The Role Of Textbooks In Modifying Teacher Beliefs And Practices: A Project-based Study In Middle Schools In China

Textbooks and the teacher are the two major elements in an ELT program. However,the ubiquity of textbooks is in stark contrast with the inadequacy of present studies eitheron ELT textbook/teaching-learning mateirals alone or its relationship with other elementsin the language teaching-learning process. Discussions about the role of textbooks inlanguage classrooms and teacher development as well as studies on teacher beliefs abouttextbooks all call for further empirical investigations in this respect. Meanwhile, in order topromote teacher involvement in educational innovations and support EFL teachers in theirindependent professionalism, it is of theoretical and pedagogical value to study teachers atwork in detail, to look into their interaction with other important factors in ELT and theirbeliefs about such factors with regard to their teaching practices.This study investigates how teachers in general perceive and use textbooks forteaching English in middle schools in China and explores how teachers’ beliefs andpractices concerning the use of textbook evolve over time duirng the implementation of acurricular reform. By examining the beliefs and practices of teachers using textbooks, thepresent study uncovers the influencing factors in teachers’ involvement and professionaldevelopment in a curricular innovation. A combination of instruments is employed in thestudy. Views about the textbook and textbook use practices among English teachers ingeneral are garnered through the administration of a questionnaire to375middle schoolEnglish teachers in Jiangsu, Zhejiang，Jiangxi and Shanghai; and through analysis andinterpretation of four experimental teachers’ teaching journals, lesson plans，classroompractices and self-reports in interviews for over two years，the case studies reveal the fourteachers’ individual development of teaching theoires, expertise and change of perceptionsand practices in the use of textbooks.In light of the teaching context in China and previous studies on EFL teachers andteaching materials, this study taps into the little-known reality of teacher-textbookrelationship, and conceptualizes the major dimensions of teacher beliefs about and teacherpractices in the use of textbooks. Teachers’ views on textbooks are approached from threeaspects: the importance of the textbook, teachers’ images for the textbook and their cirteirafor "the good textbook". Teacher practices concerning the use of textbooks are analyzed in terms of mateirals selection and adaptation, task design and textbook evaluation.The survey and the case studies are conducted to answer the following questions: Howdo Chinese middle school English teachers generally view and use English textbooks?How do teachers’ beliefs about the textbook and practices in textbook use develop inresponse to the curricular reform efforts? What are the cirtical factors that influenceteachers’ beliefs about and practices in textbook use?The survey results show that teachers generally consider the textbook as an importantcomponent in teaching. Most teachers tend to regard textbooks as a source or guidanceprovider. Suitability for the target students and the local context is considered to be themost valued quality of a good textbook. Besides, both the survey results and the casestudies indicate that teachers follow the mandated textbook most of the time and seldomdepart from it, which is ascribable to the exam-oirented educational system and thetop-down order of textbook selection and prescription. Most teachers do evaluate textbooksbut in an impressionistic and aimless way rather than in a regular and systematic approach,owing to the lack of motivation, feedback channels and systematic training.It is discerned that task design in textbook use and lesson planning is considered bymost middle school teachers as a requisite skill in their professional development. Practicalinstructions on task design are the most desired content of teacher training programs.Trainings that cater for teachers’ needs and relate to their daily instructions can take moredirect effect. Therefore, it is recognized that materials selection and textbook use shouldplay a part in teacher development and be incorporated into pre-and in-service teachereducation programs.The case studies ifirther reveal the role of textbooks in a curricular innovation projectin a formal educational setting. The findings echo the literature in that teachers’ beliefs areless likely to undergo dramatic changes over time，but it is possible to exert gradualinfluence on a teacher’s belief by helping him/her adapt to the role of a change agentthrough continuous innovational efforts, such as the introduction of a new set of textbookor procednralized and customized integration of textbook-use related teacher trainingprograms into the curriculum. The four expeirmental teachers have demonstrated differentdegrees of development in terms of textbook use beliefs and practices, which are found tobe greatly influenced by personal factors (such as their personal theory of teaching and learning, teaching competence and language proficiency, beliefs about textbooks, etc.),contextual factors (exam-oirented educational system，institutional conventions，studentsand their parents, etc.)，and reform factors (curriculum design, project initiatives andrequirements, teacher training efforts, etc.). Contextual factors are difficult to control, but itis possible to modify a teacher’s personal factors through reform efforts so as to furtherinfluence a teacher’s beliefs and practices.It is found that the textbook is an important agent in teacher development and teachertraining; it is also a platform that enables interaction and communication among teachers,researchers, mateirals developers and teacher educators. By providing teachers with morechoices of teaching materials and resources, integrating theoretical and practical guidanceof textbook use in teacher training programs, assisting teachers to understand the pirnciplesand features of textbooks and upgrade task design skills, we can better serve the teachers inthe process of materials selection, evaluation and development.