An Evaluation of the writing tasks in the Grade Twelve English Textbook
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Date
2023-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The main goal of this study was to evaluate and analyze the design accuracy of writing tasks in grade 12 English textbook and checking its alignment with the teacher’s guide and syllabus in the light of the current theories of communicative tasks by using Nuna’s (1989) framework; how well the writing tasks are structured and organized to be able to promote writing skills. Based on the fundamental elements of communicative tasks and the evaluation checklist for communicative tasks proposed by Nunan (1989), the writing tasks were selected and examined. The researcher employed a descriptive research design that combined qualitative and quantitative methods in order to accomplish this goal. The researcher used questionnaires, focus groups, and content analysis (Textbook analysis) for randomly chosen 50 students, and 3 teachers with access to census/available sampling technique. The study's finding showed that the majority of writing tasks fall short of many of the necessary requirements included in the checklist that allow students to express themselves in writing. The results also showed that while the objectives of the writing exercises are described clearly for students and teachers in the textbook. However, a few of the criteria for good objectives are not met by the majority of objectives and there is a lack of variation. Similar to this, the inputs are known to the students and meet their requirements and interests, but because there aren't enough suitable authentic resources and they aren't implemented properly, they don't offer enough information. Similar to this, the textbook's activities satisfy the requirements of being meaningful, purposeful and real-wordiness. However, they lack the use of pair and group work, motivational values, and authenticity; and they are severely constrained in their ability to include stages of tasks and topics that require advanced thought. Furthermore, the textbook, teacher's guide, and syllabus clearly define the role of the students and the teachers, delegating to the latter the roles of guiding, facilitating, and counseling while leaving the students with the full task. However, in a few exercises, the teacher's roles are not made explicit. Additionally, there is integration between writing tasks and other skills well more than half percent but the integrative tasks for each of the skill are not equally and fairly distributed and still, it needs more things to include in the writing task integration design. The alignment of the textbook with the syllabus as well as the teachers' guide has encountered issues. There are restrictions on how the textbook and syllabus align, as well as the teachers' guide. The lack of alignment in the two materials' communicative task components is evident when they are compared to the textbook. Finally, even though they don't greatly encourage the use of pair or group work, the activity settings are variable rather than predetermined. As a result, it is advised that textbook authors take into account the five fundamental elements of communicative tasks (goals, inputs, activities, roles, and setting), integration when designing tasks for course materials and keep the alignments of tasks design between students’ textbook with teachers’ guide and syllabus.
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Evaluation of Writhing tasks