Effectiveness of Communicative Textbooks in English Language Teaching at Secondary Schools in Bangladesh

Abstract

This thesis is a study of the effectiveness of communicative textbooks in English language teaching at secondary schools in Bangladesh in order to find out some useful means with the help of which English teachers can successfully teach the communicative textbooks in the classroom and students can learn the four language skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing. In the textbooks for classes 6 to 10 communicative approach has been integrated along with traditional method as a teaching and learning methodology to provide ample opportunities for practising English in the classroom. The purpose of introducing the communicative textbooks at the secondary level is to raise the standard of English language teaching and learning in order to make students competent in English. The Government of Bangladesh likes to turn them into human resource by providing them proper education at the secondary level particularly developing their English skills as many of them give up their education after finishing secondary education. The study focuses on the things included in the textbooks which have made them interactive and learner-centred, feelings of English teachers as well as of students for the communicative textbooks, teachers' skills and knowledge required for using the textbooks successfully in the classroom, what teachers are really doing with the teaching materials in the textbooks, their problems and difficulties in using the textbooks, the ways of overcoming these difficulties, the training available for improving teachers' teaching skills, students' difficulties in using the textbooks and the means of overcoming teachers' as well students' difficulties in using the textbooks successfully in the classroom to achieve the objectives mentioned in the preface of the textbooks. So it was very crucial to carry on the research in order to know what is really happening in the classroom with the communicative textbooks. The study is divided into five chapters: Introduction, Review of literature, Study Design, Report on Research Findings and Reflections on Research Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations. Some pa1iicular aims were laid down in the study with a view to getting an overall picture of the English language classroom at secondary schools. In order to achieve the aims the study was carried on having in mind a hypothesis - Teachers are unhappy with communicative textbooks as they are not content-based lacking interesting materials. The hypothesis raised some questions in the researcher's mind and these questions helped her collect relevant data and information for the study. The study was designed to investigate some key questions which were derived from its aims along with the questions related to the hypothesis. As the main focus in the study was on the teaching-learning process in the English language classroom, observation was chosen as the main technique of gathering data on the English language classroom in order to get a complete picture of how teachers and students are using the communicative textbooks and what really happens in the classroom. Along with observation interview was also used as one of the main techniques for collecting data directly from teachers and students as they are the real agents of implementation of communicative textbooks. In the study elicitation was also used to elicit data from the English language specialists, national consultants, communicative textbook writers and editors, administrators, college teachers and teacher trainers. The purpose was to see what people in different professions are thinking about the communicative textbooks and their implementation in secondary schools. Documents such as the curriculum, syllabus, reports, baseline survey and textbooks were also used as important sources of data and information. Triangulation was essential for data collection as the purpose was to have a deep insight into the teaching-learning process in the context of school which is very complex. The findings show that all teachers except one are happy or very happy with the textbooks as they are task-based and focus on four skills-listening, speaking, reading and writing. Like their teachers students are very happy as the topics are taken from known urban and rural settings and national and international contexts. Both teachers and students believe that if all tasks of a lesson are done in the classroom, they wil I learn English very well. EL T specialists, textbook writers, editors, administrators, college teachers and others do not find any problem with the textbooks, however they think that the English teachers of secondary schools do not have the required skills, knowledge and proficiency to use the textbooks successfully in the classroom. All of them put emphasis on providing proper training which must be continual and there must be a planned system of monitoring teachers to support in the classroom until they develop all necessary skills for teaching effectively. Among the interviewed teachers many of them are trying to use English in the classroom, however particularly the teachers of non-government schools do not feel comfo1table to use English in the classroom and they demanded language improvement training along with methodology training. EL T professionals also gave importance on language proficiency training which can help teachers to improve their proficiency. Besides the lack in language proficiency English teachers face other difficulties in using the communicative techniques such as they cannot use pair and group work as the classes are large, they have to teach in 5/6 classes in a day in non-government schools and 4 classes in government schools, students are not regular particularly in non-government schools, teachers cannot finish all the tasks of a lesson within fixed time, and teachers in non-government schools are asked by the school heads to practise model answers from the guide books. Most of the teachers do not like to teach the lessons on listening and speaking as these two skills are not tested in the examination. Most of the observed lessons were on reading skill, however in most classes loud reading was practised. Nevertheless many students prefer silent reading to enhance their understanding and some trained teachers were found to involve students in silent reading. Teaching materials on four skills were not properly used and most of the teachers were found to ask comprehension questions and multiple choice questions and they avoided tasks on writing. A few teachers were found to use pair and group work and students enjoyed learning English in these classes. All students like to work either in pairs or groups and they prefer group work when they have to solve difficult tasks as they think group members can find the solutions working together. Nevertheless, few teachers use pair and group work. Even many trained teachers are not interested in using them as they are difficult to use in large classes which are very natural at secondary schools in Bangladesh. Most of the teachers except a very few were found to enter the class without lesson plans, so their classes were not structured and the objectives of the particular lessons were far behind from being realised. On the other hand, where teachers had lesson plans, teaching went on smoothly, every task was done and students were happy. In most classes teachers failed to create healthy atmosphere as they did not use any warmer. A significant change was noticed in correcting students' mistakes. Students reported that their teachers are gentle, but they like to see their teachers more gentle in correcting mistakes and they don't like to be punished in the classroom. Most of the teachers entered the classroom with no smile on their faces and students were found fearful in these classes. In a few classes students were very lively and enjoyed their learning as their teachers were very friendly and smiling. All teachers consider vocabulary teaching very important to learn English and they were found to teach vocabulary, but most of them except a few failed to teach them using communicative techniques. They feel it urgent to teach grammar, however few teachers were found to teach grammar using the context given in the lesson. A significant number of teachers as well as some students dislike some things particularly unclear pictures, and find difficulty with hard words in the textbook for classes 9 & IO and offered some suggestions to be considered. EL T experts also suggested for the evaluation of the textbooks for updating them. All of them suggested for research to find out what is really happening in the classroom. Though the formats of the question papers have been changed, question setters select question items from guidebooks and students of both government and non-government schools largely depend on guidebooks for getting good marks in English. So the examination fails to test students' communicative skills rather it tests students' memorisation skills. So the present testing system has a great negative impact on using the communicative textbooks in the classroom. It is, therefore, very important for the Ministry of Education to evaluate the communicative textbooks and carry on research to find out teachers' as well as students' difficulties and their needs. Considering teachers' and students' needs and their difficulties the textbooks need to be revised and updated. An adequate training for teachers requires to be arranged to enhance their required teaching skills and their language proficiency. Teachers also need to be motivated and take some steps on their own to develop their professionalism and should motivate students to learn English effectively using the communicative textbooks in the classroom. Along with training other supporting programmes such as English teachers association at the central and local levels and advisory services at the local level through local training centres are also important for providing continual support to English teachers of secondary schools. The study ends with a set of suggestions which might help the government to• provide support to English teachers of secondary schools on a continuous basis to increase their efficiency in teaching English and create some opportunities for teachers for being effective English teachers. In addition teachers are given some suggestions which can help them locally to meet their local needs.