Need-based Business English Coursebook Evaluation

This thesis is an empirical research on BE comprehensive coursebook evaluation for undergraduate BE program in School of English for International Business, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. It aims to find out whether the current coursebook can meet the target needs, learning needs and national development needs through qualitative and quantitative methods. A clear outline of these needs is gained through an in-depth needs analysis by adopting questionnaires. In addition, a coursebook evaluation is also carried out based on Hutchinson & Waters and Mac Donough and Shaw’s(2004) evaluation approaches.In this research, three questions are put forward and addressed: 1) What are the target needs and learning needs of the students of undergraduate BE program and the needs of national development? 2) Do the BE comprehensive coursebooks meet these needs? If not, what kinds of problems exist? 3) How to improve BE comprehensive coursebooks?The target needs analysis shows that target positions are management staff and foreign trade staff, and learners need to equip themselves with knowledge of management, intercultural business communication, the interpersonal communication skills, the ability to learn and to cooperate. And what they lack most is business practical skills, humanistic knowledge and business expertise. Motivated by hunting a business-related job, they prefer “introducing additional knowledge”, “in-class discussions and interactions”, and “projects”, internet searching and extra-curriculum reading. They find it challenging to apply theory to practice and overcome the language barrier. The national development need is to “go global”.The author designs an evaluation checklist to evaluate Business English: a Comprehensive Course, from the external, internal and overall evaluation. Then the coursebook is scored according to the matching between evaluation results and needs. Despite some problems, the coursebook can roughly meet the target needs, learning needs, and national development needs. Based on the results of needs analysis and coursebook evaluation, the author suggests that BE comprehensive coursebook should be compiled on new methodologies, evaluated on specific criteria, selected on the basis of target needs, learning needs and national development needs. taught by qualified BE teachers, and adapted according to specific needs.The author hopes that the results, though acquired from a case study on merely one school, may draw attention to and provide references for BE coursebook compilation, selection and adaptation.