The Pedagogical Evaluation of Q: Skills for Success Textbooks as Perceived by EFL Instructors at Taibah University

Abstract

This study evaluated Q: Skills for Success textbooks for first year students from EFL instructors’ perspectives at Taibah University to find practical implications for stressing major strengths and avoiding weak points in these textbooks and consequently developing students’ growth in EFL learning. The participants consisted of fifty EFL instructors teach these textbooks at Taibah University. They were asked to answer the questionnaire which was developed by the researcher to discover their beliefs about adopting the new textbooks. The question of the study was about instructors’ beliefs regarding pedagogical value of Q: Skills for Success in terms of objectives, contents, methods, and evaluation. Results revealed that these textbooks helped students in improving their proficiency in English, developing self-confidence and improving their overall education. English instructors, according to their responses, agreed on the suitability of Q: Skills for Success textbooks in terms of objectives, contents, methods and techniques and ways of evaluation. However, the findings revealed some negative points concentrated on the appropriateness of content and pictures to the local culture of the students in addition to the absence of instructors’ participation in the selection of objectives. In light of the findings, the researcher suggested other researchers to conduct similar studies in other regions to find out if there are cultural differences concerning teaching Q: Skills for Success textbooks.