Establishing criteria, and developing evaluation instruments
Tucker (1975) proposed a four-component scheme for measuring the internal and external value of
beginners’ textbooks
Davison (1976) proposed a five-category scheme for the evaluation and selection of textbooks
Dauod & Celce-Murcia (1979) provided checklists ofcriteria for evaluating coursebooks
.Candlin&Breen(1980)proposedcriteriaforevaluating materials and proposed the use of these criteria
when developing materials.
Matthews (1985), for
example,insists that any evaluation should start from a specification of the teaching situation
Cunningsworth (1995) stresses the importance of determining criteria relevant to the target learners
Materials Adaptation
Good teachers are always adapting the materials they are using to the context in which they are
using them in order to achieve the optimal congruence between
materials,methodology,learners,objectives,the target language and the teacher’s personality and
teaching style.
McGrath (2002) also devotes a chapter to discussing the objectives, principles and procedures of
adaptation
He proposes ‘four evaluative processes’ when basing a lesson on a coursebook and goes on to
discuss the issues and procedures involved in each process
Teachers may select the material that will be used unchanged, reject either completely or partially
sections of the material, add extensions or further exploitation of the existing materials and replace
components of the materials.
Islam & Mares (2003) include such objectives as adding real choice,catering for all learner styles, providin
for learner autonomy, developing high-level cognitive skills, and making the input both more
accessible and more engaging.
A different approach to adaptation is taken by Saraceni (2003), who advocates providing
the learners with an important role in adapting the materials they are using.