Date of Graduation

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

College/School

School of Education

Department/Program

International and Multicultural Education (IME)

Abstract

As the population of non-native English speakers rises in the United States, so too does the need for effective English language instruction, and with that, effective instructional materials. With a growing population of adult English language learners with below basic prose literacy, the need for effective adult English language literacy instruction is also evident. Because people do not use one skill at a time, this project evaluates the reading materials in two adult English language integrated skills textbooks from major publishers of ESL materials in order to provide insight into the preparation of effective integrated skills textbooks designed for adult ELLs. Reading lessons from five units from each book are evaluated in terms of physical description of the activities, the required actions for each activity, and assumptions made about the underlying reasoning behind the creation of each activity. Results found strengths in regards to visual appeal and coherence. Results also found room for improvement in regard to decision-making by students in the classroom, use of students’ intelligence, cultural understanding, and critical language awareness. Recommendations are giving for improving the lessons and evaluating further materials.

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