An Analysis And Evaluation Of New Standard English

It is well known that textbooks are a key component in most language programs. In some situations they serve as the basis for much of the language input learner receive and the language practice that occurs in the classroom. They may provide the basis for the content of the lessons, the balance of skills taught and the kinds of language practice students take part in. For learners, the textbook may provide the major source of contact they have with the language apart from input provided by the teacher. For teachers, textbook plays a vital role in their process of teaching, and is of significance for self-training and life-long learning. Therefore, it becomes more and more important to choose an appropriate set of teaching materials and at the same time to evaluate them, with such array of textbooks available on the market each with a different methodology and syllabus.In a nutshell, the textbook evaluation can not only offer valuable reference for the policy makers to choose textbook, but provide suggestions to the textbook compilers to revise and upgrade their textbooks. Meanwhile, through identifying strengths and weaknesses in textbooks, optimum use can be made of strong points, and weaker points can be adapted or substituted from other books. As a result, it will be of great help for teachers to make the best use of the current textbooks and take the advantage of other textbooks for the sake of the students and their own better career prospect.New Standard English is published by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press. It conforms to the second national curriculum reform and embodies the latest concept of compiling English teaching materials. It has been used in Shanxi province from the new term of September, 2008, and has been used in other parts of China, but there is no comprehensive assessment for this English teaching material. The aim of this thesis is to give an overall view of the current situation of this textbook in the senior high schools across Shanxi province. By analyzing the data collected from the questionnaires and interviewing with the teachers and students respectively, the author tries to evaluate the textbook in a systematic and scientific way.This thesis consists of five parts. Part one serves as an introduction. Part Two keeps an eye for the development of the criteria of evaluating teaching materials at home and abroad, the background knowledge and the framework of this thesis, the evaluation criteria put forward by the author himself as well. Part Three analyzes the match between latest theories on language teaching and learning embodied in New Standard English and the second national curriculum standard. Part Four focuses on the questionnaires and gives a detailed explanation of the results of the questionnaires. Part Five presents the problems in the course of using the textbook and comes up with some solutions to deal with the problems.