| This study evaluated the Third Grade Intermediate English Coursebook (CB) in Saudi Arabia, Say It in English, which was implemented in 2005 by the Ministry of Education. This is a valuable research project since it is the first known evaluation of the CB. The significance of the study derives from the fact that it can reveal the strengths and weaknesses in the CB, and determine whether it is viable, or needs supplementation and/or modification for optimal learning. Six research questions were addressed in this study: (1) To what extent does the content of the CB meet the set objectives? (2) To what extent is the CB free of mistakes and errors? (3) Which of the fourteen categories (content, grammar, vocabulary, language skills, etc) are rated higher than 2.0 out of 4.0 by both teachers-supervisors and students when evaluating the 2005 CB using the Textbook Evaluation Tool (TET)? (4) Are there any statistically significant differences in the ratings of each of the fourteen categories when ranked by both groups? (5) Which participant demographic variables are correlated with the ratings of the 2005 CB as measured by TET? and (6) How well do the micro and macro-evaluations of the 2005 CB match?;The researcher used a retrospective mixed-methodology research design (both quantitative and qualitative) to evaluate the CB. The quantitative analysis was conducted with a total sample of 184 students, teachers and supervisors who participated in TET, both online and via paper-and-pencil. The TET contained 50 specific criteria in 14 categories.;The results of the study revealed that both the teachers-supervisors and the students perceived the CB as moderately adequate since the mean composite score was above 2.0 out of 4.0 (mean=2.20, sd=.74). Both the quantitative and the qualitative findings have shown that the Content (mean= 2.60, sd=.56) and the Visuals of the textbook (mean= 2.70, sd=.91) were among the categories that gained the most support, while Gradation and Recycling (mean= 1.74, sd=.72) and Supplementary Material (mean= 1.79, sd=.98) were the most poorly rated categories. The study concludes with suggestions and recommendations for the improvement of the 2005 English CB. |
