A Comparative Evaluation and Analysis of Two General English Textbooks: Four Corners 1 vs. Top Notch Fundamentals A

Abstract

Evaluation is regarded as the systematic collection of information contributing to decision-making. It encompasses processes for gathering an enough deal of information about a program or curriculum aimed at being conducive to improvement. Evaluation is taken into technical account as formal interpretation and examination of the components of a workplace development initiative so as to find out how well it is meeting its goals, thereby allowing an organization to improve the current initiatives and enabling decisions about support. In English language teaching, textbook evaluation helps curriculum developers and syllabus designers choose the best possible materials for a course of study. Considering the importance of textbook evaluation in language teaching and language syllabus design, the researchers aimed at qualitatively analyzing the two general English textbooks; Four Corners 1 and Topnotch Fundamentals A. The evaluation was based on the checklist of Daoud and Celce-Murcia (1979). Three expert EFL teachers who had taught the mentioned books for about three years qualitatively analyzed the two textbooks. The analysis concluded that the two books almost did not differ based on the checklist, though they both had some strengths and weaknesses. Curriculum developers, syllabus designers, and EFL teachers may find the findings useful in their language teaching practice.