| Scope and method of study. This study evaluated eight randomly selected ESL textbooks by criteria pertaining to the areas of organization and methodology, culture and values, and classroom adaptability from the perspective of ESL/EFL teachers in the United States and in the Peoples Republic of China. It compared their judgments and suggestions: developed recommendations for improving ESL/EFL textbooks in order to meet the pedagogical needs, content and culture needs, material resource needs, and functional needs of ESL/EFL teachers and students worldwide. Selected textbooks were evaluated by a diverse group of experienced ESL teachers in the United States and by a more homogeneous group of EFL teachers in the Peoples Republic of China. Their evaluations and suggestions are summarized and compared. Conclusions and recommendations drawn from these evaluations are presented as guidelines for textbook improvement.;Findings and conclusions. Strengths of the textbooks evaluated included clear directions, explanations, and examples: developing cognitive skills; and for limited writing skills. Their weaknesses, outnumbering strengths, included limited focus and scope in contents and intent, in purpose and goals, in culture and values understanding, and in oral-aural proficiency development. Inconsistency and narrow perspective were trademarks. The intellectual level of interest and stimulation was considered low; their utility for non-native English-speaking teachers and for a multicultural variety of classroom environments was limited by their implicit philosophical base and questionable assumptions. Further investigation into global reasons and purposes for learning English worldwide including political, technological, economic, and social is recommended to ascertain a more complete analysis of what constitutes an internationally functional and appropriate ESL/EFL textbook. A broader range of discipline input is recommended for preparing ESL/EFL textbooks to meet more adequately the global communication, cultural, and personal needs of those teaching and studying English. |
