English coursebook evaluation: the analysis of vocational English coursebook based on teachers' perspectives

This research study aims to evaluate an English coursebook designed for vocational students in terms of its effectiveness based on teachers’ perspectives. The findings could be beneficial for teachers when they choose a coursebook in the future. Five Vocational English teachers who have had experience using the target coursebook responded to the questionnaire and two of them also gave an interview. It was found that the participating teachers had positive opinions towards the target vocational English coursebook. They reported that the coursebook was effective and beneficial for both teachers and students. In addition, the most positive aspect of this coursebook was its layout and physical make-up. The size was convenient for students to handle and the price was also affordable for most students. As for the subjects and contents, the book provided various exercises and activities which are related to real-life situations. All teachers agreed that this coursebook adequately provided extra online materials where students could practice more by themselves. However, the teachers suggested that some of the contents in this coursebook did not provide scaffolding. As a result, they emphasized that they needed to work more in order to prepare the lesson. For example, they had to find extra handouts or exercises to supplement the content that was missing. This study could be beneficial for teachers. They can be sure that the coursebook they select will be effective and they could adopt these research tools for further coursebook selection. As for the publisher and author, the results reveal teachers’ expectation of an effective coursebook.