Communicative emphasis of EFL/ESL textbook materials: An analysis of the language learning activities in Korean junior high EFL and selected beginning ESL textbooks

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which communicative goals are pursued in language learning activities included in current Korean junior-high EFL textbook materials. These textbook materials were further compared with the past Korean junior-high EFL textbook materials and recently published, beginning ESL textbook materials which claim to focus on the development of communicative competence in the four language skill areas.;The results indicated that the majority of language learning activities included in the three textbook groups examined in this study largely focuses on the development of the student's linguistic competence and does not provide him with ample opportunities to progress from 'controlled practice' to 'learner-centered communicative interaction.'.;Another examination of the data also indicated that language learning activities in which the writing skill is most emphasized attained the highest percentage in current and past Korean junior-high EFL textbook materials, and that language learning activities in which the speaking skill is most emphasized composed the largest proportion in the selected ESL textbook materials.;To summarize, language learning activities included in current Korean junior-high EFL textbook materials mainly emphasized grammatical training focused on grammatical accuracy, and the development of listening, speaking, and reading skills is being sacrificed at the expense of the development of the writing skill.;The investigation can be seen as having two major parts. The first part concerned the examination and subsequent rating of language learning activities contained in the three textbook groups mentioned above in terms of the various types of language learning activities ranging from structural drills to communicative activities. The rating system was based on Paulston and Bruder's criteria for structural pattern drills (1976) and Littlewood's categories of learning activities (1981). The second part of the investigation dealt with the examination and subsequent rating of the language learning activities in terms of the most emphasized language skill to be employed in drills and activities.