Abstract:
The objective of the research is to examine the validity of grade seven English pupil’s
textbooks used in the Sri Lankan national curriculum as a practical study material in
learning/teaching the language. The use of a textbook in a language classroom is a
debatable issue in the post-method era of which the communicative competency becomes
the primarily expected learning outcome. The study was qualitative research in which the
researcher attempted to conceptualize self-experiences as an English as a Second
Language teacher and pupil’s textbook user in teaching the English language to grade
seven students. In addition to direct observation of grade 7 students, content analysis was
employed as a research methodology; a selected section of the textbook was analysed
based on David Williams’ criteria for evaluation of textbooks (1983) and the theoretical
perspectives of Donovan and Smolkin (2002) on the genre and writing development in
designing language courses for elementary students. The selected section of the textbook
consists of the lessons that are expected to be learned/taught in the third term of a
calendar year. The research showed the negatives of using the textbook in a language
classroom, the alternative study materials, and methods that could be introduced to the
classroom to upgrade the practical use of English. The findings of the research also
suggested that the content of the textbook that is expected to be learned by grade seven
students and the up-to-date knowledge on designing/writing textbooks do not correlate,
making the pupil’s textbook less productive study material.
Keywords: English language, Grade seven, Pupil’s textbook, Study material, Language
planning
