Definition and principles

1. DEFINITION AND PRINCIPLES IN
MATERIALS EVALUATION
RAPORTER : Mercy Janiola and Jacque Rio Garcia

2. WHAT IS MATERIALS EVALUATION?
• Materials Evaluation is a procedure that involves
measuring the value (or potential value) of a set of
learning materials. It involves making judgements about
the effect of the materials on the people using them and
it tries to measure some or all of the following list
(Tomlinson, 2013).

3. •The appeal of the materials to the learners
•The credibility of the materials to learners, teachers and
administrators
•The validity of the materials
•The reliability of the materials
•The ability of the materials to interest the learners and the
teachers
•The ability of the materials to motivate the learners.
•The value of the materials in terms of short-term learning

4. • The value of the materials in terms of long-term learning
• The learners’ perceptions of the value of the materials
• The teachers’ perceptions of the value of the materials
• The assistance given to the teachers in terms of the
preparation, delivery and assessment
• The flexibility of the materials (e.g. the extent to which it is
easy for a teacher to adapt the materials to suit a particular
context)
• The contribution made by the materials to teacher
development
• The match with administrative requirements

5. EVALUATING AND ANALYZING,
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE??
•An evaluation focuses on the users of the
materials and makes judgements about
their effects.
•An analysis focuses on the materials and it
aims to provide an objective analysis of
them.

6. EXAMPLES OF ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
Question: Does it provide a transcript of the listening texts?
• Is an analysis question which can be answered by either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’
Questions: What does it ask the learners to do immediately after
reading the texts?
• Is an analysis question also and can be answered factually.
• As a result of answering many such questions, a description of the
materials can be made which specifies what the materials do and do not
contain.

7. EXAMPLE OF EVALUATION QUESTIONS
Question: Are the listening texts likely to
engage the learner?
Is an evaluation question and can be answered
on a cline between ‘Very likely’ or ‘Very unlikely’

8. PRINCIPLES IN MATERIALS EVALUATION
-TOMLINSON, 2013
• Materials should achieve impact.
• Materials should help learners to feel at ease.
• Materials should help the learners to develop confidence.
• What is being taught should be perceived by learners as
relevant and useful.
• Materials should require and facilitate learner self-
investment.
• Learners must be ready to acquire the points being taught
both in terms of linguistic, developmental readiness, and of
psychological readiness too.

9. • Materials should expose the learners to language in
authentic use.
• The learner’s attention should be drawn to linguistic
features of the input.
• Materials should provide the learners with
opportunities to use the target language to achieve
communicative purposes (in order to automatize
existing procedural knowledge, to check the
effectiveness of the existing hypotheses).

10. ACCORDING TO (TOMLINSON, 2013)
Materials should:
• Help the learner to develop cultural awareness and
sensitivity.
• Reflect the reality of language use.
• Help learners to learn in ways similar to the circumstances
in which they will have to use the language.
• Help to create readiness to learn.
• Achieve affective engagement.

11. ACCORDING TO (RICHARDS, 2001)
Materials should :
• Give learners something they can take away from the lesson.
• Teach something learners feel they can use.
• Give learners a sense of achievement.
• Practice learning items in an interesting and novel way.
• Provide a pleasurable learning experience.
• Provide opportunities for individual practice.
• Provide opportunities for personalization.
• Provide opportunities for self-assessment of learning.

12. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!