Arab World English Journal (January 2016) Theses / Dissertations (ID 155)
Name of researcher: Hanan Majed Madanat
Title of the thesis/dissertation : Evaluating Enterprise Series Textbooks from a Cultural Perspective and Developing a Unit Based on Cultural Criteria
Subject/major : English Language teaching Methodology
University name, department name : Amman Arab University for Graduate Studies, Faculty of Educational Sciences
Degree : PhD Degree in Curricula and Methods of Teaching English Language
Year of award : 2008
Supervisor: Prof: Dr. Adnan H. AL-Jadiry & Prof: Dr. Bader S. Dweik
Abstract
This study evaluated Enterprise series textbooks through content analysis with the purpose of investigating the availability of cultural criteria, as divided into eight basic domains, via evaluative questions with sub-items. These questions and sub-items formed the researcher’s cultural criteria checklist. The validity of this checklist was verified by specialized EFL jurors and its interrater reliability coefficient was (86.11) according to the Holisty equation. The study also developed a unit based on cultural criteria using the results of the analysis. The population of the study consisted of Enterprise series textbooks comprising: Enterprise “1-4” for grades 7-10. Enterprise “4”, grade 10 was chosen from the set as a purposive sample. The sample included the Course Book, Work Book, Grammar Book, Teacher’s Book, Test Booklet, and the Scripts of the Audio-Cassettes and CDs. To achieve the aforementioned purpose, the study attempted to answer the questions: 1-What are the cultural criteria that should be used in evaluating the Enterprise “4” intermediate textbooks of the upper basic stage? 2-To what extent do cultural aspects prevail in the Enterprise “4” Intermediate textbooks of the upper basic stage? 3-What are the components of the learning units that should be developed based on cultural criteria? To ensure reliability for the content analysis, the researcher used intrarater reliability by analyzing the series textbooks three times, using the sentence as the unit of analysis. The reliability coefficient was (94.44) according to the Holisty equation. Additionally, frequencies and percentages were used in the analysis process to estimate the degree of availability of cultural items in the textbooks. The estimated percentages were compared with the assumed ones to judge the availability of cultural criteria in the studied series. The analysis of Enterprise “4” revealed that the textbooks were rich with the target culture, but completely lacked the learners’ own culture. Based on these results the researcher developed a learning unit focused on cultural items related to the learners’ own culture. The study also recommended the necessity of developing cultural criteria checklists that focus on the learners’ own culture, and developing and adapting different sections in the adopted textbooks to correspond with cultural needs and interests of the learners.
Keywords: culture, cultural criteria, cultural dimension, language and culture, English language textbook, Evaluation
Note: Citing this thesis please use:
Madanat, Hanan Majed. (2008). Evaluating Enterprise Series Textbooks from a Cultural Perspective and Developing a Unit Based on Cultural Criteria (PhD’s thesis)
Retrieved from( Arab World English Journal Database. (ID Number: 155, January 2016). http://www.awej.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=843:hanan-majed-madanat&catid=20&Itemid=117