An Investigation On The Validity Of Exercises In Intermediate Level TCSL Textbooks

Speaking serves as an important indicator of language proficiency as well as the main form of real-world communication.The speaking level of a language directly influences the efficiency of communication.For second language learners,practice speaking helps them get involved in target language environment and finish their language learning target more efficiently,which in turn strengthens the importance of speaking in teaching Chinese as a Second Language.In the teaching of speaking Chinese,textbooks for speaking is the most important medium that determines learners’ language proficiency and learning outcome.Further,the exercises provided by textbooks have a direct impact on how students can practice their speaking skill and how engaged students will be in language learning.Learning a language requires repetitive and effective practice.When language learning happens in the classroom,the best way to practice speaking would be using exercises provided by textbooks.Thus,evaluating speaking exercises in textbooks helps the teacher to obtain a knowledge of the language learning process,which enables teachers to assess their own use of exercises as well as the language proficiency of language learners.Given the fact that analyzing the quality of one textbook is not precise enough,the author decided to compare and contrast three sets of Chinese language textbooks at the same time:The exercises from Developing Chinese: Intermediate Level Speaking 1 & 2,Han Yu Zong Heng: Speaking Work Book 3 & 4,New Target Chinese: Speaking Textbook 3& 4 are collected,analyzed and compared.The author starts with existing research in Chinese language evaluation and combines the assessment of these textbook with practical Chinese teaching experience,and the research is conducted from following perspectives:Firstly,the quantity of exercises.The author chooses the quantitative method to present statistics of exercises provided by these textbooks.Secondly,the type of exercises.The author compares all types of exercises and tries to summarize the common characters and difference among three series of textbooks.Thirdly,the content of exercises.This includes how exercises help Chinese learners practice their pronunciation,vocabulary,grammar,paragraph and speech act.Also,the language,pictures,structure and activity adopted are discussed.At last,questionnaires for three series of textbooks are distributed to collect different opinions from teachers who use these textbooks,which aims at collecting different opinions from users of these textbooks.After the evaluation and assessment of all exercises from these three textbooks,implications and suggestions for designing exercises in textbooks for Chinese learners are provided.