The Application of a Textbook Evaluation Checklist: A Research Study of English as a Foreign Language Textbook

Abstract

Locating the appropriate teaching and learning material for students and learners is an essential task for leaders at colleges and universities. However, without an effective textbook evaluation checklist, department heads may not have any directions on how to score the textbook materials. Therefore, the development of an effective textbook evaluation checklist and the related application is needed. The purpose of this research study has two directions. First, the researcher employed a widely used Textbook Evaluation Checklist to measure the effectiveness and usefulness of an English as a Foreign Language textbook. Second, the researcher employed the textbook evaluation checklist and produced a result of this targeted English as a Foreign Language textbook. The surveys have been collected from 323 college and university students who completed their first-year or second-year English as a Foreign Language course in South Korea. The results indicated that the textbook evaluation checklist was effective, useful, and user-friendly. Also, based on the written feedback from the students, the researchers, department heads, publishers, school leaders, and policymakers could take the feedback to reform their process of textbook selection.