In EFL textbook research, little is known about how teachers use prefabricated textbook packages to promote student learning and achievement. Adopting a qualitative-empirical research perspective, the talk outlines a holistic, case-based strategy for examining teachers’ use of materials and media in the pre-, while- and post stages of textbook consumption.
In international EFL textbook research, relatively little attention has been given so far to questions concerning the actual consumption of instructional materials and media in (and beyond) the classroom. Accordingly, little is known about how EFL teachers actually use textbooks and ancillary print-based as well as electronic materials and media in order to promote student learning and achievement. Adopting a qualitative-empirical research perspective, the talk presents a holistic, case-based strategy for examining individual EFL teachers’ use of prefabricated materials and media in the pre-, while- and post stages of textbook consumption. Special emphasis will be given to the combination of various research instruments: a) semi-structured interviews (focus on individual teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, competencies and skills, experiences) and materials-driven think-aloud protocols (textbook critique) in the pre-consumption stage; b) unobtrusive classroom videography in the while-consumption (textbook use) and c) stimulated recall in the post-consumption stage (reflection of textbook usage). The point will be made that investigating textbook consumption is complex because it necessitates bringing together what has up to now remained largely separated and disconnected in the scholarly discussion: textbook critique (or analysis), textbook use (or consumption), and textbook adaptation (or materials development).
