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This study explores how technology teachers evaluate, select and use commercially prepared textbooks, comparing practices in well-resourced and medium-resourced schools in South Africa. The study is led by two research questions, firstly how technology teachers evaluate and select textbooks and secondly how technology teachers use textbooks in their classrooms. This is a comparative case study, involving nine schools, sampled for convenience. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and classroom observation. Two conceptual frameworks were used to interpret data. Evaluation and selection of textbooks were explored in terms of ‘textbook register’, while the use of textbooks was explored in terms of ‘didactical transposition’. From the literature, I extracted seven categories on textbook evaluation. These were content, connections, language, format, activities, context, and teaching strategies. I merged these categories with the two conceptual frameworks to design instruments and analyze data. Results showed that teachers in both contexts regarded the requirements of the curriculum as crucial in textbook selecting. They also regarded suitable activities as very important, and preferred that textbooks clearly present the technological steps. In well-resourced schools, teachers also preferred support in the form of teachers’ guides. There was a clear difference in the ways teachers from the two contexts used textbooks in the classroom. In medium-resourced schools, the relevant section from the textbook was read to class while in wellresourced schools, teachers compiled additional notes, indicating that they set a higher standard for their learners. However, in both contexts teachers explained difficult concepts and used discussions to involve learners in making connections and to reduce the language level used in textbooks. In medium-resourced schools, teachers also allowed learners to code-switch to their mother-tongue language. In terms of activities, teachers in both contexts used textbook activities without adaption but also developed additional activities. In terms of contextualising, teachers discussed or explained content information by relating it with real-life experiences, but didn’t attempt to contextualise textbook activities. Regarding teaching strategies, they mostly used their own preferred strategies instead of that proposed by the textbook. In particular, teachers in well-resourced schools preferred that learners do activities individually, indicating that they valued traditional teaching methods. In this study, the teachers in medium-resourced schools did not question the authority of the textbook. In well-resourced schools, the teachers set a higher standard than the textbook, but at the same time required support in the form of teacher’s guides. This suggests that teachers in both contexts were unsure about what exactly is required by the curriculum in terms of content and pedagogy, and that they did not know how to adapt activities offered in textbooks to suit their context. It is recommended that teachers be assisted by specialists to align textbook evaluation, selection and use with curriculum expectations. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

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The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between the second learning stages competence indicators of mathematics and mathematic textbook, building a criterion of mathematic textbook choosing and evaluation, and collecting teachers' opinions of second learning stages mathematic in textbook using. This study is first based on the definition of mathematic competence indicators by Education Department to analyze mathematic textbooks. The sample textbooks which will be analyzed include ¡uKang Shaun¡v, ¡uHan Lin¡v and ¡uNan I¡v. Using these samples to understand the competence indicators and structures of three publishing mathematic textbooks. Furthermore, researcher probes the connecting learning materials between new and old curriculum (87 and 92 published version), and then offers references to textbook publishers and teachers. Next, building a standard evaluation table for teachers to choose mathematic textbook. The scale is according to the specialist¡¦s questionnaire in order to make more validity. This standard table can offer references to teachers when they choose mathematic textbooks. At last, applying the mathematic textbook evaluation scale to three sample mathematic textbooks. Each publisher random samples 50 teachers from grade-fourth and grade-fifth. Total 300 teachers participate in the questionnaire survey. Gathering all teachers' opinions and take them into statistics analysis and then give references to the mathematic textbook publisher. Conclusion: 1. Three samples accomplish 100 percent indicator goals. 2. Three samples in numeral and quantity of [Quantity and Measure] appear more and often. 3. The appearance times of competence indicators in three samples in sequence are: numeral and quantity; graphic and space; algebra; statistics and probability. 4. Building a criterion of mathematic textbook choosing and evaluation. Providing teachers references when they choose textbooks. 5. There are different satisfactions of three samples on the fourth and fifth grades. 6. Teachers all give the highest evaluation and agreements to the [physical characteristics]; and lowest to [content characteristics]. 7. Development was supposed to articulation learning materials to between the differences of new and old curriculum. Base on the results of this study, researcher addresses suggestions for school administrators, teachers, publisher and future research study.

本研究旨在藉由探討教科書評選指標的權重，了解國小英語教師對於英語教科書評選所採用之評選指標的看法，以及其教師背景對英語教科書評選的影響。本研究方法採用階層程序分析法(AHP), 並由文獻探討將教科書評選指標分為2大層面，5大向度，以及26個指標，建構出階層程序分析法問卷，以隨機方式發放於台北市12個行政區公私立126位國小正式英語教師，並藉由Expert Choice 2000 軟體分析，計算出各層面、向度、指標之權重值，並予以排序。 研究主要結果如下： 1.教師重視教科書內在評選高於外在評選。 2.教科書外在評選，教師較為重視整體編排架構；教科書內在評選，教師認 為語言能力比語言成分重要。 3.整體編排架構裡，教師認為最重要的指標為「使用英語文正確、自然流 暢。」；編印設計，最重要的指標為「字體大小適宜，印刷清楚。」； 4.教具與輔助教材，最重要的指標為「提供配合課程的電腦多媒體教材。」 5.教科書內在評選，男性教師較重視教科書語言成分；女性教師則較重視 語言能力。教學經驗較少的教師重視語言成分高於語言能力；教學經驗較 豐富的教師則認為語言能力較為重要。 6.教具與輔助教材，學士學歷教師較重視指標為「提供配合課程的電腦多媒 體教材。」；碩士學歷教師較重視指標為「CD發音正確清晰，速度適 宜。」 綜合本研究結果，教師對於教科書評選指標有不同看法及重視程度，期能提供教師對於教科書評選及評選指標有進一步瞭解。 / The current study aimed to understand how elementary English teachers in Taiwan prioritized criteria for textbook evaluation, and whether their various backgrounds influenced their prioritization of criteria. The research framework was constructed based on Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), including 2 objectives, 5 sub-objectives, and 25 criteria. An AHP questionnaire was randomly administered to 126 elementary English teachers in Taipei City. All the data were analyzed by means of the software Expert Choice 2000. The major findings in the current study are summarized below. 1.Internal evaluation of textbooks was prioritized before External evaluation by a majority of the teachers. 2.In external evaluation, most teachers emphasized General features of a textbook; in internal evaluation, teachers focused more on Language skills rather than Language components in a textbook. 3.Concerning criteria for evaluating General features of textbooks, teachers considered the criterion Accuracy and fluency most important; as for Layout and physical makeup of a textbook, the criterion Typeface came out top; in Teaching aids, Multimedia was viewed as the most crucial criterion. 4.In respect to criteria for evaluating Language components and Language skills in textbooks, the criterion Integration of components and Integration of skills were respectively emphasized by teachers. 5.While male teachers focused more on Language components of a textbook, female teachers found Language skills more important. 6.Novice teachers were more in favor of Language components than Language skills; however, to more experienced teachers, it was Language skills that they prioritized first. 7.For criteria evaluating Teaching aids of a textbook, teachers with a Bachelor's degree prioritized Multimedia as the most important criterion, while teachers holding a Master's degree put much emphasis on the Quality of CDs. To conclude, it is hoped that these findings can shed light on textbook development and provide useful information for teachers when selecting and evaluating textbooks and for textbook developers when compiling textbooks for students.

This diploma thesis evaluates the knowledge of plants' anatomy and morphology at primary schools. There is very important the type of textbooks used in biology education. The present work is divided into 2 parts: theoretical and practical. The theoretical part describes methods of evaluation of textbooks and educational results and also formation of didactic test, statistical methods and inquiry-based education. Because we wanted to know frequency of use of this approach in biology lessons. The practical part contains research results.

The main aim of this paper is to analyze geographic textbooks for high schools in terms of interpretation of global issues. Semantic units that are related to global issues will be sorted into groups according to the paradigm to which it belongs (national, humanistic and global). Most of semantic units contained in textbooks were included into a global direction, which is characterized by its neutrality. Keywords: textbook evaluation, global issues, geographical education, globalization, global thinking

In the contemporary world, when the whole world is connected, the fact saying that anything what happens on the other side of the world does not have influence to our lives is not truthful anymore. We live in an era of globalization. Therefore, it is important to focus on the global issues already at school and also on the way in which they concern us. However, it should be borne in the mind that, the most important thing is the way, how teachers explain it to their students. The main aim of this paper is to analyze geographic textbooks for high schools in terms of interpretation of global issues. Semantic units that are related to global issues will be sorted into groups according to the paradigm to which it belongs (national, humanistic and global). Most of semantic units contained in textbooks were included into a global direction, which is characterized by its neutrality. Keywords: textbook evaluation, global issues, geographical education, globalization, global thinking

Considering the need to improve the level of proficiency of air traffic controllers (ATCO) in the English language, in order to avoid incidents and accidents due to lack of proficiency, many language courses started offering English classes to those professionals. According to ICAO (2010), all ATCO must be approved in a specific proficiency exam, so that they can control international traffic. Nevertheless, the number of published textbooks in aviation English field is still low; therefore, choosing the most appropriate textbook becomes difficult due to the few options. The general objective of this paper is to contribute with researches in the field of textbook evaluation and Englisht learning and teaching. The specific objectives are: to set criteria in order to create a checklist to evaluate textbooks used in English language courses to air traffic controllers, based on criteria already found in the literature about textbook evaluation, adapting those criteria to what ICAO requirements and to the Proficiency Exam tasks; and to evaluate the book Aviation English using the checklist. The checklist criteria were created in the light of the Document 9835 (ICAO 2010), as well as in the light of the theories of language, Widdowson (1978), and others; the theory of English as a lingua franca of aviation, Oliveira E. (2007), Hülmbauer et al (2008), and others; the principles of language teaching and learning, Larsen-Freeman (2000), Brown (2007), and others; the tenets of English for Specific Purposes, Hutchinson and Waters (1987), Dudley-Evans and St. John (1998), and others; and the conception of materials development, Cunninsworth (1995), Tomlinson (1998; 2003), Mc Grath (2002), Dias (2007), and others. The checklist has as main categories the theoretical principles (language role and language teaching and learning), graphical features, lexical, grammatical and functional competences described in the Document 9835, support materials and English proficiency test preparation and it was subdivided into 117 items. The material evaluated by the means of the checklist fulfilled 71,8% of the checklist items in a positive way; on the other hand, 20,5% of the items were not identified in the material, and 7,7% of the items were partially identified in the textbook. Using the checklist to evaluate materials will enable professionals engaged in English teaching to air traffic controllers to choose the most appropriate textbook according to their audience, as well as to identify gaps in the book, in order to adapt the material, since there is no such thing as perfect material. / Considerando a necessidade de aumentar o nível de proficiência em língua inglesa de controladores de tráfego aéreo (ATCO), a fim de prevenir incidentes e acidentes, cujas causas também estejam relacionadas à falta de proficiência na língua, vários cursos de idiomas começaram a oferecer aulas de inglês para esses profissionais. Segundo OACI (2010), os ATCO devem ser aprovados em exame de proficiência específico, para operarem em órgãos que controlam o tráfego aéreo internacional. No entanto, o número de livros didáticos (LD) de inglês aeronáutico continua modesto e, com isso, a escolha do mais adequado torna-se difícil, devido às poucas opções. O objetivo geral deste trabalho é contribuir com pesquisas na área de avaliação de material didático e de ensino-aprendizagem de inglês. Os objetivos específicos são: estabelecer critérios para a elaboração de uma checklist para avaliação de livro didático utilizado na formação de língua inglesa de ATCO, a partir de critérios existentes na literatura sobre avaliação de LD, adequando-os aos requisitos estabelecidos pela OACI (Organização de Aviação Civil Internacional) e às atividades aplicadas no Exame de Proficiência a que são submetidos os controladores de tráfego aéreo no Brasil; e aplicar a checklist elaborada na avaliação do livro didático Aviation English. A Checklist ATCO será elaborada à luz do Documento 9835, de OACI (2010); das teorias de linguagem Widdowson (1978) e outros; da língua inglesa como língua franca da aviação, de Oliveira E. (2007), Hülmbauer et al (2008) e outros; dos princípios de ensino-aprendizagem de línguas, de Larsen-Freeman (2000), Brown (2007) e outros; do ensino de inglês para propósito específico, de Hutchinson e Waters (1987), Dudley-Evans e St. John (1998) e outros; e de avaliação de livro didático, de Cunningsworth (1995), Tomlinson (1998; 2003), Mc Grath (2002), Dias (2007) e outros. A checklist tem como principais indicadores os princípios norteadores (linguagem e princípios de ensino-aprendizagem), os aspectos gráficos, as competências lexicais, gramaticais e funcionais descritas no Documento 9835, os materiais de apoio e a familiarização com as atividades aplicadas no exame de proficiência aplicado no Brasil, totalizando 117 itens. A partir da aplicação da Checklist ATCO na avaliação do material, foi possível verificar que 71,8% dos itens estão presentes no livro avaliado; 20,5% não estão presentes no material; e 7,7% estão parcialmente presentes. A avaliação de LD utilizando a checklist proposta facilita a identificação de lacunas e fornece informações ao professor que avalia, a fim de que ele planeje as adaptações de atividades, já que o material perfeito será difícil de encontrar.

Nowadays, becoming proficient in merely one variety of English may not be sufficient, since this does not guarantee an ability to communicate with the vast majority of English speakers worldwide (Modiano, 2009; Fang & Ren, 2018). Despite this, studies show that European ELT still largely focus on certain varieties over others (Modiano, 2009); hence, it is interesting to study the materials used within this context. The present study is intended to contribute to research within the field of World Englishes and ELT. The purpose of the study is to investigate linguistic variation and language ideology in teaching materials used in the course of English 5 within Swedish upper secondary schools. For this purpose, a content analytical approach has been applied for data collection, combining qualitative and quantitative methods. Two EFL-textbooks, Blueprint A 3.0 and Viewpoints 1, have been analyzed and three interviews have been conducted with EFL teachers working in Swedish upper secondary schools. The data elicited through the study shows that linguistic variation in English is limited within the two textbooks, and that when speakers of non-standard varieties appear in the textbooks they are presented in a controversial manner. Moreover, the interviews conducted with the teachers yielded insights into teachers’ perspectives on the importance of exposing students to different varieties of English. The perspectives offered through the interviews imply that not all teachers consider the knowledge of dialectal and social variation within the English language to be of importance, despite that it is, in fact, an objective set for students taking the course of English 5. In general, the findings suggest that the linguistic representation within Swedish teaching materials and practices still favor certain Englishes, i.e. British and American English, over others.