Conclusion
This chapter contained introductory notes on the issue of
«globality» in the global coursebook explored in this thesis. The
concern in Chapter Two will be the review of the literature on the topic.
Chapter Two: Literature Review
2.0. Introduction
The aim of this chapter is to review the literature on ELT
coursebooks (called also interchangeably textbooks) starting from tracking
their evolution in terms of content and audience with special reference to the
context of globalisation. The «globality» of the content is explored
in terms of «connectedness» (Tomlinson, 1998; Chang, 2003),
«inappropriacy», and «inclusivity» (Gray, 2002) following
review of major historical developments in the design and use of ELT textbooks
and assessing the value of these textbooks as teaching materials.
2.1. Evolution of English textbooks
This section will deal with the early textbooks of English
(before 1900) and the 20th century textbooks of English
respectively. While in the first sub-section the early phases of development
are considered (Michael, 1993), in the second sub-section the concentration is
mainly on the global coursebook and its «globality» in terms of
content.
2.1.1. Early textbooks of English: 1530-1870
Michael's (1993) Early Textbooks of English documents
historically the appearance of English textbooks since the 1530s. He describes
the textbook in relation to the difference between it and a text advocating
that a textbook is a compiled work designed «for the use of schools»
(p. 2). As Michael (1993) attests, the appearance of textbooks of English dates
back to the 16th Century. In his study of the early textbooks of
English in terms of the numbers and contents, Michael (1993) identified four
phases:
· The first phase: 1530-1700
· The second phase: 1701-1760
· The third phase: 1761-1830
· The fourth phase: 1831-1870
The first phase 1530-1700 is characterised by the appearance
of the first textbooks which were about rhetorics and spelling. The second
phase 1701-1760 is marked by textbooks containing secular and doctrinal texts.
The third phase 1761-1830 is characterised by the increase in the number of
textbooks published each year while the content witnessed a slow change. The
fourth phase 1830-1870 is marked by the impact of social changes on textbooks
with the spread of education across society especially in the public sector
fostering the production of textbooks (Michael, 1993).
Investigating the production of textbooks of English, he was
able to detect four categories of textbooks, which are Reading, Spelling, and
Pronunciation (RSP), Reading and literature (RL), Expression and performance
(EX), and Grammar and Language (G). Table 1 illustrates his findings.
Table 1: Numbers of new textbooks, by phase and skill,
1530-1870 (Michael, 1993, p. 6).
|
1530-1700
170 yrs
|
1701-60
60 yrs
|
1761-1830
70 yrs
|
1831-70
40 yrs
|
Total
|
RSP
|
94
|
82
|
339
|
295
|
810
|
RL
|
31
|
45
|
377
|
519
|
972
|
EX
|
13
|
13
|
136
|
103
|
265
|
G
|
25
|
42
|
379
|
477
|
923
|
Total
|
163
|
182
|
1231
|
1394
|
2970
|
|
The exploration of the table shows that textbooks of English
increased in their importance gradually but the most remarkable increase
occurred in what Michael (1993) identified as the third phase (1831-1870) in
the development of textbooks of English. During this period there occurred a
shift from 182 new textbooks, during the second phase, to 1231
textbooks. Such an increase is according to Michael (1993) the
result of the changes in society and the spread of education.
What Michael (1993) identified as striking is the closeness
characterising the number of grammar and literature textbooks, as the total of
Grammar textbooks produced in all phases is 923 while for literature it is 972
(see table 1). Additionally, the exploration of the table shows that the
majority of textbooks published in all phases are under the category Reading
and Literature (RL) textbooks, which contradicts the stereotype that
«grammar was the dominant part of English teaching until the second half
of the nineteenth century» (p. 7). However, this could be also explained
by the fact that learners need only one grammar book for many purposes while
reading and literature can be varied.
Michael reports that the publishers of the textbooks did not
state clearly or even implicitly that their books are for school use or for
public use in order not to lose both markets (p. 2). What could be deduced from
this fact is that authors and publishers, as early as the appearance of
textbooks of English, tried to cater for the widest audience in order to
maximise profit. Put in its historical context, the textbook could not be
marketed outside a given border easily. This is in contrast with the situation
today (2010) in the globalising world where the spread of English together with
publishers' attempt to seek worldwide distribution resulted in the appearance
of a new kind of textbooks that were global in content (Gray, 2002) and use
(Graddol, 2000; Crystal, 2003).
However, the worldwide emergence of global coursebooks did
not occur until the second half of the 20th century, as during the
first half the concern was primarily laid on methods research (Howatt,
1984).
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