Chapter I. General characteristics of Textbooks in teaching fl

Conclusion
The findings in this study suggest that the designers may have done an unsatisfactory job in specifying consistently useful exercises. As Sinclair recommends, materials writers need to begin with attested language data as their starting point. If this is too much to ask, then course designers might at least confirm their intuitively based data with textbook evaluation criteria.
Applying communicative language teaching, a valuable EFL textbook is further required to allow learner autonomy and create options for differentiation. It should particularly focus on meaning without completely neglecting focus on form. An EFL textbook should also conform to the educational and curricular standards, which are an important component of TEFL. Thus, the textbook should foster communicative skills as well as the control of linguistic means of the English language integrating the teaching of the five basic language skills listening, writing, speaking, reading, mediation. Intercultural competences and methodological competences need to be fostered, too. The latter should be fulfilled by implementing opportunities that imply the use, the reception and production of texts as well as other types of media. As a result, one can say that a good textbook is expected to be a multimedia learning tool presenting a variety and a balanced mixture of media. All in all, this obviously is the most comprehensive and probably also the most important category of criteria.
The second major category of criteria deals with the question whether the textbook meets the needs of the target group, i.e. whether it is appropriate according to the students’ needs. The textbook is required to be appropriate in terms of the type of school, the students’ age, the students’ proficiency level, also in terms of layout and design as well as regarding themes, topics and the material within the textbook amount of material and its complexity. The textbook is expected to be designed to be interesting, motivating and relevant to the students. It should appeal to all students (both boys and girls) and relate to their interests or real-world experience.
Applying communicative language teaching, a valuable EFL textbook is further required to allow learner autonomy and create options for differentiation. It should particularly focus on meaning without completely neglecting focus on form. An EFL textbook should also conform to the educational and curricular standards, which are an important component of TEFL. Thus, the textbook should foster communicative skills as well as the control of linguistic means of the English language integrating the teaching of the five basic language skills listening, writing, speaking, reading, mediation. Intercultural competences and methodological competences need to be fostered, too. The latter should be fulfilled by implementing opportunities that imply the use, the reception and production of texts as well as other types of media. As a result, one can say that a good textbook is expected to be a multimedia learning tool presenting a variety and a balanced mixture of media. All in all, this obviously is the most comprehensive and probably also the most important category of criteria.
The second major category of criteria deals with the question whether the textbook meets the needs of the target group, i.e. whether it is appropriate according to the students’ needs. The textbook is required to be appropriate in terms of the type of school, the students’ age, the students’ proficiency level, also in terms of layout and design as well as regarding themes, topics and the material within the textbook amount of material and its complexity. The textbook is expected to be designed to be interesting, motivating and relevant to the students. It should appeal to all students (both boys and girls) and relate to their interests or real-world experience.