Interactions 1 as an Elt Coursebook: A Curricular and Theory-Based Scrutiny

Résumé 0

This article analyzes the pertinence of Interactions 1 as the core textbook in the IO-5400 Oral Communication I course, a first-year-course of the Bachelor's Program in English Teaching at a public university in Costa Rica. Thus, the methodology proposed in the textbook, its design (images, teaching strategies for the development of oral and listening skills, supplementary book resources, among others) and its curricular approach were studied in order to determine the congruence between the theoretical principles established by the experts on materials design and evaluation and the book in question. Along the same lines, the pertinence of the book in relation to different aspects of the curriculum of the major, such as the students' exit profile, the objectives and the methodology, among others, were also analyzed. This is a descriptive study that undertook mixed research strategies, where data collection instruments such as a checklist and a Likert scale were combined; the data analysis and interpretation was done through triangulation. The study revealed, on the one hand, that the level of congruence of Interactions 1 with the theoretical principles of materials design and evaluation is insufficient. Conversely, with regard to the curricular aspects of the major, the book proved acceptable as long as instructors contextualize and supplement it with their own resources and teaching strategies so that it is fully satisfactory to the English learning process. Findings call for the use of research-informed criteria in ELT materials design which match the specific English teaching language curricula.