Abstract
In light of the growing agreement on the critical impact that materials can have on teaching and learning, classroom-based research on materials use in natural educational contexts has become increasingly urgent. This study aims to explore language teachers’ use of instructional materials in classroom settings. Drawing on the analysis of materials, interviews, and lesson observations from cases of three Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers and their six students, this study identified six interactive processes of materials use, based on which teachers’ pedagogical reasoning that enabled each process of materials use was unpacked. Through the theoretical lens of Keller and Keller’s anthropology of knowledge and Wartofsky’s categorization of artifacts, this article unraveled the relationship between teacher knowledge and practice in materials use and disentangled the multilayered roles of curriculum materials. The findings not only contribute to the conceptualization of materials use in language education but also suggest effective ways of enhancing the inservice professional development through materials use and development in natural educational contexts.
Highlights
IntroductionThe pivotal role of materials, (i.e., all the resources that are developed and used for teaching and learning either by organizations or individuals) in terms of defining the content of teaching has been well documented (Littlejohn, 2011; Tarone, 2014)
In language education, the pivotal role of materials, in terms of defining the content of teaching has been well documented (Littlejohn, 2011; Tarone, 2014)
The most prominent process of materials use was to turn the text into the lived instruction
Summary
The pivotal role of materials, (i.e., all the resources that are developed and used for teaching and learning either by organizations or individuals) in terms of defining the content of teaching has been well documented (Littlejohn, 2011; Tarone, 2014). Prior studies have provided convincing evidence that textbooks alone represent the written curriculum in language classrooms across the world (Guerrettaz & Johnston, 2013; Karvonen et al, 2018; Tomlinson & Masuhara, 2018). This study examines language teachers’ enactment of instruction through the use of materials. It focuses on university EFL teachers’ use of a prescribed textbook to enact instruction in higher education in China, a nationalized curriculum context with the largest population of foreign language learners in the world. It is of relevance to other educational contexts in the world due to the expanding number of Chinese students who pursue further study globally
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