Textbook evaluation: An investigation into touchstone series

Abstract

"It is absolutely essential that we establish and apply a wide variety of relevant and contextually appropriate criteria for the evaluation of the textbooks that we use in our language classrooms" (Litz,2000). ELT materials (textbooks) play a really crucial role in many language classrooms, but in recent years there has been a lot of debate throughout the ELT profession on the actual role of materials in teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language (TESL/TEFL). Some issues that have been discussed in recent years include textbook design and practicality, methodological validity, the role of textbooks in innovation, the authenticity of materials in terms of their representation of language, and the appropriateness of gender representation, subject matter, and cultural components. This study aims at an investigation into Touchstone series in Iran EFL context. To this end, forty highly experienced teachers (20 males and 20 females) holding degree from BA to Ph.D. and age range 24-35 were called for cooperation. A forty item questionnaire adapted from David R.A. Litz (2000) was used to elicit information needed for the study. The data obtained through the questionnaire were subject to basic statistics and Independent Sample T-test to check the significance of difference between male and female responses. Results indicated that Touchstone series was a suitable and appropriate device for language teachers to obtain their aims as well as the aims of the language institutes and that except for practical considerations of the books there was no statistically significant difference between the attitudes of male and female teachers towards the series. © 2012 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland.