EFL Teacher Trainees' Perceptions of the Sufficiency of the Coursebooks in terms of Proverb Instruction

EFL Teacher Trainees' Perceptions of the Sufficiency of the Coursebooks in terms of Proverb Instruction

CAN, Nilufer
Hatipoglu , Ciler

Proverbs are formulaic expressions that mirror the culture of a language (Hirsch et al. 2002) and it is said that every native speaker possesses ‘proverb competence’ (De Caro, 1978) which allows them to comprehend and employ those expressions where necessary. When proverbs are used, the speech can become more fluent, natural and colourful (Prodromou, 2003; Sinclair, 1992). For these reasons, proverbs can be influential in the development of communicative competence (CC) which is an essential attribute of a successful language teacher. The research also shows that coursebooks are the main sources in Turkish EFL classrooms where prospective language teachers are learning the language (Can 2011). Therefore, in this study, EFL teacher-trainees were asked to evaluate the sufficiency of the English coursebooks they used in Anatolian Teacher Training High Schools (ATTHS) in Turkey in terms of proverb instruction. Teacher-trainees as language learners were chosen as a focus group in this study since as the prime users and the reasons why coursebooks are developed they can provide very useful feedback to other stakeholders in the educational system (Cunningsworth 1995; McGrath 2002). The data for this study were collected using questionnaires and interviews specifically designed for this study. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses of the data were performed and the following results were obtained: (1) the bulk of the informants thought that many of their coursebooks did not include a sufficient number of proverbs; (2) some students stated that their books incorporated proverbs randomly without adequate instruction; (3) all of the informants wanted the coursebooks to include more proverbs and to emphasise the teaching of their various aspects. The findings of the study highlight the importance of obtaining continuous student feedback for material selection, evaluation and revision; and show how there sometimes might be discrepancies between administrative decisions and users’ needs and perceptions.

Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed

2012

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