Teacher Perceptions on the Effectiveness of ESL Textbooks in Developing Critical Thinking in Senior Secondary Schools in Lagos State, Nigeria
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Date
2021-07
Authors
Adeosun, A.O
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Dept of Arts & Social Sciences Education, University of Lagos
Abstract
Critical Thinking (CT) has been a subject of educational research and process for over two decades, including its essence in language instruction, where textbooks play vital roles. The study explores, from the perspectives of the teachers, the connection between CT and English as Second Language textbooks recommended for use in Lagos State schools. Specifically, the study investigated the importance teachers attach to CT, the adequacy and effectiveness of ESL textbooks in promoting CT and how they use the textbooks in developing students’ CT. Four research objectives were developed to guide the study within the above focus, and it made use of quantitative survey research. The study population include ESL textbooks and the teachers using them in instructional processes in Lagos State. The sample consists of five mostly recommended Senior Secondary Two (SS2) ESL textbooks and forty ESL teachers in Educational District IV of Lagos State. The research instrument was a 90-item questionnaire with a coefficient value of 8.3. The findings affirmed that teachers are aware of the strong connection between CT and ESL learning, that CT components are minimally present in ESL textbooks, that teachers make some, but not significant efforts in using the textbooks to develop students’ CT, and that teachers’ use of the textbooks to promote CT is hindered by a myriad of factors. It was, therefore, suggested that school administrators, policymakers and examination bodies should incorporate CT components as key criteria in determining the effectiveness and relevance of ESL textbooks for use in schools, while textbook writers and publishers should integrate more than before, the CT components into almost all aspects of the ESL textbooks.
Description
Scholarly articles
Keywords
Secondary school , ESL Textbooks , Critical Thinking , English as Second Language , Research Subject Categories::SOCIAL SCIENCES::Social sciences::Education
Citation
Adeosun, A. O. (2021). Teacher Perceptions on the Effectiveness of ESL Textbooks in Developing Critical Thinking in Senior Secondary Schools in Lagos State, Nigeria. UNILAG Journal of Curriculum and Instruction (ISSN 2736-0199); Vol. 2(1), 38-56.