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p>Research shows that the changing realities of the 21st century necessitate a fundamental shift in language education towards promoting 21st Century Skills. This paper investigates the extent to which three Moroccan ELT textbooks currently used in teaching second year Baccalaureate students in public high school provide activities that help learners build skills that match the needs of the 21st century. It also explores the types of activities that are used to promote these skills and eventually suggests some ways in which these skills could be promoted effectively in future textbooks. It draws the attention of teachers, educational policy makers, school inspectors and textbook designers to the importance of incorporating activities that facilitate the acquisition of a set of skills that meet the demands of the 21st century. The study adopts a concurrent triangulation design and used content analysis as a mixed method that combines quantitative and qualitative techniques. Quantitative findings show that textbooks tend to provide very little activities that enable learners to develop their ICT skills. Also, they do not encourage learners to think creatively and develop career and life-skills. Qualitative findings indicate that textbooks tend to present these skills in a traditional way that does not cater for the 21st century context. This paper concludes with suggesting activities that will help future textbooks present 21st Century Skills in ways that will facilitate the transfer of these skills to Moroccan English language learners.</p
Boosting 21st Century Skills through Moroccan Textbooks
JELTL
, Vol. 1 (2), 2016 97
JELTL
Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics
ISSN: 2502-6062
2016, Vol. 1 No. 1
www.jeltl.org
Boosting 21st Century Skills through Moroccan ELT
Textbooks
Hassan Ait Bouzid
Doctoral Studies Center on Language, Culture and Society, Faculty of Letters and
Human Sciences, Chouaib Doukkali University, El Jadida, Morocco
hassan.aitbouzid@gmail.com
Abstract
Research shows that the changing realities of the 21st century necessitate a
fundamental shift in language education towards promoting 21st Century Skills. This
paper investigates the extent to which three Moroccan ELT textbooks currently used
in teaching second year Baccalaureate students in public high school provide
activities that help learners build skills that match the needs of the 21st century. It
also explores the types of activities that are used to promote these skills and
eventually suggests some ways in which these skills could be promoted effectively in
future textbooks. It draws the attention of teachers, educational policy makers,
school inspectors and textbook designers to the importance of incorporating
activities that facilitate the acquisition of a set of skills that meet the demands of the
21st century. The study adopts a concurrent triangulation design and used content
analysis as a mixed method that combines quantitative and qualitative techniques.
Quantitative findings show that textbooks tend to provide very little activities that
enable learners to develop their ICT skills. Also, they do not encourage learners to
think creatively and develop career and life-skills. Qualitative findings indicate that
textbooks tend to present these skills in a traditional way that does not cater for the
21st century context. This paper concludes with suggesting activities that will help
future textbooks present 21st Century Skills in ways that will facilitate the transfer of
these skills to Moroccan English language learners.
Keywords: 21st Century Skills, textbook evaluation
Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics (JELTL)
e-ISSN: 2502-6062, p-ISSN: 2503-1848
2016, Vol. 1 (2)
www.jeltl.org
Boosting 21st Century Skills through Moroccan Textbooks
JELTL
, Vol. 1 (2), 2016 98
1. INTRODUCTION
In an ever-growing, continuously changing world, traditional teaching and
learning is facing numerous multidimensional challenges that defy its ability to
responds to the versatile needs and interests of students, teachers and job markets of
the 21st century. As information communication technology advances and spreads its
influence on almost every aspect of human life, it becomes apparent that educational
systems must consider a new set of skills that befit the technological dependence
emblematic to the twenty first century. Therefore, radical but smooth changes need
to be incorporated within every country’s educational policy making, the plethora of
the teaching learning approaches, methods and techniques they are adapting as well
the tools and materials they are using for the purpose of matching the ultimate
teaching learning outcomes with the socio-economic and political demands for
global citizens. Nurhayati (2008a) stated that the world of education needs
improvement of universities, colleges, senior high schools, junior high schools as
well preschools. Most of them should be provided with suitable approaches or a
course design which is carried out in their process of teaching language to the
students.
More particularly, teachers are responsible for preparing learners that are
compatible with the 21st century. However, they are the weakest link in a longer
chain that comprises educational policy makers, teacher trainers, school inspectors,
school administrators, researchers and textbook designers who should join efforts to
provide teachers with best practices, materials and guidance on how to effectively
teach skills that are compatible with the new realities of the 21st century. Within the
classroom context, teachers resort to the teaching materials to help them fulfill this
task. In most cases, teachers rely on textbooks to provide insights and guidance on
what to teach and how to teach it despite the fact that textbooks themselves are not
perfect. Textbooks remain at the heart of every teaching learning context. Richards
(2001) reckons that textbooks will undoubtedly remain central to every language
teaching context despite the technological advances not only because they provide
resources for both learners and teachers, but also because they serve to mold the
official guidelines into concrete texts, exercises, illustrations and practice activities.
However, many researchers (Cunningsworth, 1995;; Litz, 2005; Hutchinson &
Torres, 1994; Jibreel 2015; McDonough & Shaw, 2003) maintain that textbooks are
to a great extent susceptible of containing problems related to social, cultural and
linguistic issues as well as to pedagogical issues concerning the provision of
activities that enable students to appropriately function within their immediate socio-
cultural, political and economic contexts. These researchers point out that these
weaknesses, though not inherent in textbooks, can affect learners’ attitudes towards
their immediate environments and their attitudes towards the teaching learning
process as well. Therefore, the content of textbooks must be continuously assessed
in order to examine the extent to which this content agrees with learners’ needs and
interests on the one hand, and with the objectives of the curriculum and the demands
of the job market on the other.
This study is built on the assumption that the practice of textbook evaluation
is of crucial importance as an integral part of the practices of educational
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practitioners because of the central role coursebooks occupy in the teaching-learning
process. Numerous have been those researchers who actually attribute the value of
textbook evaluation to the indispensability of coursebooks as core elements in the
educational act. For instance, Sheldon (1988) points out that the textbook remains an
essential element in every classroom activity since it represents the visible heart of
any ELT program while Garinger (2002) contends that a textbook is at the heart of
every classroom because it can serve different purposes: it can be used as a core
resource, as a source of supplemental material, as an inspiration for classroom
activities and even as the curriculum itself.
Nevertheless, Sheldon (1988) and Garinger (2002) consider that textbooks
oftentimes constitute a problem that may become an educational failure in some
extreme situations which insistently necessitates the definition and application of
systematic criteria for assessing textbooks. In other words, they argue for a
systematic textbook evaluation that bases itself on concrete predetermined criteria
designed especially for the purpose of identifying and solving problems that
textbooks may contain. In fact, much of the justification for the practice of textbook
evaluation is associated with the importance textbooks have in the teaching-learning
process. Yet, it is to maintain that textbooks gain more value through textbook
evaluation as the usefulness, appropriateness and effectiveness of a textbook can
only be accredited through the practice of a systematic textbook evaluation. It
remains then that textbooks and textbook evaluation are intertwined into a reciprocal
relationship of interdependence where the value of one is only determined by the
value of the other. In short, for textbooks to achieve the desired learning outcomes
effectively, their content, approach and methodology must be effectively evaluated.
The present paper responds to need of applying the practice of textbook
evaluation to identify the role select Moroccan ELT textbooks play in endowing
students with skills that suits the 21st century. It also responds to an expectedly
inevitable introduction of new English language teaching textbooks into Moroccan
public high schools It draws the attention of teachers, school inspectors, educational
policy makers and, most importantly, textbook designers to the vital role textbooks
can play in helping students learn effective 21st Century Skills that will enable them
to function appropriately and effectively within a global community of English
language speakers. In addition, it aims to investigate the extent to which three
Moroccan ELT textbooks currently used in public high schools provide activities
that help students develop a set of 21st century skills indicated in the American
Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages [ACTFL] (2011). This paper also
aims to suggest ways in which future Moroccan ELT textbooks could improve their
content by including more activities targeting the teaching of 21st century skills.
The study is positioned within the theoretical framework of the Standards-
Based Approach which frames the teaching and learning of English as a foreign
language in Moroccan public high schools (Ministry of National education, 2007).
According to the ACTFL (2011), this approach present a fertile ground where to
cultivate learners that are capable of communicating effectively with people from
different cultures while insightfully comparing their local languages and cultures
with other foreign languages and cultures. The Standards-Based Approach also
Boosting 21st Century Skills through Moroccan Textbooks
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allows foreign language learners to develop the ability to make inter-disciplinary
connections than can only deepen the knowledge and skills they learn from English
language and other subjects. More interestingly, the adopted approach caters for
encouraging strategic learning that enables students to continue their own education
as life-long learners long after their school career has finished (ACTFL, 1995). The
three textbooks considered for investigation in this study supposedly adhere to the
theoretical principles of this approach; therefore they should present activities that
facilitate the teaching of 21st century skills.
Three main questions drive the present study; they are:
1. To what extent do select Moroccan ELT textbooks promote 21st century
skills?
2. What kind of 21st century skills are promoted by the select ELT textbooks
under study?
3. What kind of activities can be used to enrich students’ 21st century skills
through ELT textbooks?
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Incorporating a set of skills that satisfy the needs of the 21st century learners
in the curricula used in teaching and learning of English as a foreign language has
become a priority. Learners nowadays are no longer expected to base their success
on their ability to perform manual work; rather, they are supposed to demonstrate an
indispensable ability to search for, find, share and use information to solve various
and complex problems. Students’ success today is evaluated on their ability to adapt
to new situations through showing how innovative and creative they are as well as
exhibiting their mastery of various information communication technologies which
have become unavoidable in the world of the 21st century (National Education
Association [NEA], 2012).
To perform this shift and overcome the new challenge of this era, a set of 21st
Century Skills must be introduced to and taught to students. In addition to fostering
learners’ communication skills, language classes should enable learners to develop
skills that will enable them to identify and retrieve relevant and useful information,
organize it and evaluate its accuracy, relevance, usefulness and efficiency. They are
also required to teach skills that encourage learners to work collaboratively with
others despite their socio-cultural differences, listening to their opinions and
providing formative feedback that emanates from a constructive strategic critical
thinking. Moreover, 21st century students should be able to function cross-culturally
and think creatively and innovatively not only because globalization has nearly
eliminated borders and shortened distances among countries, but also because the
job market is constantly changing and the life-span of jobs is becoming smaller. In
this respect, today’s learners need to be able to develop professional career and life-
skills such as productivity, accountability, leadership, responsibility and sociability
(NEA, 2012; Pacific Policy Research Center [PPRC], 2010; Scott, 2015).
A number of strategies can be used to foster 21st Century Skills. PPRC
(2010) and Partnership for 21st Century Skills [P21] (2011) suggest an action plan
that revolves around six main elements. First, teaching these skills should be
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emphasized in core subjects including, though not limited to, civic literacy, global
awareness, financial literacy, health literacy, environmental literacy, visual literacy,
media literacy; information literacy and technology literacy. Second, the teaching
and learning process should give prominence to the ‘how’ by focusing on strategic
learning that aims to provide learners with effective learning strategies and skills
rather that teaching content. The third element consists of using 21st century tools in
the process of teaching and learning through the use modern information
communication technologies this process. The fourth element is that teachers should
teach 21st century content that reflects the immediate authentic reality of the
students. The fifth element entices teachers to contextualize the teaching learning
process within an authentic 21st century context that is familiar to the students, while
the sixth element highlights the importance of using 21st century assessment
techniques which measure 21st Century Skills. Therefore, the successful teaching of
21st Century Skills is highly dependent on the extent to which the content, methods,
tools and classroom contexts are relevant to the 21st century; any discordance is
susceptible of flawing the intended outcomes.
A number of activities could be devised to effectively help young learners
promote the required set of 21st Century Skills. NEA (2012), P21 (2011), PPRC
(2010) and Scott (2015) provide criteria for effective 21st Century Skill activities.
One major characteristic of these activities is that they should focus on real-world
problems and processes. They should provide learners with authentic problematic
situations which students may relate with the outside world. Real-life-like problems
increase students’ motivation and trigger their attention because they know that they
may face such problems outside the classroom contexts. In addition, effective 21st
century skills activities should support inquiry-based learning experiences which
involve students in the process of building and understanding concepts through
asking questions, searching for answers, discussing them with colleagues and
reflecting upon different possible answers. These activities should also provide
opportunities for collaborative learning experiences where learners work together in
groups or teams, share responsibilities and exchanges feedback and leadership. More
importantly, activities designed to promote 21st Century Skills should focus on
teaching learning strategies and skills rather than learning and memorizing content.
These activities should enable learners with the skills and strategies needed to
communicate effectively, solve problems, think critically and creatively and work
collaboratively; all of which skills are highly valued in 21st century job market.
3. RESEARCH METHOD
The study adopted a concurrent triangulation design using content analysis as
a mixed method that combines both quantitative and qualitative techniques
(Krippendorff, 2013). The objective is to evaluate the content of three Moroccan
ELT textbook currently used in teaching second year Baccalaureate students in
public schools, namely Gateway to English 2 (Hassim, Blibil & Rasmy, 2007),
Insights into English 2 (Najbi & El Haddad, 2007) and Ticket to English 2
(Hammani, Ahssen & Tansaoui, 2007). These textbooks are locally designed and are
used as national textbooks that are used interchangeably to teach the final level in
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Moroccan public high schools. Unfortunately, teachers do not have the right to
choose which textbook to use as this is the task of the local authorities which
distribute textbooks among schools equally and randomly.
The three textbooks were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively to
examine the extent to which they presented activities that can develop learners’ 21st
Century Skills. The purpose of the quantitative analysis is to identify whether the
number of these activities is sufficient for promoting these skills and whether the
number of activities is distributed equally among the different 21st Century Skills so
that no skill is undermined. The purpose of the qualitative analysis is to identify the
kind of activities that are used in promoting the different skills and the quality of the
presentation of the instructions.
The quantitative analysis consisted of making frequency counts of activities
that provided texts, dialogues and exercises whose aim is to teach any of the 21st
Century Skills and illustrating them in tables. Each table was followed by a
descriptive qualitative analysis which describes ways in which different activities
used these texts, dialogues and exercises to promote the set of 21st Century Skills
identified in these three textbooks. The interpretation of both quantitative and
qualitative data is fused with the qualitative description that follows each table since
it is impossible to separate qualitative analysis from interpretation according to
Cohen, Manion and Morrison, (2007).
4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
This study analyzed three Moroccan second year Baccalaureate ELT
textbooks to identify the extent to which these textbooks presented activities that
promoted 21st Century Skills among learners. The results shown in Table 1
demonstrate the number of such activities identified in these three textbooks:
Table 1: number of activities promoting 21st Century Skills in textbooks
Gateway 2
Insights 2
Ticket 2
Total
Activities promoting 21st Century
Skills
34
31
95
The finding illustrated in Table 1 reveal that textbooks contained an
important number of these activities and that there is no great discrepancy in terms
of number of activities contained in each textbook. Gateway to English 2 presented
the smallest number of activities (30), while Ticket to English 2 contained 31 and
Insights into English 2 provided the highest number of activities with 34 activities.
Taking into consideration the fact that each textbook is divided into 10 units,
it could be inferred that each unit had at least 3 activities aiming at teaching 21st
Century Skills. However, it is observed that these activities did not focus on one
particular skill, but rather, each activity targeted multiple skills at a time. Table 2
illustrates this idea in more details:
Table 2: Frequency of 21st Century Skills promoted in various activities
21st Century Skills
Gateway 2
Insights 2
Ticket 2
Total
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Communicate clearly
23
27
25
75
Cross cultural understanding
21
19
22
62
Work collaboratively
20
19
27
66
Think critically
24
23
16
63
Think creatively
6
5
7
18
Use ICT effectively
4
6
4
14
Develop professionally and socially
7
12
8
27
TOTAL
105
111
109
325
Table 2 demonstrates that textbooks presented activities that promote various
skills at a time. Gateway to English 2 tackled the 7 skills 105 times in 30 activities
with an average of 3.5 skills per activity. Insights into English 2 presented the 7
skills 111 times in 34 activities, with an average of 3.2 skills per activity. Ticket to
English 2 tackled the seven skills 109 times in 31 activities, with an average of 3.5
skills per activity. Table 2, therefore, shows that activities presented by Gateway to
English 2 and Ticket to English 2 are actually richer in terms of the number of skills
included in each activity.
Table 2 also reveals that some skills were more frequently presented than
others. The three textbooks frequently stressed skills enticing students to
communicate clearly (75 times), work collaboratively (66 times), think critically (63
times) and cross-cultural understanding (62 times). Gateway to English 2 frequently
taught critical thinking skills which were tackled 24 times, communication skills
which were mentioned 23 times and working collaboratively which were discussed
20 times alongside cross-cultural understanding skills which were visited 21 times,
respectively. Insights into English 2 is similar to Gateway to English 2 except for
the fact that the former gave prominence to effective communication skills which
were included in 27 activities. Skills enticing student to work collaboratively were
highlighted 27 times in Ticket to English 2 followed by skills of effective
communicative and cross-cultural understanding with a frequency rate reaching 25
times and 22 times, respectively.
The three textbooks did not provide enough space for three 21st Century
Skills. Skills targeting students’ ability to think creatively, use ICT effectively and
develop professionally and socially were not as frequently targeted in activities as
the previously mentioned skills. For instance, only six activities in Gateway to
English 2 included creative thinking skills as compared to 5 in Insights into English
and 7 in Ticket to English 2. In addition, only four activities in both Gateway to
English 2 and Ticket to English 2 contained skills aiming at enabling students to use
ICT effectively as compared to 6 of such activities identified in Insights into English
2. Moreover, the ability to develop professionally and socially was contained only in
7, 8 and 12 activities in Gateway to English 2, Ticket to English 2 and Insights into
English 2, respectively.
The three textbooks relied on different kinds of activities to boost 21st
Century Skills. The dominance of skills promoting students ability to communicate
clearly is to a great extent congruent with the nature of foreign language teaching
textbooks whose aim is to improve students’ ability to communicate effectively in a
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foreign language. To achieve this goal, textbooks rely heavily on activities fostering
interpersonal, interpretive and presentational communication skills through a series
of dialogues, conversations, readings texts, listening activities, writing assignments
and functional practice activities. It is also observed that the ability to work
collaboratively is fostered through a variety of activities such as grammar exercises,
functional practices, writings, discussions and project works. These activities
encourage students to work collaboratively in groups or in pairs to promote their
ability to share and exchange responsibility, listen for and provide feedback and
provide positive support for other group members.
Different types of activities were used to promote students’ ability to think
critically. In fact critical thinking skills were promoted mainly through post reading
and post listening activities in which learners were asked to respond critically to the
reading/listening texts. Critical thinking skills were also promoted through speaking
activities asking students to evaluate opinions and thoughts of their classmates or
through speaking activities enticing them to think reflectively about their own
actions, thoughts and emotions. Research revealed that teacher modeling of reading
practice brings the students about nurturing good reading habits in English (Iftanti,
2015). Critical thinking skills identified and promoted through activities in these
textbooks comprised the ability to build arguments and provide concrete evidence,
the ability to think systematically as well as the ability to tolerate cultural
differences.
Cross cultural understanding skills were developed through reading
activities, listening activities, writing activities, dialogues and discussions. Students
were occasionally asked to compare and contrast aspect of both local and foreign
cultures to identify similarities and differences among different cultures. These
activities were also used to foster students’ understanding of the relationship
between cultural perspectives and cultural practices of both foreign and local
cultures on the one hand, and between cultural perspectives and cultural products of
both cultures on the other. The objective of these activities is to help students
tolerate cultural differences and co-exist peacefully with other people despite their
differences.
However, the scarcity of activities promoting creative thinking skills and ICT
skills is apparent throughout the three textbooks. These textbooks presented a
limited number of activities enhancing creative thinking skills because of the
noticeable shortage regarding project works, games, creative writing and problem
solving activities. Textbooks also presented a limited number of activities fostering
students ICT skills because most activities encouraged students to use skills that
they have already mastered. For example, some writing activities teach students the
basics of e-mail writing while students actually know how to write an e-mail. Few
project works encourage students to present their finding in PowerPoint presentation
format, while fewer activities such as vocabulary and reading activities to search for
information on the internet.
The three textbooks also presented an insufficient number of activities that
foster learners’ professional and social skills. The three textbooks provided activities
which are more concerned with providing learners with skills which would help
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them in their schooling, but they did not include enough activities that aimed to
prepare these learners for their professional and social life. This is due to the fact
that the three textbooks provided little activities that are associated with authentic
real-life professions from which students could learn about the skills which would
help students set up a successful professional career in these professions. For
instance, Insights into English 2 is concerned with preparing students for a
professional career in journalism as it provided a number of activities that teach
students skills related to interviewing, conducting surveys, conducting opinion polls
and searching for information Ticket to English is concerned with fostering learners’
study skills through a number of activities that aim to help learners develop their
ability to manage their time, think critically, use SQ4R, keep record of their studies,
take notes effectively and get prepared to succeed in exams and tests. Gateway to
English 2 has to a great extent succeeded in providing a balanced mixture of
activities that foster learners’ social and professional skill despite their quantitative
insufficiency. Along with providing the necessary set of study skills such as
knowing about learning styles, effective note-taking, effective learning of
vocabulary, effective ways of giving presentations and preparing one’s self for the
university, the latter textbook has provided activities that aimed to familiarize
students with skills required for a professional career in both journalism, tourism and
banking through providing activities that encouraged students to use interviewing
skills, writing action plans of projects, making a brochure, transform information
into diagrams, learning about the development of banks, brain storming and mind-
mapping.
The findings revealed a number of discrepancies between the ways in which
the three textbooks dealt with 21st Century Skills and the guidelines indicated by the
literature. First, the number of activities that promoted these skills is not only
insufficient but also imbalanced as some skills are more targeted than others.
Second, these skills are presented in traditional contents that are incoherent with the
core-subjects suggested by PPRC (2010) and P21 (2011). Third, these 21st Century
Skills are taught using traditional tools and materials that are incompatible with the
nature of the 21st Century because they rarely encourage students to use modern
digital and ICT tools. Finally, the three textbooks did not provide assessment criteria
that would enable learners and teachers to evaluate the extent to which a given skills
was successfully or unsuccessfully learnt.
5. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS
The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which three
Moroccan ELT textbooks currently used in teaching second year Baccalaureate level
in public high schools empower students with skills that are compatible with the
needs and requirements of the 21st century. It draws the attention of teachers,
educational policy makers, school inspectors and textbook designers to the necessity
of including activities that have the potential of boosting learners’ 21st Century
Skills. The review of the literature revealed the importance of enabling learners with
seven main skills that are considered as main 21st century skills. The first skill is the
ability to communicate clearly and the second one is the ability of cross-cultural
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understanding. The third skill is the ability to think critically, while the fourth skill is
the ability to think creatively. The fifth and the sixth skills are the ability to work
collaboratively and the ability to use information communication technology
effectively. The last skill is the ability to develop professionally and socially.
The research adopted a concurrent triangulation design relying on content
analysis as a mixed method using both quantitative and qualitative data analysis
techniques. The findings of the quantitative analysis revealed that the three
textbooks did not provide a sufficient number of activities that would help foster the
aforementioned skills among learners. They also demonstrated that the three
textbooks did not treat these skills equally because the majority of activities were
concerned with communication skills, cross-cultural understanding skills,
collaborative working skills and critical thinking skills, respectively. Other skills
related to creative thinking skills, ICT skills and professional development skills
were given smaller attention within different activities. The qualitative analysis
demonstrated that the nature of the activities which presented these skills were to a
great extent incompatible with the nature of activities required for developing 21st
Century Skills. The three textbooks relied on traditional activities that were
conventionally used in ELT textbooks to develop reading, writing, listening and
speaking skills. To bridge this gap, the following suggestions are made:
Textbooks should incorporate 21st Century Skills in every activity so that
learners will be exposed to these skills throughout the whole school year
Textbooks should encourage learners to use ICT skills both inside and
outside the classroom through encouraging mobile learning and using social
networks as learning sources
Textbooks should encourage learners to think creatively by enticing them to
present their learning performances through creative ways using videos,
PowerPoint presentations, posters, brochures, blogs and social media
Textbook should contain activities which provide learners with links to e-
content that they could use as a learning resource or as a model of a learning
outcome
Textbooks should provide activities present information, skills and qualities
required for future jobs that are compatible with the 21st century
Textbook should present activities that focus on real world problems to
encourage learners to conduct social experiments that will allow them to use
and refine their social and communication skills in real-life situations
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http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/21st_century_skills_education_and_co
mpetitiveness_guide.pdf. Accessed on 30 July 2016.
Boosting 21st Century Skills through Moroccan Textbooks
JELTL
, Vol. 1 (2), 2016 108
Richards, J.C. (2001). Curriculum Development in Language Teaching. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press
Scott, C. L. (2015). The Futures of Learning 2: What Kind of Learning for the 21st
Century? Education Research and Foresight Working Papers. Paris:
UNESCO.
Sheldon, L. (1988). Evaluating ELT Textbooks and Materials. ELT Journal, 42(4),
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... Bound by today's concept of "World English," English coursebooks should be able to cater to cultural information and topics, develop intercultural competence and awareness through their activity designs, and promote multilingualism and global citizenship (Hilliard, 2014;Davidson & Liu, 2018;Pasand & Ghasemi, 2018;Setyono & Widodo, 2019;Nguyen, Marlina, & Cao, 2020). Finally, an English Coursebook requires it to be periodically revised and updated to follow the current trends, context, and challenges (Bouzid, 2016). ...
... The studies focusing on analysis mostly deal with whether the coursebook provides the opportunity for students to develop the culture-related aspects such as cultural and multicultural awareness, intercultural competencies, and global citizenship (Hilliard, 2014;Davidson & Liu, 2018;Pasand & Ghasemi, 2018;Setyono & Widodo, 2019;Nguyen, Marlina, & Cao, 2020). Meanwhile, the studies on the use and improvement of available coursebooks give more emphasis on what contents should be included, which parts need improvement, and how the contents must be presented (Bouzid, 2016;Zhang, 2017;Setyono & Widodo, 2019;Nguyen, Marlina, & Cao, 2020). ...
... Bearing in mind the multiple significant roles of the coursebook, preparing a coursebook to support English learning and teaching activities potentially brings benefits not only to the lecturers but also to the students. Most of the studies that have been conducted by the previous researchers deal with the analysis, use, and development of the available textbook (Hilliard, 2014;Rashidi & Kehtarfard, 2014;Errington & Litic, 2015;Bouzid, 2016;Zhang, 2017;Davidson & Liu, 2018;Pasand & Ghasemi, 2018;Rahim & Daghigh, 2019;Setyono & Widodo, 2019;Nguyen, Marlina, & Cao, 2020;Sakkir, Dollah, Arsyad, & Ahmad, 2021). However, the investigation and discussion related to developing learning material in the form of the new textbook are still limited. ...
Article
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The aim of this research is to design a coursebook for teaching English as a university compulsory subject. This research employed a Research and Development study that involves four English lecturers and eighty freshmen as the participants. Interviews and questionnaires were used as instruments to collect the data. The qualitative data were analyzed by using the adapted Miles and Huberman Model. Meanwhile, the quantitative data were analyzed by using a simple percentage analysis. At the end of this research, an English Coursebook, English for Collegian, has been finally completed. This book covers 14 units and each unit consists of seven main parts that accommodate comprehensive learning activities for each meeting. It is expected that this research brings fruitful impacts, especially in accommodating lecturers and students' needs, improving students' learning achievement, and boosting lecturers' motivation to create teaching material.
... However, these capabilities have been studied in depth by individual academics in MENA countries. Specifically, research focused on various combinations of skills, including critical thinking (Chouari & Nachit, 2016;Mrah, 2017;Salehi, 2019;Alamri, 2020;Alghamdi, 2020;Alzahrani et al, 2022;Chana, 2022); core competencies (Alzuoud & Gaudel, 2020), life skills (Bouzid, 2016); creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, communication skills, information, media, and technology literacy (Khatri, 2019); communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity (Aben, 2022; Alghamdi, 2022); critical thinking, collaboration, and cooperation (Chehimi & Alameddine, 2022), creativity, innovation, and ICT skills (Alqudah & Altweissi, 2020), collaboration, critical thinking, communication, problem solving, creativity, and innovation (Amr, 2020). ...
... On the other hand, the second category of the results (i.e., pedagogical practices) relate to individual and official initiatives to integrate 21 st -century skills into the EFL syllabus. That is, while many studies reported teachers' attempts to teach 21 st skills (Baghoussi, 2021;Sihem, 2021;Alamri, 2020;Salehi, 2019), others focused on the inclusion of similar skills into EFL textbooks (Al-Jabri, 2020; Alzuoud & Gaudel, 2020; Mrah (2017); Bouzid, 2016). Most results subsumed under this category are conflicting to a large extent as evidenced by two studies conducted in the same context (Algeria). ...
... Second, the relevant findings in the Omani context revealed that activities in EFL textbooks do not provide enough support for creativity (Al-Jabri, 2020). Where the Moroccan context is concerned, the textbook neither effectively enable learners to be autonomous lifelong critical thinkers (Mrah, 2017) nor does it tend to present these skills in a way that cater for the 21 st -century context (Bouzid, 2016). ...
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... Recently, there has been a growing focus on the concept of "21st Century Skills" among educators and researchers. This attention has extended to the realm of English language teaching, with discussions emerging on the integration of these skills (Bouzid, 2016). The importance of 21st century skills is undeniable. ...
Article
In our changing and evolving world, technology offers us new opportunities, new perspectives, new solutions and problems. To raise our educational standards, it is vital to know how to understand, adapt to, and develop this new world. In order to educate the students of this age with 21st century skills, the materials used in the classroom must comply with these skills. This study investigates the compatibility of the coursebook used in English classes with 9th grade under the Ministry of National Education with 21st century skills, and the sections in the data were collected from the Teenwise Student’s Book. In this study, 21st century skills are determined by P21 Classification. Qualitative research method was used in the study. The data collected from the 9th grade English Coursebook were analyzed through descriptive analysis. It was found out that more than half of the activities in the coursebook were related to 21st century skills and productive skills were utilized more than receptive activities in developing 21st century skills. The least effective activities in developing 21st century activities were listening activities while the most effective activities were speaking activities. Most contributed 21st century skill was communication and collaboration while the least contributed skill was leadership and responsibility.
... The selection of Moroccan textbooks as the central subject of this research is motivated by their significant and distinctive influence on the educational development of the nation's youth. In Morocco, textbooks frequently serve as the primary educational resource for both students and educators, particularly within the public school system, where they constitute the fundamental framework of the curriculum (Bouzid, 2016). An examination of these educational materials can yield critical insights into the extent to which Morocco's educational practices are in alignment with international objectives, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (Astaifi & El Allame, 2024). ...
Article
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This research explored the incorporation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within two prominent English language textbooks utilized in Morocco, namely Gateway to English 2 and Ticket to English 2. Employing a qualitative content analysis methodology, the study evaluated the extent to which these educational materials integrated and highlighted various SDGs, examining both the richness of the content and the instructional strategies employed. The results indicated notable differences in the approaches to SDG integration, with Gateway to English 2 focusing on a select few critical goals, including Climate Action (SDG 13) and Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG 16), whereas Ticket to English 2 presented a more expansive yet subtle incorporation of a broader array of SDGs. This investigation underscored the necessity of aligning textbook choices with targeted educational goals and the diverse requirements of learners to effectively nurture global citizenship and advance sustainable development. The study concluded by offering suggestions for improving the representation of SDGs in educational resources and proposed avenues for further inquiry into the practical implementation of these insights across various educational settings. | KEYWORDS Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Moroccan textbooks, English language education, content analysis, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).
... Akan tetapi, secara khusus penelitian analisis dan evaluasi buku teks terkait kandungan instruksi pembelajaran yang mengarahkan pada kemampuan berpikir kritis masih belum banyak dilakukan dibandingkan evaluasi komponen buku (kelayakan isi, kegrafikan, materi, dsb.). Keterampilan berpikir kritis harus diperkuat dari konten buku itu sendiri (Bouzid, 2016;Ilyas, 2016). ...
Article
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Critical thinking has become a discussion in education as a skill that must be possessed by students so that learning activities properly direct assignment activities and questions that lead to critical thinking skills. Then in this study the aim was to describe the results of the analysis and evaluation of critical thinking in class X Indonesian books used in Sekolah Penggerak dan SMK Pusat Keunggulan. The research method used was content analysis supported by statistic descriptions. The instrument used is a critical thinking activity framework in language learning developed by Ilyas. Based on the results of the analysis, out of 220 assignment activities and questions, there were 137 (62.27%) activities that lead to critical thinking skills, consisting of requests (13.64%); exploring assumptions (14.09%); exploring reasons and proof (13.64%); exploring point of view or perspective (5.45%); exploring impacts, consequences, and alternatives (5.91%); formulate questions (0.91%); predict (0.91%); express agreement and disagreement (3.18%); and summarizing and concluding (4.55%). Based on the proportion of instructions or assignments, this Indonesian language book is sufficient to contain instructions for improving critical thinking skills. However, it takes the teacher's ability to direct learning so that the goal of increasing critical thinking can be developed.
... While reviewing the literature, many discussions were held concerning the incorporation and the boosting of the 21 st century skills in the Moroccan context, either in the Moroccan textbooks (Bouzid, 2016) or other parts of the teaching and learning process. However, very little was found in the literature on the question of the integration of 21st century skills in teacher training centres in the Moroccan context. ...
Article
Full-text available
At the dawn of the 21st century, new skills have become significant in everyone's life. The world nowadays has become a different place that needs new and emergent skills to keep up with the latest trends. Teacher preparation is considered one of the most important facets of effective language teaching, thus necessitating teachers to acquire these new skills. This paper aims to investigate the inclusion of 21st-century skills in teacher training or preparation programs in Morocco. It also highlights the effective ways of integrating those essential skills nowadays. Two research questions guide this study: 1) To what extent are 21st-century skills integrated into Morocco's teacher training or preparation programs? 2) What strategies and approaches can be adopted to effectively integrate 21st-century skills into teacher training programs in Morocco? The study is based on a cross-sectional quantitative design. Data collection is based on a questionnaire administered to 100 in-service English teachers who are in their first years of teaching. This study aims to assist pedagogues and curriculum designers of pre-service training programs in Morocco in designing a curriculum that caters to the needs of both Morocco and the demands of the 21st century. The findings show a potential impact on various aspects, such as student learning outcomes, teacher effectiveness, and the overall quality of language teaching in Morocco about 21st century skills.
... Based on this study, DVDs and CD-Roms, e-portfolios, and the internet were incorporated into the intended coursebooks, while chatting, e-mail and social software were ignored. Similarly, Bouzid's (2016) study evaluated the 21 st century skills in ELT textbooks in Morocco, in which communication, cross-cultural understanding, collaboration, critical thinking, creative thinking, ICT literacy, and professional and social development were found as 21 st century skills in the textbooks. Lau et al. (2018) investigated the role of 100 commonly used textbook learning resources through an e-learning framework. ...
Article
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Given the changing nature of the meaning of literacy, this study seeks to adopt a pluralistic view of literacies and provide a holistic picture of how coursebooks help learners improve their technological-related literacies to participate fully in the present and future world of multiple and multimodal literacies. Accordingly, the elements of digital literacies in sixteen widely used ELT coursebooks were explored through content analysis. The findings revealed the implementation of the four foci of literacies (communication, collaboration, information, and redesign) in the digital literacies framework throughout the coursebooks. All coursebook series primarily emphasized the aspects of communication and collaboration, allocating comparatively less attention to the elements of information and redesign. The findings have call for practitioners in the field to rethink the curriculum, take the digital literacy components into account, and augment the digital aspects that are less discussed in coursebooks
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This research conducted to gather whether these textbook contained 21st century or not in communication, collaborative, critical thinking, flexibility and adaptability, leadership and responsibility, creativity and innovation are the skills that should be included in English tasks in 21st century skills. Then the researches will be spell out the textbook by using analysis. The purpose of this research is to detect what the preparation of academic English textbook coincide with the 21st century skills. Qualitative method was used in this research to reveal the analysis of the researcher. The sample of this research is analysis the content related to suitability of the textbook in 21stcentury.There are still few researchers who examine how 21st century skills is implemented in collage English textbook. As a final note, the researcher advises doing study on how published materials are utilized in courses, schools, and universities throughout the nation because she believes it is crucial to do so in order to achieve the intended learning objectives. Also make them more accurate to be learned for each student and teacher or lecturer. The researcher hopes the further research is more detail and conical to the similar problem to be analyses.
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Students, who are the designers of the future, need the forward-looking skills of the 21st century in order to adapt to the changes occurring in our age and to be ready for the next educational institution or business life. 21st century skills need to be integrated into the education system in order for individuals to gain them in the most effective way. Textbooks, which are frequently used by teachers and students within the scope of the education and training process, are of great importance in the acquisition of these skills. The aim of this study is to evaluate the secondary school 7th grade Science textbook in terms of 21st century learning and innovation skills in line with teachers' opinions. The study group the research consists of 30 Science teachers working secondary schools affiliated Gaziantep province in the 2021-2022 academic year and using 7th grade Science textbook. In the research, phenomenological design, qualitative research methods, was adopted, the data were collected with semi-structured interview form consisting 10 questions prepared researcher. The data were analyzed using content and descriptive analysis method. In the study, line with opinions Science teachers, was concluded 7th grade Science textbook does not fully develop 21st century learning and innovation skills, insufficient, skills are distributed irregularly in the textbook.
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A module is a supplementary tool for existing teaching materials, allowing students to engage in independent learning by exploring the concepts presented within the module. This approach can enhance students' competence and foster their enthusiasm for the subject. The research aims to ascertain the English material requirements of seventh-grade students at SMPN 4 Bandar Lampung and create a comprehensive English curriculum for this grade level at the abovementioned school. The ADDIE model was utilized to achieve the stated objectives. The need analysis was carried out before the creation of the material. Based on the expert judgment of the material, it has been determined that the average score (X) is 3.6. The score is classified as good due to its placement within the 3.5 < X < 3.75 interval. However, there are two aspects that experts believe require further improvement. These aspects include enhancing the accessibility of the module's materials for students to comprehend and ensuring that the illustrations align with the content presented in the module. To enhance the comprehensibility of the module's content for students, the expert recommended providing more explicit instructions for each step of the activities students must undertake.Regarding the illustrations provided per the module's content, experts have recommended incorporating additional illustrations to enhance the module's level of engagement. Based on the expert judgment and evaluation of the presentation, it has been determined that the average score (X) is 3.75. Based on the obtained score, the categorization can be deemed satisfactory, as the value of X falls within the interval of 3.5 < X < 3.75. The expert has recommended an enhancement of the references or supporting materials. The expert recommended incorporating additional references to enhance the comprehensiveness of the module. Based on the expert judgment of the material, it has been determined that the average score (X) is 3.75. Based on the obtained score, it can be classified as satisfactory, as the X value falls within the 3.5 < X < 3.75 range. The expert recommended one aspect for improvement, specifically regarding the alignment of language usage with the student's cognitive development stage. The expert posited that certain languages may present a level of complexity that surpasses students' cognitive abilities. Consequently, it is recommended that these languages be modified or adapted to better align with the student's learning capacities.
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This article describes English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ perception on an inspiring English lecturer. This study was done through a survey to 230 EFL learners of State Islamic Institute of Tulungagung, a small district in East Java- Indonesia, in order to get underlying basis of making a decision on learning policies for the sake of creating inspiring English teachers who are influential toward the success of English teaching and learning process. The instrument- Strategy Inventory for Students’ Perception on Inspiring English Lecturers (SISPIEL)- was developed in accordance to reviewing some related research articles about an inspiring teacher. The study reveals that to be an inspiring English lecturer, one should posses three skills namely attitudinal skills which are divided into three areas i.e. intellectual, emotional and spiritual, in addition to teaching technique strategies and skills of changing students’ learning style. Finally, the results of this study offers pedagogical considerations which are mainly useful for those running teacher training education program and those who are concerned in English education as well as suggestions for future research
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ABSTRACT ELT materials (textbooks) play a very important role in many language classrooms but in recent years there has been a lot of debate throughout the ELT profession on the actual role of
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In this survey paper the field of language curriculum develop ment is defined as encompassing the processes of needs analysis, goal setting, syllabus design, methodology and evaluation. Each of these curriculum processes is surveyed and issues and practices in each area are discussed. Needs analysis is discussed in relation to language pro gram planning and evaluation and different needs analysis pro cedures are examined. Different approaches to the planning of pro gram objectives in language teaching are illustrated and a distinction between behavioural, process, content and proficiency-based objec tives is made. The status of methodology within curriculum develop ment is discussed in terms of a distinction between content oriented methods and those concerned primarily with instructional processes. The role of a syllabus within each approach is illustrated. The need for an empirical basis for methodological statements is emphasized and it is suggested that the classroom processes methods generate cannot necessarily be inferred from the philosophy of the method itself. The role of evaluation is discussed and different procedures used in summative and formative evaluation in language teaching are surveyed. The paper emphasizes that language curriculum develop ment is not generally viewed in language teaching as a systematic set of interrelated processes and procedures which generate the data needed to develop sound educational practices. This may account for the lack of rigour and accountability in many language teaching pro grams.
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ELT coursebook publishing is a multi-million pound industry, yet the whole business of product assessment is haphazard and under-researched. Coursebooks are often seen by potential consumers-teachers, learners and educational purchasers-as market ephemera requiring invidious compromises between commercial and pedagogical demands. Some practical and theoretical reasons for such grassroots discontent are discussed, as are previous textbook studies and qualitative 'checklists'. The state of the informational assistance available to intending purchasers is also examined. Finally, as set of 'common core' qualitative criteria is advanced, whose purpose it would be to make evaluation and selection more systematic and informed.1
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