Copyright © The Author(s) 2019

Jurnal Studi Guru dan Pembelajaran, Vol. 2, No. 1, January – April 2019

An Evaluation of English Language Textbook: Interlanguage

English for Senior High School Students

Muhammad Affan Ramadhana * 1, Opik Dwi Indah 1, Suhardi 1

1
Universitas Cokroaminoto Palopo

affanramadhana@uncp.ac.id

Abstract
English Language Teaching (ELT) textbooks serve as the basis for many language inputs
that learners receive and language practices that occur in the classroom. They may
provide the basis for ideas and instructional activities as well as giving teachers rationales
for what they do. The objective of this analysis is to know about how much a textbook
meets the requirements of a good EFL textbook. The evaluation checklist used in this
paper is the modification of Cunningsworth’s (1995) checklist developed by Al-sowat
(2012). There are nine issues of textbook evaluating in this checklist: (1) layout and
physical appearance; (2) content; (3) objectives; (4) language type; (5) skills; (6) activities
and tasks; (7) structure and vocabulary; (8) culture values; and (9) teacher's needs.

Keywords: textbook analysis, interlanguage, evaluation, English, senior high school

Introduction
English Language Teaching (ELT) textbooks play a very important role in language
classrooms. In some situations, they serve as the basis for many language inputs that learners
receive and language practices that occur in the classroom. They may provide the basis for
the content of the lessons, the balance of skills being taught, and the kinds of language
practice the students take part in. Materials should make students learn. They should also be
the resource books for ideas and instructional activities as well as giving teachers rationales
for what they do. In addition, materials also should be suitable with students' needs.
Therefore, the textbooks being used in Indonesia for English as Foreign Language (EFL) in
particular must go along with the EFL learners’ needs. In EFL situation, students rarely have
chances to use English outside the classroom, consequently English textbook seems to be the
only source by which students receive input and the main material for both teachers and
students to rely on ass well (Park, 2004:2).
Indeed, teachers and students also need a source to be used as guidance in the classroom.
Therefore, textbooks become the main sources on daily basis. However, textbooks must be
used appropriately in order to achieve the objectives. Here are some of the roles of textbook
in teaching. Firstly, a textbook is an aid of teaching and learning. Hutchinson and Torres (in
Awasthi,2006 :1) explain that textbook is an almost universal element of teaching and
guidance for a teacher, a memory aid for pupils, and a permanent record for measuring what
has been learnt. Secondly, a textbook can also become the supplement for teachers’
instruction in classroom. Thirdly, a textbook for inexperienced teachers can provide ideas on
kinds of materials and techniques. In addition, a textbook can be the guidance for teachers in

https://doi.org/10.30605/jsgp.2.1.2019.1262
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giving the systematic materials for the students. It is generally accepted that the role of the
textbook is to be at the service of teachers and learners but not to be their master.
Cunningsworth (1995) informs that there are three types of materials evaluation: Pre-use
evaluation, in-use evaluation, and post-use evaluation. Pre-use evaluation might be
implemented when there is no actual experience of using the book for teachers to draw on. In-
use evaluation refers to textbook evaluation whilst the materials are in use. Post-use
evaluation provides retrospective assessment of a textbook’s performance and can be useful
for identifying strengths and weaknesses, which emerge over a period of continuous use.
Related to the problems above, the objective of this analysis is to know about how much a
textbook meets requirements of a good EFL textbook. The result of this research is expected
to be useful information to help the teacher to evaluate whether the selected materials have
already matched with the young learners’ needs or not, so that they can have some decision
to improve the students’ English competence for better future.

Method
The textbook analysed in this paper is EFL textbook for senior high school students in
science and social study program, entitled Interlanguage: English for Senior High School
Students XII. The book was issued by Pusat Perbukuan Departemen Pendidikan Nasional in
2008. The aouthors of the textbook are Joko Priyana, Ph.D., Triyani Retno Putri Saridewi, and
Yuliyanti Rahayu.
The evaluation checklist used in this paper is the modification of Cunningsworth’s (1995)
checklist developed by Al-sowat (2012). There are nine issues of textbook evaluating in this
checklist: (1) layout and physical appearance; (2) content; (3) objectives; (4) language type;
(5) skills; (6) activities and tasks; (7) structure and vocabulary; (8) culture values; and (9)
teacher's needs. In each dimension, several statements provided and the textbook was graded
for each statement by the rating scales range from one up to five, where 1 = very poor, 2 =
poor, 3 = quite good, 4 = good and 5 = very good.

Results & Discussion

The Layout and Physical Appearance of the Textbook
No. Statements Rating
1 The textbook is durable (quality of paper and binding). Very Good
2 The size of the textbook seems convenient for students to handle. Good
3 The cover of the textbook is appealing. Good
4 The main headings and subheadings are well-organized. Good
5 The units are well organized and offer easy progression. Good
6 The textbook contains enough pictures, diagrams, tables etc. helping Good
the students understand the printed texts.
7 Illustrations, tables, figures, graphs, etc. are relevant and functional. Good
8 An adequate vocabulary list or glossary is included. Good
9 The instructions in the textbook are written in a simple and clear Good
language.
10 The material contains an adequate indices and appendices. Good
11 The textbook is provided with the necessary audio-visual aids, which Poor
help students learn the four skills in an integrated way.

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The result of analysis suggests that the layout and physical appearance of the textbook
Interlanguage: English for Senior High School students XII is suitable and appropriate to attract
the students.
The Content of the Textbook
No. Statements Rating
1 The textbook contains an appropriate table of content. Very Good
2 The content does not conflict with students' social beliefs. Good
3 The content does not conflict with students' background. Good
4 The textbook covers most language skills. Good
5 The subject matter is presented either topically or functionally in a Good
logical, organized manner.
6 There is sufficient variety in the subject and content of the textbook. Good
7 The content promotes students' autonomy. Good
8 The content contains real-life issues that challenge the reader to think Good
critically about his/her worldview.
9 The topics are familiar to the learners. Good
10 The content of the material is interesting and motivating. Good
11 The content promotes students' involvement. Good
12 The textbook is appropriate for the learners' level. Poor
13 The material encourages a positive attitude towards gender. (e.g. Poor
stereotyping occupation or use of gender bias words like chairman
instead of chairperson).
14 The textbook encourages a positive attitude towards environmental Good
issues.
15 The textbook contains self-check progress report. Poor

These analyses indicated that the teachers agreed that the textbook accomplished the
previous items in a good manner. It was clear that the textbook contained an appropriate table
of content. It also covered most language skills. In addition, the content did not conflict with
students' social beliefs or their background. Moreover, the content promoted students'
involvement and autonomy. Furthermore, the content contained real-life issues that challenged
the reader to think critically about his/her worldview, and it was presented either topically or
functionally in a logical, organized manner. Additionally, the content of the material was
interesting and motivating for the students.
The Objectives of the Textbook
No. Statements Rating
1 The objectives in the textbook are clear and precise for the learners. Good
2 The objectives are gradual in difficulty. Good
3 The objectives are realistic. Quite Good
4 The objectives of the materials correspond to the needs of the Good
learners.
5 The objectives demonstrate the various levels of Bloom's taxonomy. Poor
6 The objectives recognize individual differences. Poor
7 The objectives of the materials suit the level of the learners. Poor
8 The objectives can be covered within the time allocated for the Poor
textbook.

The result of analysis indicated that the objectives of the textbook did not demonstrate the
various levels of bloom's taxonomy. In addition, the objectives did not recognize individual
differences nor did they suit the level of the learners. Also, the objectives could not be
covered within the time allocated for the textbook.

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The Language Type of the Textbook

No. Statements Rating
1 The language used in the textbook is authentic i.e. like real-life English. Good
2 The textbook includes materials for pronunciation work, e.g. individual sound, word Good
stress, intonation etc.
3 There is an emphasis on language use. Quite Good
4 Learners are given examples of ways they can use their foreign language in the future Poor
beyond the school experience.
5 New and critical concepts are defined in the glossary or explained when they are first Poor
introduced in the text.
6 The language used is at the level of the learners. Good

The result of analysis indicated that the language used in the textbook was authentic i.e.
like real-life English and the textbook included materials for pronunciation work, e.g. individual
sound, word stress, intonation etc. There was a little emphasis on language use. Furthermore,
learners were not given examples of ways they could use the foreign language in the future
beyond the school experience. Besides, new and critical concepts were not defined in the
glossary or explained when they were first introduced in the text. Finally, the language used
was suitable at the level of the learners.
The Language Skills of the Textbook
No. Statements Rating
1 The material provides the four language skills. Good
2 The textbook pays attention to writing activities such as controlled, guided, and free Quite Good
paragraphs.
3 The materials for listening are accompanied by activities which help comprehension. Quite Good
4 The materials for spoken English (dialogues, role play, Poor
communication activities etc. are designed to equip learners for real-life interaction.
5 The reading passages are associated with pre/while/post reading activities. Good
6 Relevant skills are catered for in the textbook such as critical thinking, problem solving etc. Poor

Regarding the skills processed in the textbook, the textbook did not provide enough writing
activities such as controlled, guided and free paragraphs. Besides, the materials for listening
were also need more activities which helped comprehension and the spoken English
(dialogues, role play, communication activities etc.) were not designed to equip learners for
real-life interaction. However, the reading passages were associated with pre/while/post
reading activities. Finally, relevant skills such as critical thinking, problem solving etc. were
poorly catered for in the textbook.
The Activities and Tasks in the Textbook
No. Statements Rating
1 There are a variety of activities in the textbook. Good
2 The instructions in the material are sufficient. Good
3 The instructions in the material are clear. Good
4 There are instructions to explain how the exercise should be done. Quite Good
5 The number of activities is suitable. Poor
6 There are interactive activities that require students to use new vocabulary to Poor
communicate.
7 The activities facilitate students’ use of grammatical rules by creating situations in which Poor
these rules are needed.
8 The textbook provides communicative exercises that enable learners to carry out their Poor
communicative tasks in real-life situations.
9 There is a balance between the activities for language and activities for skills. Poor
10 An adequate set of evaluation quizzes or testing suggestions is included. Poor

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The result of analysis indicated that there should be an improvement of this textbook
regarding the activities and task provided. The poor aspects of the textbook regarding the
activities and tasks included the shortcoming of the instructions in explaining how the
exercises should be done. In addition, the number of activities was not suitable. Moreover,
there was a lack of interactive activities that required students to use new vocabulary to
communicate and use of grammatical rules by creating situations in which these rules were
needed. Besides, the textbook did not provide communicative exercises that enabled learners
to carry out their communicative tasks in real-life situations. Furthermore, there was no a
balance between the activities for language and activities for skills.
The Structures and Vocabulary in the Textbook
No. Statements Rating
1 The grammatical rules are presented in a logical manner and in increasing order of Good
difficulty.
2 The new structure is integrated in varying contexts and situations. Good
3 The grammatical points are presented with brief and easy examples and explanations. Good
4 The vocabulary load seems to be reasonable for the level of the learners. Quite Good
5 There is sufficient written practice of the grammatical concepts that lead to communicative Poor
use of the language.
6 The progression of vocabulary items is appropriate. Good
7 The new structure is repeated in subsequent lessons for reinforcement. Poor
8 The vocabulary is functional, thematic, authentic, and practical. Poor
9 There is sufficient oral practice of the grammatical concepts that leads to communicative Poor
use of the language.
10 The new vocabulary words are presented in a variety of ways (glosses, multi-glosses etc.). Quite Good
11 The new vocabulary words are presented at an appropriate rate so that the text is Quite Good
understandable.

The grammatical rules in the textbook were presented in a logical manner and in increasing
order of difficulty. Additionally, new structures were integrated in varying contexts and
situations. As well, the grammatical points were presented with brief and easy examples and
explanations to some extent. However, the vocabulary load was not reasonable for the level of
the learners and the progression of vocabulary items was unsuitable. More to the point, the
vocabulary words were not functional, thematic, authentic nor practical. In addition, the new
vocabulary words were not presented in a variety of ways (e.g. glosses, multi-glosses,
appositives) nor at an appropriate rate so that the text was understandable. Besides, the
written practice of the grammatical concepts that led to communicative use of the language
was unsatisfactory. Similarly, the new structure was not repeated in subsequent lessons for
reinforcement. Finally, the oral practice of the grammatical concepts that led to communicative
use of the language was not enough.
The Cultural Values in the Textbook
No. Statements Rating
1 The content suits the learners' current knowledge and culture. Quite Good
2 The teaching of the target culture motivates the learners to explore Poor
their own culture.
3 The content serves as a window into learning about the target Poor
language culture (American, British, etc.).

From the result of analysis in terms of cultural values, it was concluded that the content
need more improvements to suit the learners' knowledge and culture. The content also did not
serve as a window into learning about the target language culture. Moreover, the teaching of
the target culture did not motivate the learners to explore their own culture.

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The Teachers’ Needs

No. Statements Rating
1 The use of the material is easily manageable by the teacher. Good
2 The teacher's manual suggests an appropriate, concise method for Good
teaching each lesson.
3 The design of the materials allows the teachers to use them Good
differently according to the needs of different learners.
4 The teacher's manual helps the teachers understand the objectives of Good
the textbook.
5 The manual gives instructions on how to incorporate audio-visual Quite Good
materials produced for the textbook.
6 The manual provides additional exercises for reinforcing various Poor
language skills in the textbook.
7 Teachers are given techniques for activating students’ background Poor
knowledge before reading the texts.
8 The tests and assessment devices are helpful to the teacher. Poor
9 The manual provides teachers with alternative and authentic Poor
assessment techniques.

The result of analysis indicated that the use of the material was easily manageable by the
teacher and the design of the materials allowed the teachers to use them differently according
to the needs of different learners. In addition, the teacher's manual suggested an appropriate,
concise method for teaching each lesson and helped the teachers understand the objectives of
the textbook to a good extent.
However, the result of analysis also pointed out that the manual did not give instructions of
on how to incorporate audio-visual materials produced for the textbook. In addition, it lacked
additional exercises for reinforcing various language skills in the textbook. Besides, alternative
and authentic assessment techniques were not offered and the tests and assessment devices
were not helpful to the teacher. Additionally, teachers were not given techniques for activating
students’ background knowledge before reading the texts.

Conclusion
The results obtained from this analysis proved that the textbooks had some problems.
According to the evaluation checklist, it could be concluded that the layout and physical
appearance, the content and the objectives were appropriate as a textbook for the senior high
school students. Furthermore, the instructions in the material were sufficient and clear. It also
provided the new structure that was integrated in varying contexts and situations. Additionally,
the teacher's manual in the textbook helped the teachers understand the objectives of the
textbook.
However, These results implied that there was weakness in language type, skills, structures
and vocabulary, teacher's needs, activities and tasks and culture values for the senior high
school students.

References
Al-sowat, Hamad. (2012). An Evaluation of English Language Textbook "Say It In English" For
First Year Intermediate Grade in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Studies in Curriculum and
Supervision, 3(2). Retrieved from
http://uqu.edu.sa/files2/tiny_mce/plugins/filemanager/files/4280212/GES3-2-5.pdf
Awasthi, J. R. (2006). Textbook and Its Evaluation. (Online). Vol.11 No. 1-2.
(www.nelta.org.np)

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Cunningsworth, A. (1995). Choosing Your Coursebook. Oxford: The Bath Press.

Park, E. (2004). A Study on English Textbook Used in a Technical High School: Issues in EFL.
(online), Vol.3 (http://TEFLIN.journal.ac.id)