material evaluation

1. COURSE
DESIGN
MATERIALS

2. In this chapter, the writer concerns to
discuss the first point “Material Evaluation”.
The techniques and a lot in terms of ideas
of evaluating the existing materials can be
found in this chapter.

3. Materials Evaluation for
ESP’s Learners
There are three possible ways of turning your
course design into actual teaching materials :
1. Select from existing materials : materials evaluation
2. Write your own materials: materials development
3. Modify existing materials: materials adaptation
The materials writer can learn a lot in terms of ideas
and techniques from evaluating existing materials.
Similarly, writing materials makes you more aware of what
to look for in materials written by other people- and also
more sympathetic to the efforts of other materials writers.
.

4. 1. Why Evaluate Materials?
stated that evaluation is a matter
of judging the fitness of
something for a particular
purpose. Evaluation concerns on
the relative merit. There is no
absolute good or bad, only
degrees of fitness for the
required purpose. It means that,
when the teacher does materials
evaluation, the evaluation is
based on the required purpose
or goal that would be reached by
the students.
stated that in any kind of evaluation, the
decision finally made is likely to be the
better for being based on a systematic
check of all the important variables. In
doing the evaluation materials, the writer
probably get a negative and positive
impact. The negative side of evaluation
materials is the teacher probably spent a
lot of expense, time, and probably
getting frustrated. On the other hand, the
positive side of evaluation materials is; it
can also help in justifying request of the
sponsors or other members of an ESP
team for money to buy materials or time
to write them.
According to Hutchinson
&Waters (1987)
In another word, according to
Hutchinson &Waters (1987)

5. 1. Why evaluate materials?
Evaluation is a matter of judging the fitness of
something for a particular purpose. Evaluation is, then,
concerned with relative merit. There is no absolute good or
bad- only degrees of fitness for the required purpose. In
any kind of evaluation, the decision finally made is likely to
be the better for being based on a systematic check of all
the important variables. The results of an evaluation will
probably lead to a large investment of money in a
published course or a large investment of time in home
produced or adapted materials. A careful evaluation, then,
can save a lot of expense and frustration. On the positive
side, it can also help in justifying request in sponsors or
other members of an ESP team for money to buy materials
or time to write them.

6. How do you evaluate materials?
Hutchinson &Waters (1987) stated that "evaluation is basically a matching
process: matching needs to available solutions”. In order to match the
needs and solutions, the matching should be done as objective as
possible. It means that teachers have to look the needs of students and
the solution separately. In the final analysis, any choice will be made on
subjective grounds. However, if subjectivity influence your judgment, it may
blind you to possible alternatives. For example: teacher might reject a
particular textbook, because the teacher does not like the picture on the
cover or dislike functional syllabuses but it does not mean that the book
does not suit the needs of parties. Thus, teachers should not let
subjectivity too much influence their judgment in the early stages of
analysis when evaluating materials to be taught. Process of evaluation can
be divided into four major steps(see figure 26) :
1) Defining criteria
2) Subjective analysis
3) Objective analysis

7. Below is also presented checklist of
criteria for objective and subjective
analysis.
The fist two stages will be done in
course design stage. While the
other two stage is done as the
continuation of the subjective
analysis where teacher have to
evaluate or develop their material
through objective analysis. From
these process, teacher will be
easier to know how far the
material match the needs.

11. There are some practical steps that we
should do in material evaluation, as follows ;
1. Answer the A question
In this step, answer the A question to identify the requirements that can be used as
a basis for writing the material or as an input to the next stage of material
evaluation.
2. Answer the B question
In this step, answer the B question to analyze the materials that have selected.
3. Compare the A and B findings
This step can be done by awarding the points :
0 = does not match the desired features
1 = partly matches the desired features
2 = closely matches the desired features
Based on the awarding points, you have to look for the widest spread of
desired features and concentrations in the areas you consider most important.
4. Make your choice and use your findings to prepare
any documentation needed for defending your decision. You can make
a decision upon the analysis, whether everything is good, or some part need to be

12. Materials writing is one the most
characteristic features of ESP in practice. In
marked contrast to General English
teaching, a large amount of the ESP
teacher’s time may well be taken up in
writing materials.
Materials Design

13. There are a number of reasons for
this :
 A teacher or institution may wish to provide
teaching materials that will not the specific
subject area of particular learners.
 Even when suitable materials are available,
it may not be possible to buy them because
of currency or important restrictions.
 ESP materials may also be written for non-
educational reasons: for example, in order to
enhance the reputation of an institution or
individuals

14. 1. Defining objectives
We can start by asking ourselves the questions: what are
materials supposed to do? In defining their purpose, we can
identify some principles which will guide us in the actual writing
of the materials.
a) Materials provide a stimulus to learning.
b) Materials help to organize the teaching and learning process,
by providing a path through the complex mass of the
language to be learnt.
c) Materials embody a view of the nature of language and
learning.
d) Materials reflect the nature of the learning task.
e) Materials can have a very useful function in broadening the
basis of teacher training, by introducing teachers to new
techniques.

15. 2. A Materials design- model
The aim of this particular model is to provide a coherent framework for
the integration of the various aspects of learning, while at the same
time allowing enough room for creativity and variety to flourish. The
model consists of four elements:
a) Input: this may be a text, dialogue, video recording, diagram or any
piece of communication data, depending on the needs you have
defined in your analysis.
b) Content focus: language is not an end in itself, but a means of
conveying information and feelings about something.
c) Language focus: learners have the chance to take the language to
nieces, study how it works and practice putting it back together
again.
d) Task: learners use the content and language knowledge they have
built up through the unit.

16. 3. A materials design model: sample
materials
The basic model can be used for materials of
any length. Every stage could be covered in one
lesson, if the task is a small one, or the whole
unit might be spread over a series of lesson. For
the sample, you can look at the ESP book in
page 110.

17. 4. Refining the model
 Figure 30: An expanded materials model

18. 5. Materials and the syllabus
A model must be able to ensure adequate
coverage through the syllabus of all the features
identified as playing a role in the development of
learning. In addition to having an internal
coherence, therefore, each unit must also relate
effectively to the other units in the course. There
needs to be a coherence between the unit
structure and the syllabus structure to ensure
that the course provides adequate and
appropriate coverage of syllabus items.

19. 6. Using the models: a case
study
There are some stages to use the models of a case study to the learners:
a) Find your text.
b) Go to the end of the model. Think of a task that the learners could do at
the end of the unit.
c) Go back to the syllabus. Is the task the kind of activity that will benefit
your learners?
d) Decide what language structures, vocabulary, functions, content the input
contains. Which of these would be useful for the task, i.e. what aspects of
language and content can be usefully focused on in the exercises?
e) Think of some exercises and activities to practice the items you have
identified.
f) Go back to the input.
g) Go through stages 1- 6 again with the revised input.
h) Check the new materials again at the syllabus and amend accordingly.
i) Try the materials in the classroom.
j) Most importantly, revise the materials in the fight of classroom use. There
is no such thing as perfect materials. They can always be improved.

20. Conclusion
There are some conclusion that we can conclude from the
materials about materials evaluation :
 We observed the materials evaluation as one way of
exploiting a course design.
 The evaluation process should be systematic
 The evaluation process is best seen as a matching
exercise: matching your analyzed needs with available
solutions
 It can save a lot of duplication of effort by possibly
revealing materials that can provide all or part of your
materials needs.