, ESP is categorized according to experience of learners introduced
by Strevens (1977). The underlying reason is that this classification can inform the
degree of specificity of the tasks and the level of professional knowledge that are
appropriate to learners. To illustrate, if the group of learners are pre-experience tour
guides who are still in their preparation to be a tour guide, the requirement for
knowledge and skills taught are mainly in the beginning level as they have little
exposure to the target environment. However, if the group of learners are experienced
tour guides, the level of language and skills taught should be more demanding since
they are highly likely familiar with basic terms.
The tree below illustrates how ESP is divided into different areas according to
the experience of learners.

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Pre-experience

EOP

Stimulation/in service

Post-experience

Pre-study

ESP
In-study
For study in a specific
discipline

Post study

EAP/EEP

As a school subject

Independent

Integrated

Figure 1: ESP classification by experience, (Robinson, 1991, p.3)
According to Tony Dudley-Evans Maggie Jo St John, ESP has traditionally divided
into two main areas: EAP and EOP.
English for occupational purpose (EOP) refers to English that is for professional
purposes such as in tourism, engineering, medicine. The language use in these courses
is specifically designed for people working in these environments from the typical

grammar point, vocabulary, topic of discussions and preferred skills. English for
Academic Purpose (EAP) caters for students learning English for their studies. The
language selected is based on particular subjects that students are specialized in or
intended to acquire. For example, while EAP courses are designed for students
majoring in tourism and hospitality, EOP serves working people such as travel
agencies, tour guides, and receptionists to effectively use English in their working
tasks.

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2.2. Needs analysis
2.2.1. Definition of Needs analysis
Needs in ESP, according to Hutchinson and Waters (1987) are defined from the
perspective of a learning- centered approach. They claimed that “needs are the ability
to comprehend or produce the linguistic features of the target situation" (Hutchinson
& Waters, 1987, p.54). Moreover, Brown (2006) defines needs analysis as "a
systematic collection and analysis of all subjective and objective information
necessary to define the curriculum purposes" in order to satisfy the learning
requirements of students (Brown, 2006, p.102).
Another idea about “Needs analysis” is introduced by Michael West, which
believes that needs aim at covering what learners will be required to do with the
foreign language in the target situation and how learners might best master the
language during the period learning (West, 1994). This definition concerns the
questions of “What” and “How” in the learning process.
2.2.2. The role of Needs analysis in ESP
As mentioned above, needs analysis is especially important to ESP because it
considers the involvement of teachers, employees and commercial interests of the
standard of professional association. Moreover, each learner has a different profile in
terms of educational background, expectations, the level of language and knowledge.

Therefore, teachers often find themselves dealing with learners’ diverse biographies,
causing difficulty in not knowing whose needs to prioritize and how to satisfy needs
from all stakeholders and their own needs. To achieve this aim, it is essential to
establish whose needs teachers should focus on from multiple perspectives and
multiple contexts.
Needs analysis has always been considered as an essential component of an ESP
course. Dudley-Evan and St John (1998) believed that needs analysis is the
cornerstone of ESP and leads to a focused course, and Strevens (1988) suggests that
needs analysis is a necessary first step for specific purposes of language teaching.

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2.2.3. Models of Needs Analysis
Dudley-Evans and St John’s (1998) model has synthesized a plethora of terms
related to needs into four main types: a target situation analysis (TSA); a learning
situation analysis (LSA), a present situation analysis (PSA) and mean analysis which
suggests the environment that the course will take place (Dudley-Evans & St John,
1998). TSA includes the objective, perceived and product-oriented needs; an LSA
works on the subject and process-oriented needs and PSA estimates the strengths and
weaknesses in terms of language, skills and learning experiences of learners. They
propose a concept of needs analysis encompassing seven criteria:
A. Professional information about the learners (target situation and objective
needs)
B: Personal information about the learners
C: English language information about the learners (present situation analysis)
D: The learner's lack
E: The language learning information (learning needs)
F: Professional communication information about
G: what is wanted from the course

H: information about the environment in which the course will be run (mean
analysis)
Hutchinson and Waters (1987) conceptualized “needs” in ESP learning into two
aspects: the situation analysis and the learning needs. In their model, it deals with the
specific context where the learnt language is used and the attitudes towards situations
of various participants (Hutchinson & Waters, 1987). The framework to gather
information from an analysis of targets needs will answer the questions:
(1) Why is the language needed?
(2) How will the language be used?
(3) What will the content areas be?
(4) Who will the learners use the language with?
(5) where will the language be used?
(6) When will the language be used?

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Learning needs, moreover, is considered as the route to get from the starting point to
its destination. While the analysis of target needs informs teachers what to teach,
learning needs explores the question of how to teach.
In this study, with the aim of selecting the most appropriate textbook for a group
of learners, the needs analysis is conducted according to the model of Dudley-Evans
and St. John (1998). However, due to the limited scope, the study only focuses on
target situation analysis, present situation analysis, and learning needs.
2.3. Material evaluation
2.3.1. Definition of material evaluation
Material evaluation plays a crucial role in developing an ESP course. So far,
many definitions of this process have been presented.
Material evaluation is seen as a systematic appraisal measuring the value of
material in terms of the compatibility between the objectives of the materials and

those of learners using them (Tomlinson, 2012).
The definition presented by Hutchinson and Waters (1987) shared some
similarities when claiming that evaluation is basically a matching process, which
concerns matching the learners' needs to available solutions (Hutchinson & Waters,
1987).
Both definitions imply two separate acts involved in the evaluation process. The
first one explores the objective analysis including the learners’ descriptions and
needs, expectations and requirements from teachers about the course. The second task
is to objectively evaluate what a textbook can offer for users, which includes topics,
organization and its underlying teaching theory in the coursebook.
In brief, material evaluation is the process which is responsible for providing
useful information according to specific criteria for comparative purpose. The result
of this comparison indicates the strengths, weakness of the materials, which enables
the teacher to decide whether to select, adapt or remove the materials.

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2.3.2. Reasons for material evaluation
ESP practitioners evaluate materials for a variety of reasons. Cunningsworth
(1995) emphasized two major reasons for evaluating a material. The first reason can
be the need to adapt a new coursebook since evaluation involves finding out the
success and revealing the less successful aspects of the coursebook. Such information
assists teachers in deciding whether or not this textbook is suitable or worth using.
Another reason is to identify the strengths and weaknesses in the coursebook already
in use, which can optimize the usefulness of the coursebook for later use.
Ellise (1997) analyzes the driving force behind the textbook evaluation which
is the need to choose what to teach with a view to satisfying different parties'
expectations. Another justification is “to determine whether the materials have
worked for students” when teachers have experienced the textbook and felt the need

for further evaluation (Ellise, 1997, p.36).
In short, the main purpose of textbook evaluation is to unlock the merits and
demerits of the selected materials before making the decision whether to use or adapt
the materials. In this study, material assessment attempts to analyze the potential of
two chosen textbooks before making the final decision on which to choose and how
to adapt if necessary.
2.3.3. Types of material evaluation
Based on the time when the material is evaluated, three types of evaluation preuse, in-use and post-use evaluation are identified by Cunningsworth (1995). Pre-use
evaluation concerns the potential performance of the coursebook. In-use evaluation
refers to the assessment of the book while it is being used. This kind of evaluation is
usually required when a newly introduced coursebook is being monitored. Lastly,
post-use evaluation provides retrospective assessment of a coursebook’s
effectiveness. The strengths and weaknesses of the coursebook are elaborately
analyzed after the book being used. Furthermore, Ellise (1997) introduced two types
of evaluations which were predictive evaluation and retrospective evaluation. The
former could be implemented by expert reviewers or teachers based on numerous
checklists and guidelines available. The later evaluation type provides teachers with

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evidence to determine whether it is worthwhile using the materials again, which
activities work, and which do not, and how to modify the materials to make them
more effective for future use.
In brief, despite the differences in terms, the essence of these evaluation forms
shares similarities as they are both based on the time when the material is evaluated.
This study focuses on pre-use evaluation, however, due to the negative effects of
subjectivity in this type of evaluation, researcher also conducts needs analysis from
learners and headhunters to increase the validity and objectivity of the result.
2.3.4. Approaches to material evaluation

2.3.4.1. Cunningworth’s approach
There are four guidelines introduced by Cunningsworth (1988), which are
considered as the foundation for the 45-question checklist. It covers criteria such as
aims, design, language content, skills, and methodology, as well as practical
considerations such as cost and obtainability.
Firstly, aims and approaches are evaluated by comparing the learning objectives
of the textbook and that of the teaching program. Design and organization clarify the
organization and sequence of the content and to what extent it can match with the
expectations from teachers and learners.
In terms of language content, skills and topics, Cunningsworth's approach
considers the suitability of core grammars for each level, vocabulary sections,
structuring and conventions of language use, style and appropriateness. Moreover,
whether the skills are desirable will be seen through the selection of activities in the
textbook. Lastly, topics are analyzed by evaluating the content of the textbooks which
considered the variety and range of topics, attractive topics, social cultural contexts,
and people and group representations in the textbooks.
The last criterion is methodology which compares the approaches, techniques
and communicative abilities offered by the textbook and that desired by the teachers
and learners. The two final criteria are the adequate guidance and level of support,
and practical consideration such as package cost and the availability.

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The major strength of this model is the well-presented and detailed criteria.
However, one drawback of this approach is the simultaneous evaluation of what the
book offers and what students and teachers need, leading to the lack of objectivity in
result.
2.3.4.2. Littlejohn ‘s approach
Littlejohn (2011) proposes a three-level framework for material evaluation

including the objective description of what the material offers, subjective analysis of
what the users required and subjective inference. The level 1 and level 2 are
conducted separately to guarantee subjectivity while the evaluation process is seen
from the perspective of textbooks itself and learners. An elaborate model is presented
below:

Figure 2: Levels of analysis of language teaching materials (Littlejohn, 2011, p.185)

In each level, Littlejohn (2011) proposes a related framework to specify how to
analyze. For example, a preliminary framework for the level 3 can briefly summarize
what should be done in each level and how these three levels scaffold each other.
While in level 1, the analyst discovers the title and publication information, a
description of what materials can provide, a description of what is included in each
unit, and an overview of one unit of the student’s book, Level 2 concerns with what
is required of learners for each task. Level 3 is the subjective inference about the
coursebook based on Levels 1 and 2. This level enables teachers to infer the aims,
selection, and sequencing of content, subject matter, types of activities, participation
15


expectations, roles of teachers and learners, and role of the material as a whole. The
detailed framework is demonstrated below:

Figure 3: A preliminary framework for materials analysis, evaluation and action,
(Littlejohn, 2011, p. 202)
The advantage of this model is the separation between analysis and evaluation
process. Analysis at each level allows materials to “speak for themselves” (Littlejohn,
2011, p. 182) before being evaluated. It enables teachers to see exactly what materials
contain, what they ask for from learners and teachers, and the role of the materials in
the classroom.

Since Level 2 is an analysis of each task, the analyst has a chance to examine to
what extent the tasks meet what is claimed from the authors. Additionally, it also
allows teachers to foresee the potential difficulty of the tasks and their
appropriateness for the students' current levels. However, the main disadvantage of
this model lies on the level 3 when it seems that it is merely a descriptive rather than
an evaluative analysis.
2.3.4.3. Hutchinson and Waters’ approach
In Hutchinson and Waters’ (1987) approach, they decide what to evaluate and
how to evaluate through four major steps: defining criteria, subjective analysis,
objective analysis and matching.
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