Zishnu-08103009 2 PDF
Zishnu-08103009 2 PDF
Zishnu-08103009 2 PDF
BRAG
UNIVERSITY
BRAC University
Acknowledgement
I am grateful to Almighty Allah for giving me the determination and the strength to carry out this
research. I would like to thank all the people who have helped me directly and indirectly do this
I would also like to thank the students and teachers who unconditionally participated in my
survey.
From the bottom of my heart my sincere thanks go to my supervisor , Mr. Mohammad Mahmudul
Haque for believing in me , supporting me for two semesters , giving me his most valuable time,
energy, suggestions , and most importantly for correcting my mistakes over and over again.
Finally , I would like to mention that I am indebted to my family , my husband (Shahriar Hossain)
and my two best friends (Tonima Hossain and Sarwat Sarah Sarwar) for encouraging me,
helping me, giving me with mental support and always being there for me when I needed them
the most.
July 2011
I
Abstract
The objective of this study is to evaluate the tasks in the English textbook currently used in
classes IX and X of Secondary Schools in Bangladesh. It attempts to find out if the tasks are
communicative as claimed in the preface of the book. The study also seeks to evaluate the
effectiveness of the tasks by analyzing the perspectives of the teachers and the students through
questionnaire survey.
It is very unfortunate in our context that even after completing SSC (class X and IX), students
from the Bangla medium schools are still unable to demonstrate sufficient competence in all the
four skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) in the target language. Since, English is the
second language for the learners of Bangladesh, the greatest amount of exposure they receive is
in their English classes in school which is very much text book oriented. Therefore, in the light
of the recent theoretical developments in the field, the study examines the effectiveness of the
tasks of the textbook "English for today for class IX and V. The study looks at: (a) definitions
of task, (b) task components, (c) framework, (d) task difficulty, (e) empirical basis for task-based
language teaching, and (f) focus on form in task- based language teaching.
For this empirical research, the researcher used teachers' and students' questionnaire along with
a researcher's checklist to evaluate the book. The results show that the tasks are very effective
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The study has been divided into the following chapters:
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 4: Results
III
Contents
Page
Acknowledgement I
Abstract II
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Introduction 1
1.6Methodology 4
1.8Conelusion 5
Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.3 Framework 9
2.6.4 Conclusion 20
3.1 Introduction 21
3.12 Conclusion 30
Chapter 4: Results
4.1 Introduction 31
4.7 Conclusion 51
5.1 Introduction 52
5.2 Conclusion 52
5.3 Recommendation 54
Works Cited 57
Appendices 59
1
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Introduction
context like Bangladesh where English is a second language and the only exposure most of
the learners receive is in classroom . Moreover, a major aspect of the textbook is the tasks that
the students work on . It is very important that the tasks be learner friendly as well as
communicative. In many scenarios , it is often seen that learners are exposed to the target
language forms yet they are not able to interact with others using the target language. Their
knowledge of grammar does not translate into an ability to use the target language. However,
the new "English for today" for class IX and X claims that the tasks are communicative and
will help the learners achieve communicative competence. Furthermore, in light of the
literature available in the field , this study ties to evaluate how communicative the tasks are.
designed for the learners to carry out. One can assume that the tasks are what make a
textbook relevant and appropriate for the learners , teachers and the course itself. Therefore,
most of the time, language teaching centers around the textbook activities/tasks that is why
the tasks are very crucial and must be dependable. Nunan states (1989:p.139),
2
The concept of `task' was selected for the initial workshop as experience has shown that
it is the one curriculum element which is most familiar and accessible to classroom
teachers. (As we have seen, this is also the conclusion reached by Shavelson and Stern
1981). In addition, as Candlin and Murphy (1987) have pointed out, tasks embody a
curriculum in miniature.
So, inclusion of effective tasks in a textbook is incredibly important and significant as having
a relevant textbook in a teaching- learning situation for both the teachers and the learners in
an ESL classroom.
In Bangladesh, English is taught from the school level but yet we still encounter learners who
are unable to construct simple sentences and fail to communicate effectively in the target
language. Although, in the recent textbook, the tasks claim to be communicative, the
products of the textbook i.e. the learners are not as effective communicators as expected. One
of the major reasons maybe that the study of grammar is still encouraged than interaction in
our context. Also, a lot of the problems are associated with the teacher and how they
implement the tasks. In many cases, the teacher is not well trained to conduct an ESL class.
In addition, many teachers may only take the reading comprehension passages from the book
and create activities/questions without following the tasks of the book. The context between
the rural and urban areas is also a factor. In case of listening tasks, children in the rural areas
are not provided with speakers and tape recorders and hence cannot perform some tasks in
the textbook which differentiates them from the children from the urban areas who are well
3
facilitated. As a result, it is very important to know to what extent the tasks really help the
It is a present-day reality that English has become a lingua- franca of the world and its
importance is increasing day by day. Since the textbook is produced by NCTB and used all
over the country, it is, in many contexts, the only source of the target language to many
learners. Therefore, the tasks provided in the textbook should be appropriate to the learners'
level of competence. Despite all the attempts to improve the standard of English in the nation
for many years, we often come across learners who have been learning English from their
primary school but still fail to communicate in the target language. Although, the textbooks
claim to be communicative, it is very crucial to evaluate exactly to what extent the tasks are
communicative and reliable. As a result, this study is very significant because by evaluating
how communicative the tasks are and to what degree it helps the learners; we can identify the
weaknesses and strengths of the textbook and thus we will be in a position to suggest changes
This study seeks to discover the communicative level of the tasks in the textbook "English
4
for today" for class IX and X and to what measure it is effective for the students. The
a) Definitions of task
b) Task components
c) Framework
d) Task difficulty
1.6Methodology
c) A checklist for the researcher for his/ her own evaluation, and
During the time of the data collection, for this study, there was a hartal (During hartal, all the
economic activities are stopped and vehicles are not allowed on the roads) on almost every
alternative day in the country which resulted in many of the schools remaining closed.
Therefore, the researcher was able to cover only a few schools around Dhaka city. And also,
due to time and resource constraints, only a handful of teachers and students were able to
take part in the study. However, results received from the participants were examined as well
1.8 Conclusion
In this chapter, we have looked at the significance, objective, methodology and limitations of
the study. However, in the following chapter, an elaborated theoretical discussion on tasks is
classrooms.
6
The term `task' generally means the fundamental building blocks in the language curriculum.
According to Long (1985, p. 89: cited in Nunan, 2004,p. 2), a task refers to all the things and
activities one performs every day at work , at play and even in between; for example, buying a
shoe, typing a letter, borrowing a library book etc. In language pedagogy, task-based language
learning or Task based instruction is conducted and centered on the task that is given to students
A more technical and an applied linguistic interpretation of task is that it is "an activity or action
which is carried out as the result of processing or understanding language" such as "listening to a
tape, listening to an instruction and performing a command"(Richards, Platt and Weber 1986, p.
"therefore assumed to refer to a range of work plans which have the overall purpose of facilitating
language learning-from simple and brief exercise type, to more complex and lengthy activities
such as group problem solving or simulations and decision making" suggested by Breen (1987, p.
Similarly, Prabhu believes that a `task' "is an activity which requires learners to arrive at an
outcome from given information through some process of thought, and which allowed teachers
to control and regulate that process" (Prabhu, 1987, p. 24). Nunan (1989, p. 11) defined `task' as
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"a piece of meaning focused work involving learners in comprehending, producing and /or
interacting in the target language, and that tasks are analyzed or categorized according to their
All the definitions above imply that tasks are closely associated with communicative language
use and the learners' focus is rather more on the meaning than on the structure of the language.
Jane Willis, (1996: cited in Willis and Willis: cited in Nunan, 2004, p. 3) however, explains task
as "activities where the target language is used by the learner for a communicative purpose
(goal) in order to achieve an outcome". Nunan's description of task highlights more on meaning
as opposed to the definition recommended by Jane Willis which highlights more on goal and
outcome.
Nunan also stated that classroom tasks are divided into two categories; real- world tasks and
pedagogic tasks. Real- world tasks introduce and allow learners to engage in activities that are
necessary outside the classroom. The real-world tasks also engage the learners into the tasks that
enable them to be acquainted with the situations existing beyond the border of classroom. On the
other hand, Pedagogic tasks are confined to classrooms and the tasks end in themselves, which
are not similar to the outside world. So, pedagogic tasks are not practiced in the outer world and
A task generally focuses on the use of authentic language and encourages students to do
meaningful activities in the target language. Task components explore the elements of task and
some of the components of tasks are recommended by various linguists. Shavelson and Stern
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(1989, Nunan2004 , p. 40) suggested their concept of "task-based language teaching within the
concept of education in general , rather than TESOL in particular ". They both believe that while
designing a task, task designers should consider certain aspects such as content (the topic to be
taught), materials (resources learners can use), activities (what learners and teachers will be
doing during the lesson ), goals ( the general aim of the teacher ), students (their capabilities,
interest and needs are as important), and last but not least social community ( the class as a whole
Nunan's, explanation of the term "goal" is very much similar to Shavelson and Stern. Goals are
the general or vague outcomes of a task. "Tasks need outcomes to motivate learners into
participation" (Stewart, 2005, p. 257) that can often be inferred from the task itself. Goals can be
even describe teacher or learner behavior. There are two types of goals: (I) general purpose and
(II) specialized purpose goals. General purpose goals aim to teach general "everyday" English
whereas specialized purpose goals focus on one skill at a time to master the language.
"Input refers to the spoken, written and visual data that learners work within the course of
completing a task" (Nunan, 2004, p.47). Some examples of input are letters, invoices, note to a
friend, menu and many more which can be provided by the teachers, textbook, other resources or
at times generated by the learners. Moreover, in case of giving input to the students, the question
of authentic data arises. "Authentic here is any material which has not been specially produced
for the purpose of language teaching" (Nunan, 1989, p.54). It is important to familiarize learners
with authentic input so that they can cope with the language they read and hear outside the
classroom. The last but a very important aspect of task component is the `setting'.
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"Setting refers to the classroom managements specified or implied in the task". "In considering
settings for task- based learning, it is useful to distinguish between `mode' and `environment'
The learning mode refers to whether or not the learners are doing individual or group work, and
2.3 Framework
"Language is best taught when it is being used to transmit messages, not when it is explicitly
taught for conscious learning" (Krashen and Terrell 1983, p. 55: cited in Nunan, 2004, p. 21).
However, Nunan's view in language classroom is that learners in their early stage can benefit
from focus on forms but learners should not have to generate language that is not accessible to
them.
" In the Task Based Language Teaching framework, form focused work is presented in the form
of enabling skills, so called because they are designed to develop skills and knowledge that will
There are two types in the enabling skills: language exercise and communicative activities.
Communicative activities are between language exercise and pedagogical task because like
language exercise it provides a lot of restricted set of language items and it has many meaningful
communication elements similar to any pedagogical task. As a result, it is very important to have
both pedagogical tasks and enabling tasks incorporated or included in the framework of any task
"one way to raise motivation is to ask learners to suggest their own topics, or to get them to
choose topics they like best from a list of topics that have been proved popular with previous
It is not necessary that all topics will enthuse all the learners, moreover if the topic is reasonable
and looked at from a different perspective it will foster learners involvement from the learner. By
this process, learners are more exposed to interaction which later may increase their engagement
in the classroom.
The term `listing' initially may appear to be an easy and simple job for learners but that too can
vary linguistically from simple to difficult according to what learners have to write on the list.
Learners can begin by listing simple words and gradually move on to listing more difficult
aspects such as phrases or sentences. Moreover, there are two types of listing: Brainstorming and
Fact-Finding. (Brainstorming proves to be one of the most successful ways of getting students to
interact with one another, even the shy ones at that matter). According to Willis, Brainstorming
can be done amongst small groups of students and/or with the teacher leading the whole class.
Fact- Finding, on the other hand, allows students to find specific information from a mentioned
source instructed by the teacher. The sources can be anything from a book to a newsletter. (Fact-
finding can also be given as homework if the topic is discussed in class so in that case students
would have to find interesting facts about the topic and later share it with the class). Moreover,
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"the listing process can form the basis for many simple activities like quizzes, memory games,
and guessing games" (Willis, 2007, p. 68). By doing these activities, learners become aware of
the English words they already know from before and " this illustrates one basic principal of
TBT(task-based teaching): it is far more positive to build on what your learners already know,
than to start with what they don't know" (ibid, 2007, p. 70). The two very important phrases of a
task are pre-task priming and post- task activities. In pre-task priming, the learners usually
activate their schema and share their previous knowledge of the topic with the entire class that
will be later discussed elaborately or at times the teacher may share one or two past experiences
he or she had at this stage. On the contrary, post- task activities play a role after the task is over
where focus- on- form has a very important part. At this stage, the teacher commonly pinpoints
the language forms that are useful and lets learners practice and record helpful patterns and
phrases. Therefore, " a good task not only generates interest and creates an acceptable degree of
challenge, but also generates opportunities for learners to experience and activate as much
Ordering and sorting are slightly more complex than listing and involves "a little more thought
and cognitive effort" (Willis, 2007, p. 72). There are three sub- points at this stage: sequencing,
ranking and classifying. Sequencing requires learners to arrange or assemble different things
together in a task provided by the teacher such as jumbled pictures/events, parts of stories. (It can
also be a memory challenge activity where learners are shown a video just once or twice and
later they have to recollect what they saw and put them in order). Rank ordering or ranking is
ordering things according to "different criteria like cost, popularity, practicality or fun value -
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different topics will obviously need different criteria" (ibid, 2007, p. 73). (However, it is very
useful to have a list before ranking and thus while ranking communication and an interaction
between students is stimulated because they need to support ranking order). In case of classifying
"learners can either be asked to work out their own categories for classifying or to allot items in a
list to categories already given" (ibid, 2007, p. 75). Some of the examples for classifications can
be shapes, things that make noise and many more. Learner suggesting different ways of
classifying stimulates more interaction and discussions amongst them and if it is the teacher
providing with the various ways of classification, interaction then becomes very minimal.
Task difficulty has been a leading area of research for many years and it has been of essential
importance to researchers, syllabus designer, material writers etc. It becomes more of an intuitive
issue if there is no way of determining the difficulty of task and if there has not been any method
for determining task complexity and difficulty. Even in case of different kinds of syllabi
easier than determining task difficulty. According to Brindley (1987: cited in Nunan, 2004, p.
85), the factors that are involved in making a task difficult are learner factors, task factors and
text or input factors. Moreover, A two- dimensional framework was recommended by Brown,
Shilcock, Anderson and Yule (1984 cited in ibid, 2004, p. 86), "the first dimension related to the
type of information that had to be conveyed. The second dimension concerned the scale of the
task and the interrelationship among the different elements involved" (ibid, 2004, p.86).
Moreover,
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"in relation to the first dimension, they found that `static' tasks such as describing a diagram" is
easier then "dynamic tasks such as telling stories or describing a road accident, where the
elements remain constant relative to one another" and the "most difficult of all were `abstract'
tasks such as expressing an opinion, in which the elements are abstract rather than concrete"
The second dimension, however, focused on the interrelationship of the various elements
involved in a task as well as the scale of the task. Furthermore, cognitive complexity/demands
have attracted most researchers towards task difficulty. Skehan illustrated a three way distinction
model "between code complexity, cognitive complexity and communicative stress. Code
complexity is the linguistic difficulty and variety Cognitive complexity, on the other hand, is
divided into two parts: cognitive familiarity (the knowledge or the awareness of the topic from
beforehand) and cognitive processing (the organization and amount of the information). Lastly,
communication stress is the time limitation that is allotted in conversations. In addition, the
model Skehan proposed accompanied by Foster to measure task complexity consisted of three
"Accuracy is measured by dividing the number of correct clauses by the number of clauses
produced by each subject. Complexity is measured by dividing the total number of clauses by the
total number of C-units ("A c- unit is an utterance containing a unit of referential or pragmatic
meaning" Nunan, 2004, p. 87) produced by each unit. Fluency is measured by the total number of
seconds of silence and time saying `um' and `ah ' by subjects as they complete the tasks"
(Nunan,.2004, p.87).
As a result, they found that different kinds of tasks required and resulted from different cognitive
demands. (Robinson (2001b: cited in ibid, 2004, p. 88), another researcher, argued that cognitive
"Resource directing factors include the number of elements involved , the amount of contextual
support available, and reasoning demands made on the user " whereas , Resource- depleting
factors "make demands on attention and working memory , include the amount of planning time
Thus, to increase or decrease task complexity, any of the factors can easily be manipulated.
Robinson also states that more negotiation takes place in complex versions of tasks. Lastly
Martyn pointed out four aspects of cognitive demand: contextual support, reasoning demand,
degree of task structure and availability of knowledge schema. Using these factors, she
conducted a research applying the tasks that maximize negotiation such as jig-saw, information
exchange, problem-solving, decision- making and opinion exchange. After carrying out the
research she argued that "when density of negotiation was the dependent variable, the result
would be reversed, that the opinion exchange task, having greater cognitive demand, would
90). As a result,
"tasks with high cognitive demands and more complex communication , as marked by high
density negotiation of meaning sequences , generated the `pushed output ' that Swain ( 1995: cited
in ibid, 2004, p. 90) argued was a factor of acquisition" (ibid, 2004, p.90).
Therefore, acquisition will only take place for learners when the level is appropriate and in case
"difficulty is an individual matter because it depends upon learners' language learning aptitude
influence on task based language teaching. His hypothesis was very much based on a number of
"showed that the morphemes were acquired in pretty much the same order by learners regardless
of their first language . The acquisition order was also similar regardless of the age of the
The data collected by Krashen allowed him to develop four hypotheses commonly known as:
acquisition learning hypothesis, natural order hypothesis, monitor model hypothesis and input
hypothesis.
Krashen states that an individual acquires language "by exposure of comprehensible input" and
"if the input contains forms and structures just beyond the learners current level of a competence
in the language, then both comprehension and acquisition will occur" (Spada, 1999, p. 39).
According to Krashen and Terrell (1983: cited in Scheffler, 2007, p.5) "all that is necessary for
L2 acquisition to take place is that learners are provided with comprehensible input". Therefore,
in order for learners to progress from one stage to another, they always need to learn to
comprehend structures and forms beyond their existing knowledge. The tasks provided to the
learners must also be structured in such a way that the following task consists of a greater input
level than the learners' one already embedded in the learners' knowledge.
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In 1985, a Canadian Researcher, Merrill Swine attacks the idea of input hypothesis and proposed
an alternative notion commonly known as the `output hypothesis'. He argued in his proposal that
input is not enough to attain second language acquisition rather learners need a greater number of
opportunities to use the language since one can easily avoid the syntax and aim for meaning.
utterance, that is, encode it grammatically" (Nunan, 2004, p. 80). Moreover, the very first
researcher to put great importance on the concept of output was Hatch (1978: cited in ibid, 2004,
p.79) who believed interaction should be given first priority and that conversing is very much
effectual when learning a second language rather than learning grammatical forms. Ellis (1984,
p. 95: cited in ibid, 2004, p. 80) too had a similar view point, he argued that "interaction
contributes to development because it is the means by which the learner is able to crack the
code". Therefore, the tasks given to learners should have enough opportunities for them to
interact with each other as well as the teacher. Swine claims that in the process of achieving
comprehensible input, foreign language production becomes more accurate because learners
strive to speak properly and accurately so that their speech is comprehended by the listener,
(Lynch, 2006, p. 319).Long (1985: Nunan, 2004, p. 80) also contributed to the idea of output by
suggesting "linguistic conversational adjustments (which are also known as the negotiation of
meaning)" which
"promote comprehensible input because such adjustments are usually triggered by an indication
of non-comprehension, requiring the speaker to reformulate his or her utterance to make it more
comprehensible".
17
Therefore, if comprehensible input allows acquisition to take place, negotiation of meaning also
without even being aware of it. The process of negotiation of meaning contains four stages:
trigger (it is what starts the sequence), signal (draws awareness to a communication breakdown),
response (where the speaker challenges to fix the error; this stage may have more than one steps)
and lastly follow-up (marks the closing of the sequence); (Pica et al. 1991: Nunan, 2004, p.80).
Martyn developed a new method for determining the density of the sequence which was called
negotiation of density that included three ratios. : "the number of signals per negotiation
sequence, the number of responses per negotiation sequences and the number of signals per
responses" (ibid, 2004, p.83). She believed that measuring the density will provide a precise
measure of the level of communicative demand and cognitive involvement rather than a simple
count regarding different kinds of tasks. Doughty and Pica (1986: Nunan, 2004, p.84) established
that when information sharing is mandatory, the amount of negotiation is greater in number than
when it is optional. Around 1993, Pica, Kanagy and Falodun, designed a framework what they
called the two key features of a task: the interactional activity and the communication goals. The
"Interactant relationship (Do task participants hold mutual or mutually exclusive information) and
Interactant requirement (is the exchange of information necessary or optional for task
completion?), communicative goals are also distributed in two sections: outcome options (is a
single outcome required, or was several outcome possible) and goal orientation (are participants
As a result, Pica proposed four conditions ("each interactant holds different portion of
information, it is necessary for the information to be exchanged for the task to be completed,
18
Interactant have convergent goals and only one acceptable answer is possible," (ibid, 2004, p.
84) that would maximize the amount of negotiation in various tasks such as jigsaw, information
be assigned with the tasks mentioned above and also the exchange of information should be
compulsory so that the maximum amount of negotiation takes place in the classroom.
debatable concern for many years. According to the strong interpretation/approach by some
linguists, "communicative interaction in the target language is necessary and sufficient for
language acquisition, and that a focus on form is unnecessary" (Nunan, 2004, p.93). In addition,
they also believe that "an approach which imposes linguistic constraints cannot be called `task-
based' " (ibid, 2004, p.93).Krashen, who strongly supports the strong approach,
"argues that there are two processes operating in language development, subconscious acquisition
and conscious learning and that form focused is aimed at conscious learning which does not feed
Tasks that require a particular structure so that it can be completed successfully are termed as
focused tasks. On the other hand, unfocused tasks are those in which learners have the liberty to
apply any linguistic resources within their stock of knowledge to finish a task. Moreover,
Loschky and Bley-Vroman (1993: Nunan, 2004, p. 95), points out, "while a particular form may
not be essential for the successful completion of a task, certain forms could be expected to arise
19
quite naturally in the course of the task" (ibid, 2004, p. 94). They also state that the use of such
forms will significantly assist the completion of the task and that linguistic forms aimed by
teacher, syllabus and textbook are not required. In contrast, Willis and Willis discard the concept
of `focused task' also known as metacommunicative task "( exercise with a focus on linguistic
2001: pg 173-4 Cited in Nunan, 2004: pg 97). As a result, Willis and Willis state, "one feature of
TBL (task-based learning), therefore is that learners carrying out a task are free to use any
language they can to achieve the outcome" (Willis and Willis, 2001, p. 173-4 Cited in ibid, 2004,
pg 97).
In an instructional sequence/ cycle, focus on forms was introduced and exposed initially or at the
beginning of the task in the early forms of task-based language teaching. The logic behind it was
that it was impractical of the learners to produce language that they have not been exposed to
earlier in the lessons. However in recent instructional cycle, the focus on forms comes later in the
process commonly recognized as `focus on linguistic elements', the reason being that the
previous stages expose learners to enough communication in the target language before they are
confronted with the linguistic focus. According to White (1987 cited in Mohamed, 2003, p.228),
since certain grammatical forms cannot be acquired merely through the exposure to the language,
"Larsen- Freeman (1995: cited in Mohamed, 2003, p.228) points out that even if grammar is
acquired naturally, it does not necessarily follow that it should not be taught. Instruction can
Focus on form is more or less integrated in communicative classrooms. Teachers can provide
either an implicit or an explicit focus on the target language structure while designing a task
suggested by Samuda (2001: cited in Nunan 2004, p.107). Moreover, for some communicative
tasks, the focus on forms is very indirect and manipulated by the task whereas for other tasks,
forms may be very direct and overt. Nonetheless, the teacher as well the task has a massive role
to play regarding the kind of form focus the task will pursue in the classroom.
2.7 Conclusion
The sections discussed in this chapter will help to work as the basis for evaluation of the tasks in
the English textbook for classes IX & X in Bangladesh. They will be used in constructing the
students and teacher questionnaire as well as the researcher's own checklist to conduct the
3.1 Introduction
This chapter gives an insight into the research methodology that was followed to conduct the
research. Questionnaire survey for both students and teachers in addition to the researcher's own
checklist were the primary methods used in this study. Moreover, in this chapter, there is a
detailed discussion on implications, administration, sampling, data analysis and the research
tools.
teachers' questionnaire survey and lastly, (3) researcher's own evaluation using a checklist.
Questionnaire method while conducting a survey is one the most useful and widely used methods
for many years. By using questionnaires, both the researcher and the participants can benefit,
there are many advantages associated with questionnaire. For the participants', to fill in
structured questionnaire requires very little time and the answers are relatively objective, easy to
analyze. Therefore, for the researcher, it is very simple to quantify and interpret the result.
According to Seliger and Shohamy (1989, p. 172) some of the advantages of using a
a) They are self-administered and can be given to a large group of subjects at the same
time. They are, therefore, less expensive to administer than other procedures such as
interviews.
more easily.
c) Since the same questionnaire is given to all subjects, the data are more uniform and
standard.
d) Since they can usually be given to all subjects at exactly the same time or with the
Another method that is implemented in this study is the researcher's own checklist. By using the
checklist, the researcher will be able to identify and give his /her feedback of the textbook being
evaluated.
to Seliger and Shohamy (1989, p. 173), questionnaires are printed forms for data collection,
which include questions or statements to which the subject is expected to respond, often
questions printed or typed in a definite order on a form or set of forms. Kothari (ibid, p. 127) also
stated that all questions should meet the following standard. They - (a) should be easily
understood, (b) should be simple and (c) should be concrete and should conform as much as
There are many ways to create a questionnaire and rating scale is one of the most common ways
studies. In a Likert scale, 5 different options are provided for each item on the questionnaire to
the participants. They are required to answer a series of statements indicating whether they
`Entirely agree' (EA), `Agree' (A), `Not sure' (NS), `Disagree' (D) and lastly `Entirely Disagree'
(ED).Moreover, Entirely Agree is assigned 1 and Entirely Disagree may get the score of 5.
Seliger and Shohamy (1989, p. 173), however, recommended that in an attitude questionnaire the
sequence should be reversed from the one suggested by Likert. For example, `Entirely Disagree'
should be assigned 1 and `Entirely Agree' should be scored 5.Therefore, this study follows the
(a) Likert type scale is considered more reliable because under it respondents answer
each statement included in the instrument. Likert-type scale can easily be used in
responses differ between people and how responses differ between stimuli.
(b) Likert-type scale takes much less time to construct; it is frequently used by the
Taking all there advantages in to account, the researcher decided on Likert scale as the rating
scale for her research. While designing the questions, the researcher tried to make the questions
as simple and brief as possible so that the participants do not face any difficulties. The questions
24
basically asked the participations about their opinion towards the tasks in the English textbook
All the questions in the questionnaire for both students and teachers emerged out of the
and for each item 5 options were assigned. The participants were instructed to circle the most
appropriate answer for each item. The options are sequenced from entirely disagree, disagree, not
sure, agree and entirely agree. Moreover, the areas the questionnaire covers are definitions of
task, task components, framework, task difficulty, empirical basis for task-based language
The area `Definitions of task' consists of 4 items to investigate what types of tasks are provided
in the English Textbook for class IX and X. It also tries to find out if the levels of the tasks are
The area `Task components' in the questionnaire includes 5 items. It tries to find out if the tasks
are effective and motivate the learners. It also attempts to find out what type of tasks are
The third area `Framework' consists of only 3 questions which seek to discover if the tasks allow
the learners to practice authentic language and implement different skills such as ordering,
`Task Difficulty' however, has only 2 items in the questionnaire and is very much self
explanatory. It aims to see if the tasks maintain a sequence of difficulty and which types of tasks
The area `Empirical basis for task-based language teaching' includes 3 items. It tries to find out
if the inputs given are appropriate for the learners and if the tasks interactive.
Last but not least, `Focus on form in task-based language teaching' has 4 items which try to find
Seliger and Shohamy (1989, p. 188) state that `validity refers to the extent to which the data
collection procedure measures what it intends to measure'. Nunan (1992, p. 14), on the other
hand, defines validity as `the extent to which a piece of research actually investigates what the
researcher purports to investigate'. Reliability, however, refers to the accuracy in the data
collection procedure (Seliger and Shohamy, 1989, p .185). Moreover, some of the aspects the
The checklist is constructed for the researcher's own evaluation of the textbook. The checklist
has the same number of items and areas mentioned in the teachers' and students' questionnaire.
The only major distinction is that the items on the checklist are in the form of questions rather
than in statements. Moreover, it is included in the study to help the researcher execute a
subjective evaluation of the items from the knowledge he/she has gathered from the teacher and
In a practical situation, field studies require a lot of time as well as capital which lead to a
(1985:68), "the selected respondents constitute what is technically called a `sample' and the
The topic for this research requires the researcher to collect valid and reliable data from various
schools all the over the country which involves a lot of money, time and man power that is not
available in her context. Therefore, considering all the limitations, the researcher chose to use
sampling to conduct the research for the convenience of the data selection.
The schools were chosen keeping in mind of the cost, time limitations and other resources. Also,
these are some of the most well known Bangla medium schools in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Borg and Gall (1989) refers to sampling as "selecting a given number of subjects from a definite
population as representative of that population". Therefore, to collect the data the researcher has
27
chosen 20 teachers along with 100 students and as many schools as possible as subjects or
sample units.
Samples selected for the survey are shown in the following table:
Type Number
Teachers' questionnaire 20
School A 2 IX 11
X 4
School B 2 IX 3
X 3
School C 4 IX 0
X 0
School D 5 IX 0
X 0
School E 1 IX 0
28
x 0
School F 1 IX 10
X 7
School G 1 IX 0
X 0
School H 2 IX 0
X 0
SchoolI 1 IX 0
X 0
School J 1 IX 0
X 0
School K 0 IX 9
X 0
School L 0 IX 5
X 0
School M 0 IX 14
X 3
School N 0 IX 5
X 14
SchoolO 0 IX 2
X 1
School P 0 IX 0
29
X 3
School Q 0 IX 6
X 0
coaching centers in which students from various schools gathered. At first, the researcher had to
introduce herself to the owner of the coaching center and explain the purpose of the research and
requested him the permission to conduct the survey amongst the students there. The owners were
very helpful; they requested the teachers of the class to allow the researcher to do the survey.
Moreover, the researcher also had to go to some of the participants' home to carry out the
research but those were limited to the family members or relatives. However, by going to a few
coaching centers and doing questionnaire survey among students of various schools, the
researcher was able to cover a number of different schools all around Dhaka.
The teachers' survey was administered slightly differently than that of the students' survey. The
researcher emailed most of the surveys to the teachers as it was preferred by them and for the
other teachers, the researcher had to contact the teacher and go to his/her residence to do the
survey. Although, towards the beginning of the research, it was becoming difficult to convince
the teachers to fill out questionnaire survey but once, they were convinced, their co-operation
was astounding. Lastly, some of them not only filled out the survey but, in addition, provided the
researcher with information that became very useful for the research.
30
The data collected from the survey for both students and teachers were hand tabulated and
analyzed applying Frequency Counts and Mean Scores. Seliger and Shohamy (1989, p. 211)
state that there are a number of advantages of Frequency Counts for data analysis:
❖ Frequencies provide the researcher with meaningful information on the measures used in
❖ Frequencies can also be useful for obtaining insight into the data research.
❖ Frequency Counts is a useful way of condensing, organizing and summarizing the data
❖ Frequencies can provide the researcher with meaningful information on the measures
used in the research even before the results are compared. This can help the researcher
Moreover, Seliger and Shohamy (1989:215) also stated that the mean is the sum of all scores of
3.12 Conclusion
The results found from both of the questionnaires' (teachers and students) have been analyzed
and discussed in details based on an interpretation key in the following chapter. The researcher's
own checklist is also used to assess the task efficacy of the textbook. .
31
Chapter 4: Results
4.1 Introduction
The data collected from both the students' and teachers' questionnaire has been hand tabulated
and analyzed thoroughly in terms of frequency counts and means and the results are presented in
this chapter.
for each item. In order to analyze, the responses had to be converted into mathematical figures as
follows:
Entirely disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Not sure = 3
Agree = 4
Entirely agree = 5
(In all the boxes, the numbers on top indicate the number of scorers and the number at the
bottom represents the score after the conversion into mathematical figures. Moreover, the mean
Table: I
Statements
A. Definitions of task
Tasks in the textbook are arranged from 0 3 2 83 12
simple, brief type, to complex and lengthy
4 . 04
activities such as group solving and decision
making. 0 6 6 332 60
0 0 21 220 190
The tasks are learner friendly. 1 0 0 73 26 4. 23
1 0 0 292 130
The tasks allow the teachers to be able to offer 0 2 9 88 1 3. 88
33
0 2 18 312 75
Tasks make you practice various skills such as 1 3 10 81 5 3.86
listing, ordering and etc.
1 6 30 324 25
D. Task Difficulty
The difficulty level of the task increases 4 4 1 30 61 4.40
gradually.
4 8 3 120 305
A task that requires you to describe something 0 23 3 67 7 3.58
is easier than expressing an opinion. For
example, telling a story or describing a road
accident is easier than expressing how you 0 46 9 268 35
feel about a movie or a political party.
and calculated in the same manner. The participant teachers had to circle an appropriate answer
for each item among five options given to them and then for analysis the responses were again
Entirely disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Not sure = 3
Agree = 4
Entirely agree = 5
The results of the teachers' questionnaire survey are shown in the table below:
35
(In all the boxes the numbers on top indicate the number of scorers and the number in the bottom
represents the score after the conversion into mathematical figures. Moreover, the mean score is
Table: 2
Statements
w Q z
A. Definitions of Task
Tasks in the textbook are arranged from 1 3 0 15 1 3.6
simple, brief type activities to complex
and lengthy activities such as group
solving and decision making. 1 6 0 60 5
1 2 6 40 30
The tasks allow the teachers to be only 0 6 5 7 2 3.25
facilitators.
0 12 15 28 10
There is a balance between different 1 2 1 15 1 3.65
36
1 6 15 28 20
Tasks are designed to cater to various sub 0 2 3 14 1 3.7
skills such as listing, ordering and etc.
0 4 9 56 5
D. Task Difficulty
The difficulty of the task increases 1 4 3 11 1 3.35
gradually.
1 8 9 44 5
A task that requires describing something 1 0 4 10 5 3.9
is easier than expressing an opinion. For
example, telling a story or describing a
road accident is easier than expressing 1 0 12 40 25
how one feels about a movie or a political
party.
E. Em pirical basis for task-based lan u a a teac hin
The level of the input given to the learners 4 3 4 7 2 3.15
is advanced than their current level. For
learners to move from one stage to
another, they need to know structures
beyond their existing knowledge. 4 6 15 28 10
2 10 6 36 10
Initially, sufficient amount of 0 4 6 7 3 3.45
communication is provided to students
and later they are exposed to linguistic 0 8 18 28 15
forms.
** (The interpretation key is applied for discussion of the results in: 1.00- 2.25 = negative
feedback , 2.26-3. 00 =not satisfactory , 3.01-3.75 =satisfactory and 3.76 -5 .00 = very satisfactory.)
Below the heading Definitions of Task, there are 4 items. The overall responses of all the
In item no. 1 (Tasks in the textbook are arranged from simple, brief type, to complex and lengthy
activities such as group solving and decision making), the mean score is 4.04 which means the student
Item no. 2 (Task is a process controlled by teachers that requires you to arrive at an outcome from given
information); the students responses are `very satisfactory' as well since the mean score is 3.97.
38
For item no.3 (The tasks focus on activities that promote communication), the mean score is 3.95 and the
Item no.4 (The textbook covers both real -world [ introduces and allows you to engage in activities that are
necessary outside of the classroom ] and pedagogic task [are limited to classrooms and are not similar to
the outside world] ), the overall attitude of the students were ` very satisfactory' because the mean score is
4.11.
Among the five items, from no.5 to no.9, under the area Task components, for numbers 5, 6, 7, 8 and
`very satisfactory' is the response of the students and numbers 9 the students' attitude is `satisfactory'.
In item no. 5(The tasks in the text book motivate your participation), the mean score is 4.16 and therefore,
In item no. 6 (The input given to you is very effective ); the mean score is 4 .31 which state that the
Item no. 7 (The tasks are learner friendly), the mean score is 4.23and thus the result is `very satisfactory'
In item no. 8 (The tasks allow the teachers to be able to offer help but not give the answer), the mean
In item no. 9 (You are required to do pair, individual and group activities), the attitude towards this
Under the area Framework there are 3 items, from item 10 - 12. The students' attitudes are all `very
satisfactory'
Item no. 10 (The tasks are form focused which will let you practice authentic communication [when you
are expected to do an activity in class similar to an actual communicative interaction outside the
classroom]), the mean score is 4.03 and the attitude is `very satisfactory'.
Item no. 11 ( The task topics are appropriate and well liked by you), the students attitude are `very
Item no.12 ( Tasks make you practice various skills such as listing, ordering and etc), the mean score is
Under Task difficulty there are only 2 items where one is `very satisfactory ' and the other is `satisfactory'.
In item no .13 (The difficulty level of the task increases gradually ), the mean score is 4.40 and the attitude
Item no.14 ( A task that requires you to describe something is easier than expressing an opinion. For
example , telling a story or describing a road accident is easier than expressing how you feel about a
movie or a political party), the mean score is 3 . 58 therefore the attitude is also ` satisfactory'.
Under the area Empirical basis for task- based language teaching , there are only 3 items in this section
In item no.15 (The level of the input given to you is advanced than your current level. For you to move
from one stage to another, you need to understand structures beyond the knowledge you already have),
the overall attitude of the students are `very satisfactory' and the mean score is 4.20.
In item no. 16 (Tasks are designed in a way that it encourages interaction between you and the teachers),
Item no .17 (The task requires /encourage you to exchange information ), the students attitude is `very
Under the area focus on form in task- based language teaching there are 4 items from numbers 18-21
where 2 of the items are `very satisfactory' and 2 are ' not satisfactory'.
In item no. 18 (Certain language structure help the learners complete a task), the mean score is 3.97 and
In item no.19 (You are free to use language in your own way to get the outcome) the students attitude
again 'very satisfactory' but the mean score is `3 .94 very close to the previous item.
Item no.20 (At first, there is enough exposure to the target language for you, then you are taught language
structure), the mean score is 2.83 and the view of the students are `not satisfactory'.
In item no. 21(Language structures are not taught directly through the tasks), the mean score is 2.92
** (The interpretation key is applied for discussion of the results in: 1.00-2.25 = negative
feedback, 2.26-3.00 = not satisfactory, 3.01-3.75 =satisfactory and 3.76-5.00 = very satisfactory.)
Below the heading Definitions of Task, there are 4 items. For 3 of the items students' response
In item no. 1 (Tasks in the textbook are arranged from simple , brief type activities to complex and
lengthy activities such as group solving and decision making), the mean score is 3.6 the teachers
Item no. 2 (In the textbook, tasks require the learners to arrive at a conclusion from given information),
the teachers view is `very satisfactory' and the mean score is 4.0.
For item no.3 (In the textbook, tasks are associated with communicative language use), the mean score is
Item no.4 (The textbook covers both real-world tasks [introduces and allows learners to engage in
activities that are necessary outside of the classroom] and pedagogic task [confined to classroom and are
not similar to the outside world]), the overall attitude of the teachers is `very satisfactory' because the
Among the five items, from no.5 to no.9, under the area Task components, for numbers 5 and 7 `very
satisfactory' was the response of the teachers and numbers 6, 8, and 9 the teachers' attitude is
`satisfactory'.
In item no. 5(The tasks in the text book motivate learner participation), the mean score is 3.95 and
In item no. 6 (The input given to students is very effective); the mean score is 3.15 which state that the
Item no. 7 (The tasks are learner friendly), the mean score is 3.95 and thus the result is `very satisfactory'
In item no. 8 (The tasks allow the teachers to be only facilitators), the mean score is 3.25 and the overall
attitude is `satisfactory'.
In item no. 9 (There is a balance between different modes of activities [individual, pair and group]), the
attitude towards this question is `satisfactory' and the mean score is 3.65.
Under the area Framework there are 3 items, from item 10-12. All of the items are `satisfactory'.
Item no. 10 (The tasks are form-focused which allow students to process authentic communication [when
learners are expected to do an activity in class similar to a genuine communicative interaction outside the
Item no . 11 (The task topics are appropriate and well liked by the learners), the teachers attitude are
Item no.12 (Tasks are designed to cater to various sub skills such as listing, ordering and etc), the mean
Under Task difficulty one item is `satisfactory ' another is ` very satisfactory'.
In item no.13 (The difficulty of the task increases gradually), the mean score is 3.35 and the attitude of the
Item no.14 (A task that requires describing something is easier than expressing an opinion. For example,
telling a story or describing a road accident is easier than expressing how one feels about a movie or a
political party), the mean score is 3.9 therefore the attitude is also `very satisfactory' like the previous
item.
Under the area Empirical basis for task-based language teaching , there are only 3 items in this section
from which only two are `satisfactory' and one is `very satisfactory'.
In item no.15 (The level of the input given to the learners is advanced than their current level. For learners
to move from one stage to another, they need to know structures beyond their existing knowledge), the
overall attitude of the teachers are `satisfactory' and the mean score is 3.15.
In item no. 16 (Tasks are designed in such a manner that it encourages interaction between learners and
the teacher), the mean score is 3.25 and the teachers view is `satisfactory'.
44
Item no.17 (The task requires learners to exchange information ), the teachers attitude is `very satisfactory'
Under the area focus on form in task- based language teaching there are 4 items from numbers 18-21
where 2 of the items are ' satisfactory' and other 2 items are `very satisfactory'.
In item no. 18 (Certain language forms help the learners to complete the task), the mean score is 4.15 and
In item no.19 (Learners are free to use any language to attain the outcome) the teachers attitude is
Item no.20 (Initially, sufficient amount of communication is provided to students and later they are
exposed to linguistic forms), the mean score is 3.45 and the view of the teachers are `satisfactory'.
In item no. 21 (Focus on forms is very indirect in the tasks), the mean score is 3.85 therefore this too is
`very satisfactory'.
45
In this section , the researcher presents her own evaluation of the textbook using the checklist.
The results found and analyzed for each of the item is presented in order and discussed in details.
A. Definitions of Task
Item no.l : The researcher believes that the tasks have been arranged from simple to brief types,
to complex to lengthy activities such as group solving and decision making. For example, `unit
1: lesson 4; exercise c; p: 8' is simpler than `unit 3: lesson 3, exercise c; p: 28'. Because, the task
in Unit 1 needs only discussion regarding Baishakhi mela but the task in Unit 3 requires the
partner to fill in the spider diagram for Rafiq's school while the learner fills out another one
regarding his/her school and after they are both done; they are instructed to compare the
Item no.2: In the checklist, in item 2 the researcher does believe that the task process is
controlled by teachers that require learners to arrive with a product from given information.
Many of the tasks are provided with information or a given sample and the students are
instructed to follow that information to arrive with the product. For example, students are given a
sample dialogue or a set of words and they are then instructed to create another dialogue
following the structure of the previous one or write a number of sentences using the set of words
provided. However, the tasks are more or less controlled and the process is regulated by the
teachers. In Unit 6; Lesson 4, exercise c; p: 64, learners are provided with a set of statements
about junk food that they are instructed to read and make similar statements with the information
provided.
46
Item no.3: In the checklist, item 3 refers to task association with communicative use. The
researcher believes that the tasks are very much communicative and involves the students to
interact to a great extinct. For example, Unit 1; lesson 1; exercise C; the learners are instructed to
work in pair and arrange the jumbled sentences in a dialogue form matching the dialogue with
the picture provided below. Also, in Unitl3; lessonl; exercise A; students are instructed to "look
at the pictures below and tell their partner which country the animals are found in".
Item no4: The textbook covers both real-world (introduces and allows learners to engage in
activities that are necessary outside of the classroom) and pedagogic task (confined to
classrooms and are not similar to the outside world). The researcher believes that the textbook
maintains a good balance between real-world task and pedagogic task. For example, Unit 1,
Lesson 1, exercise E requires the learners to interview his/her partner and then write a short
article of about 100 words based on the answer they received. Also, in Unit 15, Lesson 4,
exercise B and C, p.155; learners are instructed to fill out a bank form with his/her partner which
can be considered to be a real-world task; however, in exercise C in the same unit, learners are
told to read a text about an Access Card and match the headings with the appropriate paragraphs.
can be stated that there is a good balance between the real-world task and pedagogic task.
B. Task components
Item no.5: According to the researcher, the textbook motivates learners because a great number
of tasks are communicative and has various skills integrated into one lesson. Also, the topics are
not at all intimidating rather to their liking which are very simple and encouraging such as Eid,
Christmas, A new experience in Unit 7; Lesson8; p.79, Unit 7;Lesson9; p.80-81 and Unit
47
4;Lesson5;p.38. The topics are familiar and the tasks are learner friendly. For example, for Unit
7; Lesson8; p.79, exercise B requires the learners to read a newspaper article on the significance
of Eid and answer questions. Moreover, In Unit 7;Lesson9; p.80-81, exercise C, learners are
instructed to write down who is buying what for whom this Christmas using the clues from a
given box. Lastly, In Unit 4, Lesson5; p.38, exercise A, learners are asked to read the questions
Item no6: The inputs provided to the learners are very effective because they are taught how to
interact when meeting someone new, how to read news paper advertisement for information and
many more. Moreover, the functions the learners are learning are also very effective such as
expressing request, exchanging greetings, advising, and etc. For example, Unit 1; Lesson4, pg.7-
8, exercise D expects learners to make a poster requesting volunteers to help with the various
duties. In unit 1, lesson 1, p.3, exercise E, learners are required to think about the questions they
are going to ask their partner and then interview them which will teach them how to exchange
greetings.
Item no7: The researcher feels that most of the tasks are learner friendly but the tasks that require
learners to read a comprehension and answer questions can be very conventional and thus bore
the students; for example, Unit 10; lesson 6; p . 1 1 1 - 1 12. Moreover, the topics are very simple and
straightforward which should allow the students to feel comfortable with the tasks. .
Item no.8: In some tasks, the teachers can act only as facilitators such as when the learners are
instructed to create a dialogue but in case of Q &A tasks, teachers can easily play the role of
facilitators like in Unit 14; lesson3; p.146. For exercise B and C, learners are told to read the text
48
and later in exercise C, they are instructed to answer the following questions. In tasks like these,
teachers can easily offer help and at times even provide the learners with the answers.
In item no.9 : Overall in the textbook, there is a balance in the mode of learning but considering
each lessons individually, some consists of only individual work while others are a combination
C. Framework
In item no 10: The researcher believes that the tasks are form focused which allow students to
process authentic communication (when they are expected to do an activity in class similar to an
actual communicative interaction outside the classroom) because even when the function of the
task is to describe something, a form or grammar structure is followed indirectly such as present
simple tense; for example, in unit 2; lesson 4; p. 15-16 and thus this applies for almost all of the
tasks.
In item no 11: According to the researcher , the tasks are appropriate and should be well liked by
the students because in Unit 1, lesson 2 , exercise E, p. 4, learners are required to work in pairs
and complete the extract using the given words in the box which is very much suitable for their
level and enjoyable to do since it demands interaction between the partners to complete the task.
In item no 12: In the checklist item 12, refers to the tasks catering to various sub-skills such as
listing, ordering etc. The researcher thinks that the tasks are well planned/designed to cater to
various sub-skills because in Unit 5 ; lesson 1; p.48, exercise C learners are asked to list the
reasons why traffic jam happens and in Unit6 , Lessonl , p.58, learners are instructed to list the
D. Task Difficulty
Item no.13: The researcher believes that the difficulty level of the tasks increases gradually
because in Unit 1, lesson 1, exercise B, p. 1, learners are told to work in pairs and guess specific
information from the picture but in Unit 1, lesson 2, exercise A, p.3, learners are supposed to
read some information about a woman named Prity, work in pairs and ask and answer questions
about the information. Here, it is clearly established that the task in lesson 1, exercise B is merely
guessing specific information about Becky from the given picture which is easier than the task in
In item no 14: The researcher once again believes that the tasks that require learners to describe
something are easier than expressing an opinion. In the textbook, since the lessons are designed
from simple to complex, one can notice that in Unit 4; lesson 2; p. 33, describing the pictures is
included. However, how to express one's opinion is taught in Unit 11; lesson 3; p.121. Also, in
Unit 3, lesson 4, exercise A, p. 29, learners are asked to look at some pictures and describe what
the students are doing with his/her partner and in Unit 7, lesson 4, exercise c, p.72, learners are
required to work in groups and make changes for Thursday and Friday television programs
which require learners to express their opinions. Therefore, describing must be easier than
expressing an opinion.
Item no .15: The level of the input given to learners is advanced than their current level according
to the learner
to the researcher. For example , Unit 5 , lesson 2 intends to teach ` present simple '
and in the same unit , lesson 3 teaches ' passive future simple ' allowing the latter input to be
50
advanced than the learners' current level However, some inputs are repeated in several tasks
towards the following lessons. Such as in Unit 22, lesson 1, first conditional taught but it is again
repeated in lesson 3.
Item no 16 : Tasks are designed in such a manner that it encourages interaction between learners
and the teachers . However, some of the tasks encourage more interaction between teachers. For
example, True/ False or Fill in the blank activities requires interaction with the teacher more than
between the learners themselves. Such as in Unit 7 ; lesson 8 ; p.80, exercise C requires the
learners to state if the statements are true or false and if false , learners have to correct it. In these
types of exercises, there isn ' t much interaction between learners themselves, rather learners
consult and interact with teacher more by asking them for help or sharing the answer with them.
In item no.17: A lot of the tasks, "learners are very much required to exchange information" like
in Unitl; lesson 1; p.3, exercise E, where students are required to exchange personal information
In item no.18: Although there isn't any direct mention of language forms, the researcher thinks
that certain language forms do help to complete of the task. The form can be identified by the
way the questions are structured. For example, in Unit 1, lesson2, exercise A, p.3, learners are
instructed to work in pairs and answer question about the information provided to them, an
example is already given; e.g., Q: How old is -Prity; A: She is 10 years old. By this learners can
identify that this task will be teaching them `present simple' without the book directly stating it.
51
Item no.19: As mentioned above, from the surface, it seems learners are free to use any language
to attain outcome but this too very much depends on the question structure but as long as the
outcome is grammatically correct, they are able to use any language structure as they wish.
Item no.20: The researcher believes that learners are exposed to linguistic forms from the
beginning rather than later in the textbook; for example, Unitl, lesson 1, p.2 is indirectly
In item no.21: Almost majority of the time, focus on form is indirect in the tasks; for instance,
Unit4, lesson 9, p.44-45 is intended to teach the learners `passive forms' without any mentioning
of it.
4.7 Conclusion
The result, as a whole, confirms that the book has many positive aspects; yet, in a number of
areas, the responses were `not satisfactory' which needs to be further modified. However, the
tasks in the book seem to be very skillfully designed around Communicative language teaching
tasks have been provided by the researcher in light of results of the students' and teachers'
questionnaire survey along with the researcher's own evaluation of the tasks with the checklist.
Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations
5.1 Introduction
This chapter sums up, concludes and suggests recommendations based on the findings of the
5.2 Conclusion
The foremost purpose of this study was to evaluate the tasks in English textbook for classes IX &
X under a certain number of headings. The major finding of the study is briefly mentioned in the
following section.
Definitions of Task
According to the surveys as well as the researcher's checklist this section "definition of tasks" is
`very satisfactory'. Teachers overall view was `very satisfactory' similar to that of the students.
For item 1, teachers' response was `satisfactory'. The researcher also feels that the tasks in the
textbook are confined to at least one or more definitions stated in the questionnaire surveys;
Task Components
The teacher's survey illustrates that the tasks in the textbook cover all the components
adequately and their attitude was `satisfactory', however, the students' responses were more or
less `very satisfactory'. Item 9 for the students were `satisfactory' and the rest were `very
satisfactory' but for the teachers' items 6, 8 and9 were only `satisfactory' and only items 5 and 7
are `very satisfactory'. Moreover, the researcher's attitude towards this section is `very
satisfactory'.
Framework
Again according to the survey and the checklist, the response concerning "Framework" is
`satisfactory' from the teachers' perspective and the students' felt that it is `very satisfactory'
even though for item 11, the result was just `satisfactory'. Furthermore, the tasks are appropriate
for the learner, it caters to various sub-skills and is form- focused which allows students to
process authentic communication, and therefore the researcher's attitude is also `very
satisfactory'.
Task Difficulty
The attitude towards the levels of the difficulty in tasks was `very satisfactory' from both the
survey and the researcher's checklist. Therefore, it can be concluded that the difficulty of the
tasks increase gradually and descriptive tasks are easier than tasks that involves explaining.
The responses of the students and the teachers in this section contradict one another. Teachers
felt that overall this section was `satisfactory' since item no.15 and 16 are both `satisfactory' and
only item 17 are `very satisfactory'. Whereas, the students' felt that overall it was `very
Students' attitude for "focus on form in the task-based language teaching" is in the middle
ground because for item 18 and 19, their response was `very satisfactory' and for 20 and 21 it
was `not satisfactory'. Teachers' response was also in the middle ground. For item 18 and 21,
their response is `very satisfactory' and for items 19 and 20 it was `satisfactory'. However,
referring to the checklist, only item 20 was not `satisfactory' according to the researcher.
5.3 Recommendations
To improve the tasks in the text book the researcher came up with a few suggestions to overcome
the weaknesses identified in the process of evaluating the book. The points are as follows:
A. Definitions of task
1. Although, there is a good balance between the real-world task and pedagogic task, it
would be wise if there are more real- world tasks in the textbook than pedagogic tasks
because towards the end of the textbook many of the tasks instructs learners to only
answer or discuss questions after reading a passage. For example, Unit 20, lessonl,
exercise D, p.202 requires the learners to answer the question causing the tasks to be
pedagogic.
B. Tasks Components
1. There should not be too many reading comprehension passages where the following
task is simply answering questions from the passages because it minimizes the amount of
interaction between the learners. For example, Unit 18, lesson 1, exercise B, p.182
requires the learners to read the article and complete the unfinished sentences and tasks
such as this one does not involve learners minimally to interact with each other.
C. Framework
1. The tasks should maintain a balance among all the sub-skills (listing, ordering, and
etc). Unit 8 , Lessonl , exercise C , p. 84 require learners to make a list of the work the
computer can and cannot do. Similarly , in Unit 1, Lesson 4 , exercise C requires the
learners to make a list of activities the learners want to have during the mela. Moreover,
there are very few tasks that require learners to order or sort things.
D. Task difficulty
1. Although, the difficulty level increases gradually, occasionally it is seen that level of
difficulty reduces when it is supposed to be high. Unit 11, Lesson 2, exercise D, p. 118
expects the learners to merely read the text and discusses the question with his/her
partner. Moreover, this task is very simple considering the unit it belongs to because the
pervious units consisted of more complex tasks such as Unit 9, Lesson 3, exercise D,p.98
where the learners have to write about some interesting features of his/her English course.
E. Empirical basis for task-based language teaching
1. It is wise to repeat the input to practice the learnt item but if it is repeated too many
times the students will be deprived of learning new items. Therefore, repeating the input
just once is sufficient. For example, the input `present simple' is taught in Unit 1, lesson
1,2 , 3 and then again in Unit 2 , 3 and so on. This kind of repetition of input might not be
2. The tasks should maintain a balance between teacher and student interaction. Many of
the tasks require the learners to work in pairs or groups causing very limited interaction
with the teacher. For example, Unit 20, lesson 2, exercise D, p. 204 expects the learners
to work in pair because the instruction states that "discuss with your partner whether
1. Initially, there should be enough exposure of the target language because from the
surface it seems that there is an exposure of the target language but all the tasks have a
grammar focus. For example, in Unit 1, lesson 2, exercise A, p. 3 the grammar form is
Kothari, C.R. 1985. Research Methodology: Method and Techniques. India: Wishwa
Prakashan.
Lightbown, P. M. & Spada, N. (1999) How Language are Learned. NY: Oxford
University Press.
Likert, R.A. 1932. A technique for the Measurement ofAttitudes. Archives of Psychology
No. 140.
Lynch, T, (1996, June). Nudge, nudge: teacher interventions in task-based learner talk.
Journal .58(3).
Nunan, D. (1989) Designing Task for the Communicative Classroom. UK: Cambridge
University Press.
Press.
Scheffler, P. (2008, March 11).Rule difficulty and the usefulness of instruction". ELT
Journal. 63(1).
Seliger,H.W & Shohamy,E. 1989. Second Language Research Methods. China: Oxford
University Press.
Stewart, T. (2005, June). Teachers and learners evaluating course tasks together. ELT
Journal, 61(3).
Willis, J.R, Willis, D. (2007) Doing Task-based teaching. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Appendices
Appendix: I
This questionnaire is designed for a study on an evaluation of the" English for today" Textbook
for classes IX and X for an undergrad thesis in English. The answers you will provide will not to be
disclosed and used only for the purpose of the research. Thank you for your co-operation.
1. Name:
2. Class:
3. Institution:
Section B : Instruction
Each of the items has 5 points scale where 1= entirely disagree, 2= Disagree, 3= Not Sure, 4=
Agree and 5= entirely Agree . Please circle the appropriate number for your desired opinion about each
statement.
Statements
NO. >,
4.4 03
. .- O bA bA
A. Definitions of task
I. Tasks in the textbook are arranged from 1 2 3 4 5
simple, brief type, to complex and lengthy
activities such as group solving and decision
making.
2. Task is a process controlled by teachers that 1 2 3 4 5
requires you to arrive at an outcome from
given information.
3. The tasks focus on activities that promote 1 2 3 4 5
communication.
for each item. In order to analyze, the responses had to be converted into mathematical figures as
follows:
Entirely disagree = 1
Disagree = 2
Not sure = 3
Agree = 4
Entirely agree = 5
The results are presented in the table below:
(For each item the number of total respondents was 100 students').
For item number 1 (Tasks in the textbook are arranged from simple, brief type, to complex and lengthy
activities such as group solving and decision making) , none of the students ticked `entirely disagree', 3
students chose `disagree' , 2 picked `not sure', 83 students ticked `agree' and 12 chose `entirely agree'.
For item 2, (Task is a process controlled by teachers that requires you to arrive at an outcome from given
information), no one chose `entirely disagree' and similarly no one ticked the option `disagree'. 6 students
answer `not sure' while 91 picked `agree' and only 3 ticked `entirely agree'. And the mean score is 3.97.
Item 3, (The tasks focus on activities that promote communication), 4 students chose `entirely disagree',
no one picked `disagree', only 2 picked `not sure', 85 students chose `agree' and 9 chose ' entirely agree'.
For item number 4 (The textbook covers both real-world [introduces and allows you to engage in
activities that are necessary outside of the classroom] and pedagogic task [are limited to classrooms and
are not similar to the outside world]), none of the students ticked `entirely disagree', 10 students chose
`disagree', 5 picked `not sure', 49 students ticked `agree' and 36 chose `entirely agree'. The mean score is
4.11.
Item 5 (The tasks in the text book motivate your participation) , not a single student picked `entirely
disagree' , 5 chose `disagree' only 4 picked ` not sure', 61 students ticked ' agree' and 30 chose ` entirely
For item 6, (The input given to you is very effective), no one chose `entirely disagree', similarly no one
picked `disagree', 7 picked `not sure', 55 students chose `agree' and 38 chose ' entirely agree'. The mean
score is 4.31.
For item 7, (The tasks are learner friendly), I chose `entirely disagree', no one picked `disagree ', similarly
no one picked `not sure', 73 students chose `agree' and 26 chose ` entirely agree'. The mean score is 4.23.
For item number 8 (The tasks allow the teachers to be able to offer help but not give the answer) , none
of the students ticked `entirely disagree', 2 students chose `disagree', 9 picked `not sure', 88 students
ticked `agree' and only 1 chose `entirely agree'. The mean score is 3.88.
Number 9 (You are required to do pair, individual and group activities), I student chose `entirely
disagree', 17 students' picked `disagree' in the same way 17 students' chose `not sure' agree' was
picked by 62 and only 3 students answered `entirely agree'. 3.48 is the mean score.
Item IO(The tasks are form focused which will let you practice authentic communication [when you are
expected to do an activity in class similar to an actual communicative interaction outside the classroom])
5 students picked `entirely disagree' , 6 picked `disagree' only 2 picked ' not sure', 55 students ticked
For item number 11 (The task topics are appropriate and well liked by you) , none of the students
ticked `entirely disagree ', I student chose ` disagree ', 6 picked ` not sure ', 78 students ticked ` agree' and
Number 12 (Tasks make you practice various skills such as listing, ordering etc.) 1 student chose `entirely
disagree', 3 students' picked `disagree', 10 students' chose `not sure' agree' was picked by 81 and
Item 13, (The difficulty level of the task increases gradually ) , 4 student chose `entirely disagree'
similarly 4 students picked ' disagree ', but only I picked ` not sure' , 30 chose ` agree ' and 61 picked
Item 14, (A task that requires you to describe something is easier than expressing an opinion. For
example, telling a story or describing a road accident is easier than expressing how you feel about a
movie or a political party) , no one chose `entirely disagree' 23 students picked ' disagree', but only 3
picked `not sure' , 67 chose ` agree ' and 7 picked `entirely agree'. And the mean score is 3.58.
Item 15, (The level of the input given to you is advanced than your current level. For you to move from
one stage to another, you need to understand structures beyond the knowledge you already have) , only I
student chose `entirely disagree' 10 students picked ' disagree', but 4 picked `not sure' , 38 chose `agree'
For item 16, (Tasks are designed in a way that it encourages interaction between you and the teachers), no
one chose `entirely disagree', 1 picked `disagree', 2 chose `not sure', 84 students chose `agree' and 13
Item 17, ( The task requires / encourage you to exchange information) , no one chose ` entirely disagree' 3
students picked ' disagree ', but again no one picked ` not sure ' , 87 chose `agree ' and 10 picked ` entirely
For item 18, (Certain language structure help the learners complete a task), 0 chose `entirely disagree',
also `disagree' was picked by no one , 5 chose `not sure', 93 students chose `agree' and 2 chose ' entirely
For item 19, (You are free to use language in your own way to get the outcome), no one chose `entirely
disagree', 4 picked `disagree', also 4 chose `not sure', 86 students chose `agree' and 6 chose ' entirely
For item 20, (At first, there is enough exposure to the target language for you, and then you are taught
language structure), again no one answered `entirely disagree' but 51 picked `disagree'. 15 chose `not
sure', 34 students selected `agree' as their answer but no one answered `entirely agree'. However, the
For item 21, (Language structures are not taught directly through the tasks) , 4 students chose `entirely
disagree', `disagree' was picked by 48 students , 2 selected `not sure', 44 students chose `agree' and 2
Appendix: II
This questionnaire is designed for a study on an evaluation of the English Textbook for classes IX
and X for an undergrad thesis in English. The answers you will provide will not to be disclosed and used
only for the purpose of the research. Thank you for your co-operation.
4. Name:
5. Teaching Experience:
6. Teaching Institution:
Section B : Instruction
Each of the items has 5 points scale where 1= entirely disagree , 2= Disagree , 3= Not Sure, 4=
Agree and 5= entirely Agree. Please circle the appropriate number for your desired opinion about each
statement.
Statements
NO. >1 U
, .. c^
A. Definitions of Task
1. Tasks in the textbook are arranged from 1 2 3 4 5
simple, brief type activities to complex and
lengthy activities such as group solving and
decision making.
2. In the textbook, tasks require the learners to 1 2 3 4 5
arrive at a conclusion from given information.
1 2 3 4 5
4. The textbook covers both real-world tasks
(introduces and allows learners to engage in
activities that are necessary outside of the
classroom) and pedagogic task (confined to
classroom and are not similar to the outside
world).
B. Task com p onents
1 2 3 4 5
5. The tasks in the text book motivate learner
participation.
1 2 3 4 5
6. The input given to students is very effective.
1 2 3 4 5
7. The tasks are learner friendly.
1 2 3 4 5
8. The tasks allow the teachers to be only
facilitators.
1 2 3 4 5
9. There is a balance between different modes of
activities (individual, pair and group).
C. Framework
1 2 3 4 5
10. The tasks are form-focused which allow
students to process authentic communication.
( when learners are expected to do an activity
in class similar to the a genuine
communicative interaction outside the
classroom)
1 2 3 4 5
12. Tasks are designed to cater to various sub
skills such as listing, ordering etc.
D. Task Difficulty
1 2 3 4 5
13. The difficulty of the task increases gradually.
1 2 3 4 5
14. A task that requires describing something is
easier than expressing an opinion. For
example, telling a story or describing a road
accident is easier than expressing how one
feels about a movie or a political party.
1 2 3 4 5
16. Tasks are designed in such a manner that it
68
given to them and then for analysis the responses were again converted in mathematical figures.
Entirely disagree = I
Disagree = 2
Not sure = 3
Agree = 4
Entirely agree = 5
The results of the teachers' questionnaire survey are shown in the table below:
For item 1, only I teacher's response was `entirely disagree' and 3 teachers answered `disagree',
no one chose `not sure' for this item however, 15 teachers chose `Agree' and once again only
In item 2, none of the teachers circled `entirely disagree', only one circled `disagree'. For `not
sure' once again just 1 teacher circled that option but 15 teachers chose `agree' as their answer
where as only 3 selected ' entirely agree'. The mean score is 4.0.
In item 3, once again no one selected `entirely disagree', only 1 chose `disagree' and 2 chose
`Not sure', however, 11 teachers circled `Agree' and 6 circled `Entirely agree'. The mean score
is 4.1.
For item 4, similar to before no one chose the option `entirely disagree', 2 selected' Disagree', 1
chose `Not sure' and 12 selected `Agree' whereas only 5 circled `Entirely agree'. The mean
score is 4.0.
In item 5, no one circled ' Entirely disagree', only 1 selected `disagree', 3 teachers selected `not
sure ' , 12 `Agree ' and 4 teachers ` Entirely agree'. The mean score is 3.95.
In item 6, 1 teacher circled `Entirely disagree', 5 teacher's `Disagree', 5 selected `Not sure', 8
chose ` Agree' and only 1 chose ' Entirely agree'. The mean score is 3.15.
For item 7, only 1 teacher's response was `entirely disagree' again 1 teacher answered `disagree',
2 chose `not sure' for this item however, 10 teachers chose `Agree' and 6 circled `entirely agree'.
In item 8, none of the teachers picked `Entirely disagree', 6 teachers selected `Disagree', 5
selected `Not sure', 7 chose ' Agree' and finally only 2 teachers chose ' Entirely agree'. The
In item 9, 1 teacher circled `Entirely disagree', `Disagree' was selected by 2 teachers , I selected
`Not sure', 15 picked `Agree' and only 1 chose ' Entirely agree'. The mean score is 3.65.
In item 10, 2 selected `Entirely disagree', 4 teacher `Disagree', 3 selected `Not sure', 11 chose
Agree' and no one chose `Entirely Agree'. The mean score is 3.15.
In item 11, 1 circled ' Entirely disagree', 3 selected `disagree', 5 teacher selected `not sure' , 7
For item 12, no one responded `entirely disagree' and 2 teachers answered `disagree', 3 chose
`not sure' for this item however, 14 teachers chose `Agree' and once again only one circled
In item 13, 1 selected `Entirely disagree', 4 teacher `Disagree', 3 selected `Not sure', 11 chose
In item 14, 1 circled ' Entirely disagree', no one selected `disagree', 4 teachers selected `not
sure' , 10 `Agree' and 5 teachers `Entirely agree'. The mean score is 3.9.
For item 15, 4 teachers response was `entirely disagree' 3 teachers answered `disagree', 4 chose
`not sure' for this item, 7 teachers chose `Agree' and only 2 circled `entirely agree'. The mean
score is 3.15.
71
For item 16, only I respond was `entirely disagree' 8 teachers answered `disagree', 1 chose `not
sure', 5 teachers chose `Agree' and similarly 5 circled `entirely agree'. The mean score is 3.25.
In item 17, no one selected ' Entirely disagree', 3 selected `disagree', 2 teachers selected `not
sure' , 10 `Agree' and 5 teachers `Entirely agree'. The mean score is 3.85.
In item 18, no one chose `Entirely disagree and similarly no one selected `Disagree', 1 chose
`Not sure', 15 teachers chose ' Agree' and 4 chose ' Entirely Agree'. The mean score is 4.15.
In item 19, 2 selected `Entirely disagree', 5 teacher `Disagree', 2 selected `Not sure', 9 chose
For item 20, no one chose `entirely disagree' 4 teachers answered `disagree', 6 chose `not sure'
for this item, 7 teachers chose `Agree' and only 3 circled `entirely agree'. The mean score is
3.45.
In item 21, none of the teachers circled `Entirely disagree', I teacher `Disagree', 3 selected `Not
sure', 14 chose' Agree' and only 2 chose ` Entirely agree'. The mean score is 3.85.
72
Appendix III
A. Definitions of Task
1. Do the tasks in the textbook works to facilitate the learners with simple to brief type, to
complex and lengthy activities such as group solving and decision making?
2. Is the task process controlled by teachers that require learners to arrive with a product
3. In the textbook, are the tasks associated with communicative language use?
4. Do the textbook cover both real-world (introduces and allows learners to engage in
activities that are necessary outside of the classroom) and pedagogic task (are confined to
B. Task components:
9. Is there a balance between the mode of learning (individual, pair and group)?
73
C. Framework
10. Are the tasks form focused which will allow students to process authentic
11. Are the task topics appropriate and well liked by the learners?
12. Are the tasks designed to cater to various ways of skills such as listing, ordering etc?
D. Task Difficulty
14. The tasks that are required to describe something is easier than expressing an opinion,
For example telling a story or describing a road accident is easier than expressing
15. Is the level of the inputs given to the learners advanced than their current level, for
learners to move from one stage to another, they need to know structures beyond their
existing knowledge?
16. Are the tasks designed in such a manner that it encourages interaction between
19. Are the learners free to use any language to attain the outcome?
20. Initially, are the sufficient amounts of communication provided to students and later