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Showing 4 results for Textbook
Mansoor Ganji, Hakimeh Khoobkhahi ,
Volume 24, Issue 2 (9-2021)
Abstract
| New generation of English textbooks, Vision Series, has been introduced and taught in Iranian high schools since 2017. This study aimed to scrutinize the correspondence between the recommendations suggested in the English teachers’ guides (TGs) of Vision Series and the actual teaching practices of Iranian high school English teachers. It follows a descriptive and correlational design, enjoying both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Participants of the present study included three groups: English teachers, high school students, and supervisors of English teachers in Iranian Ministry of Education. A total number of 100 high school English teachers, teaching in Sistan and Balouchestan Province, filled out a researcher-made piloted questionnaire. Out of them, 3 male and 3 female English teachers were later invited for an oral semi-structured interview. The second group of participants were 48 high school students. The last group of participants were 2 supervisors of English teachers in Iranian Ministry of Education. The researchers also participated in and observed two female teachers' English classes. By and large, the results of supervisors’ interviews and class observations were negative about the correspondence between actual teaching of Vision Series and recommendations of TG for most sections of the book. By contrast, the results of teachers' and students' questionnaires demonstrated that English teachers' teaching was perceived to be consistent with the recommendations of TG in more than half of the cases. The interviews with teachers indicated that half of the interviewees believed that they followed the suggestions of the TG. The implications of findings, especially for English teachers, are also discussed. |
Sahar Zahed Alavi, Mohammad Reza Ghorbani,
Volume 27, Issue 2 (9-2024)
Abstract
In educational settings, a common concern is whether instructional materials and assessments are cognitively aligned to foster deeper learning. This study investigates the alignment between the learning objectives presented in the Select Readings textbook and those evaluated in university-standardized achievement tests at Shiraz University, using Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy (2001) as the analytical lens. Drawing on Razmjoo and Kazempurfard’s (2012) coding methodology, both the textbook and two versions of related achievement tests were systematically analyzed. The results revealed a clear dominance of lower-order thinking skills, particularly factual knowledge within the Remembering and Understanding domains. Notably, the achievement tests emphasized Understanding to a greater extent than the textbook. Although the textbook incorporated some higher-order cognitive domains (Analyzing, Evaluating, Creating), these appeared infrequently in the tests. The findings point to a misalignment between instructional intent and assessment focus, raising concerns about the depth and validity of the evaluation tools. Contextual variables such as instructional intent, learner proficiency, and curricular constraints may also contribute to this imbalance, warranting further examination. The study underscores the need for assessment designers to adopt more cognitively diverse items that reflect the full spectrum of learning objectives embedded in teaching materials.
Dr. Mostafa Shahiditabar, Dr. Mohammad Amin Mozaheb, Ms. Motahareh Daghighi,
Volume 27, Issue 2 (9-2024)
Abstract
Discrimination in the education system and curricula is not limited to disadvantaged groups, and this issue is also evident in textbook content. The important role of textbooks in classrooms is undeniable. In this regard, the present study examined Iranian high school English textbooks named the “Vision” and “Prospect” series, as well as one of the localized English textbook series in Iran, the “Eight” series, focusing on the images contained in these books. In this study, Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA), proposed by Machin and Mayr (2012), was employed as the theoretical framework to critically examine the images in these textbooks. The findings of this study showed that a form of neoliberalism, as conceptualized by Fairclough (1993), is present in these books, the consequence of which is the depiction of luxurious and lavish schools instead of ordinary schools; this does not benefit underprivileged groups, as they are unable to afford the costs of privatization and are dependent on government support. In addition, in the “Eight” series, images based on the target-language culture are more frequently observed. This can prompt greater attention to images rooted in Iranian culture, which would help learners better understand the content and make it more tangible for them. This study can offer suggestions for improving and enhancing the “Eight” series.
Dr. Mohammad Amin Mozaheb, Dr. Narges Sardabi, Mr. Mohammad Javad Rahimian,
Volume 28, Issue 2 (9-2025)
Abstract
This study examines how emotion wrods are reflected in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) textbooks. This research focuses on two textbook series, namely Touch Stone and Four Corners, and evaluates them based on emotional words. To investigate the emotional impact of the textbooks, TagAnt and AntConc tools were employed, using the English word database of emotional terms (EMOTE) by Daniel Grühn. Emotion words with a range higher than 5 and lower than 2 were selected to gauge their degree of emotionality refelected in the analyzed textbooks. The findings indicate that the Touch Stone series contains a higher range of emotional words compared to Four Corners. Finally, the attitudes and experiences of teachers towards the emotion words represented were examined through interviews with a focused group of English language teachers.
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