The Comparison And Analysis Between Two Sets Of English Textbooks For Higher Vocational College

In recent years, more and more importance has been attached to the English teaching for the higher vocational colleges with the development of China's higher vocational education, while among the various elements of the English teaching, the foreign language teaching materials hold the extremely important status, which is the main source of the language input for learners as well as the foundation of the interaction between teachers and learners and the cultural acquisition. It is generally accepted that the role of the textbook is to be at the service of teachers and learners but not to be their master, and teachers are not only the ones to understand and implement the textbooks, but also researchers and builders of the textbooks.The two textbooks published by Higher Education Press, "Practical English" and "New Practical English", are the newborn for the teaching material reform of the vocational colleges. They are both in the possession of an important place in the history of the vocational college English teaching materials. Through a comparative study of the two sets of English textbooks, this dissertation tries to sum up their successful factors theoretically and practically, to find out their features as well as deficiencies, and finally to discuss in detail the existing issues in the vocational college English textbook's reform based on the above research. It aims on helping the users of the two sets of textbooks to better understand and master the intents of the editors, to set up the latest views on textbooks and language learning, as well as on helping the editors to further enhance the quality of the textbooks.This dissertation is divided into eight parts. Firstly, it is the introduction, which describes the reasons, importance and methods of this dissertation. The first chapter focuses briefly on the definition of English textbooks, the target of this research, the reason for selection and the backgrounds of the two sets of related textbooks. The second chapter focuses on the literature review of the domestic and foreign study on the development and evaluation of the textbooks. In the third chapter, I elaborate the basic theories of the materials development from the viewpoints of the curriculum, language and the language learning. The fourth chapter carries on the brief comparison in the aspect of the new and old syllabus called "basic requirements of the vocational college English teaching" on the nature, tasks, goals, contents and innovation of the English curriculum. The fifth chapter makes a detailed comparison and evaluation of the two textbooks on the principles, discourse, language knowledge and competences, which of them are vocabulary, grammar, listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation. The sixth chapter sums up the features on the textbooks' styles and points out the deficiencies of them. The seventh chapter gives suggestions and implications on the development and use of the textbooks on the basis of the above comparison and analysis.