An Evaluation of ‘English for Today: For Classes 11-12’ as a Textbook for Bangladesh Higher Secondary Education (HSE)

Abstract

Evaluation of English Language Teaching (ELT) materials is an inevitable factor if the materials are aimed at assisting in the effective implementation of a language program. Blindly choosing or adopting, or even randomly designing a textbook, and then using it for a language program may not fulfil learners’ linguistic, functional and communicative needs. Using the McDonough & Shaw (2003) model, this research evaluates the ELT textbook: ‘English for Today: for classes 11-12’ of Bangladesh Higher Secondary Education (HSE) level ELT program. In doing so, both the external and the internal evaluation criteria are applied to the textbook in order to examine whether any inconsistencies exist between the external claims made for the textbook in relation to the goal of the national ELT curriculum and the overall internal organisation of the book. As for findings, the study indicates a mismatch between the overall goal of the HSE level ELT curriculum and the way the textbook has been designed. All the external claims made for the textbook are not consistent with the internal organisation of it (e.g. four language skills are not equally presented; materials are mainly inauthentic, etc.). Overall, the textbook needs to be revised and re- designed in order to meet learners’ linguistic and communicative needs.