A Study On College English Textbook Writing Based On Key Influence Factors Summarized From A History Of Relevant Textbooks

Unprecedentedly booming as it is, the development of China s foreign languagetextbooks has had many problems since it lacks guidance from systematic theories.Therefore, scholars advocate that we construct a system of foreign language textbookwriting theories with unique Chinese characteristics. To build such a system is a hugeproject and beyond the capacity of a single researcher. Therefore, this dissertationattempts only a tiny part of it, aiming to put forward a tentative plan for futureCollege English Textbook (CET) writing.CET writing does not simply concern foreign language teaching but is a part ofcollege education, and even is closely related to a country s political and economicdevelopment. To make well-grounded suggestions about future practices, we musttake into considerations all the related factors in a comprehensive way. Thus, thisdissertation resorts to history for wisdom and concludes general rules of developmentby describing and interpreting the compiling styles of various CETs used in China. Ahistory of the textbooks is inseparable from that of College English teaching. In viewof the above logical relations among the issues, the author discusses those issues insuch an order: the course of development of College English teaching and textbooks,the evolution of textbook compiling styles, the related influencing factors, and futuredevelopment of CETs. The major findings are summed up as follows:College English teaching in China can be traced back to1903/1904when theUniversity Charter was issued and so far has a history of over100years. Over theperiod, CETs have experienced substantial upgrades, resulting in seven major typesnamely Grammar Books, Readings, Text and Conscious Comparative, Structuralism,Comprehensive Series, All-Encompassing and Content-Based. The volume of thetextbooks has been on the increase. The book system has become increasinglysegmented, from the initial single book to a multiple series in which complementarycoursebooks like Extensive Reading, Fast Reading, Listening etc. centers around Intensive/Comprehensive Readings. At the meantime, the books have gone frommono-medium (paper-based), to dual-media (paper and tape-based), and finally tomultimedia when a whole set consists of books, CD-ROMs, online courses andteaching management platforms etc.(See Chapter3).As shown in Chapter4, the compiling styles of the textbooks have changed inthe following ways:(1) Clues for contents arrangement: from following no obviousclues, to taking grammar as a clue, using different clues for each course in a series,and finally following a theme-based principle.(2) Module settings: from no fixedmodule settings, to a simple uniform module setting, and then to flexible diversifiedmodules; as for language skills, first came reading and translating, then listening,speaking and writing.(3) Core contents: From school grammar or classic readings topolitics-oriented articles or articles on S&T written for the purpose of grammar study,to articles of humanities plus writing&reading skills at the discourse level and lastlyto academic science articles.(4) Learning activities: from exercises about grammar,text comprehension and language points, to pattern drills, listening, reading&writing,then to brainstorming, video watching, project research, debate, etc.The changes result from a multifactor interplay among social needs, philosophyof college education, theories in linguistics and psychology, syllabus/curriculumrequirements, teacher-learners, educational technology, etc.(See Chapter5). Based onprevious studies, taking foreign language teaching methodology, curriculumrequirements, social needs and information technology as an explicit clue, educationalphilosophies and thoughts, teacher-learners as an implicit clue, Chapter6proposessuggestions for future development of CETs:(1) They should be content-based,flexibly integrating cross-cultural knowledge, contents of general education, andgeneral academic English skills.(2) They should aim to foster learner autonomy. Oneway is to present learning contents in proper ways by making full use of computer andthe Internet technology. Another is to integrate learner strategy development intoautonomous learning by drawing upon the concept of Inserted-Strategies-Based-Instruction.(3) To make their due efforts in cultivating innovative talents, CETsshould give attention to the development of critical thinking. Through selection of materials, transformation of conventional learning activities and design of complextasks, they should be capable of implanting affective attributes and an awareness ofcritical thinking, imparting knowledge of cognitive skills and creating opportunitiesfor applying them.(4) CETs should be compatible with task-based teaching, leadingstudents to develop language skills, critical thinking and learner autonomy byfulfilling tasks in English. In consideration of the immaturity of the theory and thecurrent situations of our College English teaching, we still need traditional exerciseson language points and skills.(5) Following the theme-based principle, CETs areexpected to be an integrated system rather than segmented series. By fully utilizing IT,multi-media materials should be distributed, for the convenience of use, in proportioninto paper contents and web-based contents. To sum up, CETs should follow theparadigm of Theory, Methodology plus Technology and integrate varied contentsabout language, culture, subject knowledge and thinking; they should be theme-basedand should encompass diversified multimedia resources and encourage autonomouslearning by presenting contents in proper ways, as well as designing tasks andstrategy-imbedded learning activities.The research methodology of this dissertation is a qualitative one with literaturestudy, text analysis of textbooks, and logical thinking combined. Through literaturereview, it traces College English teaching back to the beginning of the20th century,replays the history of CETs, designates typical textbooks of different phases anddepicts their respective compiling styles. Through literature studies, logical thinkingand reasoning, it extensively explores factors affecting the development of CETs froma macro perspective, and at the same time, provides relevant evidence through textanalysis of textbooks. It broadens the research area by examining non-disciplinefactors that are traditionally excluded from textbook researches. All the aboveexplains the innovation made by this dissertation in research contents, perspectivesand methodology.