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The International Journal of
Pedagogy and Curriculum
Thelearner.Com
VOLUME 20 ISSUE 4
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Pre-service Teachers’ Reflection on the Use of Self-developed English Language Teaching Materials for English as a Second Language StudentsNORIAH ISMAIL, INTAN SAFINAS MOHD ARIFF ALBAKRI, NORMAH ISMAIL, AND SUPYAN HUSSIN
THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PEDAGOGY AND CURRICULUM www.thelearner.com
First published in 2014 in Champaign, Illinois, USA by Common Ground Publishing LLC www.commongroundpublishing.com
ISSN: 2327-7963
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The International Journal of Pedagogy and Curriculum is peer-reviewed, supported by rigorous processes of criterion- referenced article ranking and qualitative commentary, ensuring that only intellectual work of the greatest substance and highest significance is published.
The International Journal of Pedagogy and Curriculum
Volume 20, 2014, www.thelearner.com, ISSN 2327-7963
© Common Ground, Noriah Ismail, Intan Safinas Mohd Ariff Albakri, Normah Ismail,
Supyan Hussin, All Rights Reserved, Permissions: [email protected]
Pre-service Teachers’ Reflection on the Use of
Self-developed English Language Teaching
Materials for English as a Second Language
Students
Noriah Ismail, Universiti Teknologi MARA—Johor, Malaysia
Intan Safinas Mohd Ariff Albakri, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Malaysia
Normah Ismail, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
Supyan Hussin, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia
Abstract: This case study presents the reflection and perceptions of twelve pre-service ESL teachers from Universiti
Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) on the use of self-developed ELT resources and materials for language classrooms
courses in real classroom environments. This study explores the pre-service teachers’ cognition, which is defined as an
integrated system of beliefs, assumptions, and knowledge (BAK) to discover whether their teaching experiences altered
their conceptions about the two different sets of ELT materials they developed (the theme-based and the ordinary/non-
theme based) and used for Form One secondary school students based on their retrospective reflections and comments
after the implementation of the materials in the classroom context. The findings indicate that the pre-service ESL
teachers perceived the importance of the use of theme-based, authentic, familiar/suitable (Malaysian) contexts in
developing effective teaching material. They also reflected on the significance of the use of the integrated approach and
cooperative learning activities in planning their lessons as well as the need to consider the learners’ interest towards the
materials used.
Keywords: Theme-based Teaching Materials, ESL, ELT, Teacher Cognition, BAK
Introduction
eachers’ beliefs and perceptions are the key core concepts that underlie teachers’
cognition about teaching and learning. Pajares (1992) made a significant contribution to
the theoretical understanding of the concept of teachers’ beliefs. In his review of the
literature on teachers’ beliefs he argued that research has shown that beliefs underlie teachers’
perceptions, judgments as well as classroom behaviours. However, Pajares stated that defining
teachers’ beliefs is complex because the term itself is too broad. Borg (2003:23) defines teachers’
beliefs as “an individual’s judgment that can only be inferred from a collective understanding of
what human beings say, intend, and do”.
Several studies on teachers’ beliefs in the field of teacher cognition, however, have focused
on distinguishing the complex difference between knowledge and beliefs. Shavelson and Stern
(1981) for instance, argued that teachers resorted to the beliefs they held about teaching and
learning when making decisions if they have no knowledge about a particular topic. While
Nisbett and Ross (1980) and Clarks and Peterson (1986) described knowledge as referring to
‘schematic cognitive structure’ and beliefs as ‘propositions of the characteristics of the objects’.
Despite the distinction given between knowledge and beliefs, many researchers in the field
of teacher cognition have focused on the blurred distinction between both phenomena. One of the
clearest ways of showing the complexity in distinguishing beliefs and knowledge is the usage of
various terms that have been introduced in the field of teacher cognition to represent the two
concepts. Among the terms used are ‘conceptions’ (Freeman & Richards, 1996) and
‘preconceptions’ (Wubbels, 1992). Leinhardt (1988) presented the concept of ‘situated
knowledge’ and ‘context-free knowledge’. Calderhead (1987) used the terms ‘practical
knowledge’ and ‘academic subject matter’ or ‘formal theoretical knowledge’. Clandinin and
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Connelly (1987) on the other hand, used the term ‘images’ to refer to teachers’ firmly held
beliefs about the ‘right’ ways to teach. Based on the plethora of terms used and the subtle
differences presented between knowledge and beliefs, many researchers argued that the
distinction between the two concepts is blurry.
A key researcher on teacher beliefs in the field of English as a Second Language (ESL)
teaching, Freeman (2002) argued that the concept of teacher beliefs, knowledge and assumptions
about teaching and learning is an integrated concept. He described how an analysis of the
teachers’ comments about their instructional decision-making made him see that the distinction
between a teacher’s belief system and background knowledge structure can be blurred as they
may overlap with one another. Hence, he proposed the concept called BAK (beliefs, assumptions
and knowledge) network that represents the concept of beliefs, assumptions and knowledge as
areas that are intertwined with one another and may not appear as distinct phenomena but refer to
a concept that emerges from a spectrum whereby at one end there is ‘knowledge’ and the other
end ‘beliefs’. One of the teachers’ beliefs is the challenge to prepare or provide the teaching
materials.
Materials in English Language Teaching
Materials development in the area of ELT despite its major role in relation to teaching and
learning has received little attention as compared to attention given to learner variables and
needs, techniques and methods, approaches and materials (Kasper, 2000; Noriah Ismail 2002;
Tomlinson, 2003). The lack of exploration related to materials development in the literature on
second language teaching and learning requires some attention as materials is one of the crucial
components in enhancing teaching and learning (Noriah Ismail, Suhaidi Elias@ Alias & Intan
Safinas Mohd Ariff Albakri, 2006). As related by Tomlinson (1998), “materials development
refers to anything which is done by writers, teachers or learners to provide sources of language
input and to exploit those sources in ways which maximize the likelihood of intake: in other
words the supplying of information about and/or experience of the language in ways designed to
promote learning” (p. 2).
As educators, teachers must be equipped with the knowledge on materials development as
they would have to produce their own materials for classroom use. Despite the diverse number of
commercial teaching materials available, not all materials are suitable for particular target
students (Noriah Ismail, Suhaidi Elias, Intan Safinas Mohd Ariff Albakri, P. Dhayapari Perumal
& Indrani Muthusamy, 2010). Hence, teachers would have to use their knowledge on developing,
producing and adapting materials to cater for their students’ needs (Noriah Ismail &Intan Safinas
Mohd Ariff Albakri, 2012). As mentioned by Howard and Major (2011), many teachers spend a
considerable amount of their time designing, evaluating and adapting materials to be used in
enhancing their teaching.
Related research in the area of materials development has highlighted several reasons why
teachers decide to produce their own materials. One of the key reasons is contextualization. A
number of commercially produced ELT materials are foreign to students as they were not
designed for any specific group of students. Imported materials may contain elements, either
culturally or socially, that may not be suitable for local students. Hence, the content may not be
meaningful to particular students and they may find it difficult to relate to these materials (Altan,
1995; Noriah Ismail, Saadiyah Darus & Supyan Hussin, 2012a).
Apart from that, many teachers find commercially produced resources costly hence; they
resort to designing their own materials. Moreover, when designing their own materials, teachers
are able to incorporate elements that are close to the learners’ culture and interest and match their
language proficiency level (Thomas and Collier, 1997; Noriah Ismail, Supyan Hussin &
Saadiyah Darus, 2012b). It is very crucial that embedding local materials in the contents will
provide local taste, and hence, activate students’ schema or world background knowledge. The
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learning becomes more meaningful when students could relate what they are learning with their
existing knowledge and cognitive ability. This addresses the area whereby materials should try to
meet learners’ individual needs. In fact, Block (1991) argued that teachers who produced their
own materials are able to tap on learners’ areas of interest and their learning styles making their
materials more stimulating and engaging to the students. Podromou (2002) supports Block’s
view that when teachers develop their own materials they made room for more creativity and
spontaneity in materials development for teaching.
Despite the advantages of teacher-designed materials related literature has highlighted some
disadvantages of materials designed by teachers. Among the issues brought up is the quality of
the materials. Teacher developed materials may not meet the principles in materials development
whereby the materials produced are illegible, poorly organized and contain errors (Harmer, 2001;
Noriah Ismail, Supyan Hussin & Saadiyah Darus, 2012c). Howard and Major (2011) further
argued that inexperienced teachers may produce materials that are poorly organized and lack
coherence. Or they may choose texts that are inappropriate or unsuitable for the students. Hence,
these teachers need to be guided on designing and choosing materials to use in their classrooms
(Noriah Ismail, Intan Safinas Mohd Ariff Albakri & Suhaidi Elias @ Alias, 2013).
Clearly, producing their own teaching materials should be encouraged among future teachers
as teaching materials is one of the key elements that control teaching and learning (Allwright,
1990). However, these teachers must be equipped with the knowledge of materials development,
adaptation and evaluation for them to be able to produce effective teaching materials.
The Use of Theme-based ELT Materials for ESL Students
ESL teachers often face students who are not motivated to learn the language. The students are
reluctant to participate in class and sadly, they continue to struggle even with simple language
tasks. They are not stimulated to learn because for them, there is no connection with what they
learn in their English class and their lives outside the classroom.
One way to respond to this challenge is to motivate ESL learners by teaching language skills
through topics. Listening, speaking, reading and writing are taught through content activities and
are developed as the need for them merges from the content. The language skills become
meaningful when students perceive that these skills are needed and useful in order to accomplish
a communicative or academic task. Chamot (1997) gives four reasons for incorporating such an
approach in the ESL class:
Students develop important knowledge in all subject areas. This provides a
foundation for their content-area class.
Students learn the language functions and skills needed for success in content areas.
Students exhibit greater motivation when learning content than when they are
learning language only.
Students learn learning strategies necessary for success in content subjects
Theme-based approach would begin with a subject that is relevant or interesting to students.
This underlying principle gives another reason in favor of using themes in the language class.
Cummins (1981) says we learn by integrating new inputs into our existing cognitive structures.
When teachers integrate content in their language lesson, they are activating the students’
experience and prior knowledge. This will not only offer the students language practice, but also
the opportunity to apply their understanding of the concepts and processes they learnt in their
content area classes. This opportunity also encourages students whose language proficiency is
weak to participate in their language class because they can demonstrate their understanding of
the content materials (Noriah Ismail, Suhaidi Elias @ Alias, Indrani Muthusamy & P.Dhayapari
Perumal, 2014).
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Teacher Cognition in Language Teaching
The area of teacher cognition has gained considerable interest from scholars in general education
since 1970s (Borg, 2010; Freeman, 2002; Kagan, 1992; Clarks & Peterson, 1986). Scholars’
interest in the area has been inspired by the desire to develop a fuller understanding of the
teaching process through investigating teachers’ decision-making related to teaching and learning
and their pedagogical knowledge or constructs.
The notion of “teachers’ construct’ is defined as teachers’ knowledge about the teaching act
that influenced teachers’ classroom behaviour and practice (Shulman, 1986; Noriah Ismail,
Deepak Singh Ratan Singh &Rafiaah Abu, 2013). The predominant assumption made by
researchers of teacher cognition is that what teachers do in class is accompanied by some
cognitive forms (Clark &Peterson, 1986; Calderhead, 1987; Freeman, 2002). These cognitive
forms are shaped by attitudes, beliefs, values, knowledge and they accumulated throughout their
experience as a student, during pre-service and in-service training (Clark & Peterson, 1986;
Calderhead, 1987; Shulman, 1987; Gatbonton, 2000; Borg, 2003).
Early studies on teacher cognition focused on a process-product model that observed
teaching in relation to learning outcomes. The paradigm was shifted to more hermeneutic
methods with qualitative results of how teachers’ acts were results of their way of thinking.
However, the 80s and the 90s brought about the most fundamental shift in studies of teacher
cognition when the findings demonstrated profound insights into the functions and nature of
teachers’ cognitive lives. These studies have developed understanding of concepts such as
teachers’ decision-making, perceptions, behaviour and beliefs, and pedagogical knowledge. For
instance, Shulman’s (1987) concept of pedagogical knowledge has influenced theoretical
discussion of teaching and learning. Shulman argued that experienced teachers have different
forms of knowledge. Experienced teachers showed distinct characteristics than novice teachers in
“content knowledge, general pedagogic knowledge, curriculum knowledge, knowledge of
learners and their characteristics, knowledge of educational contexts, and knowledge of
educational ends, purposes and values” (Mullock, 2006: 2). Further literature was generated in
the area of teacher cognition to better understand teachers’ pedagogical knowledge, beliefs and
assumptions that influenced their planning and classroom decision-making.
Following the lead of researchers in general education teachers’ cognition, a number of
studies in language teacher cognition has been conducted to investigate ESL teachers’
knowledge, beliefs and assumptions (Richards and Nunan, 1990; Breen, 1991; Freeman &
Richards, 1996; Johnson, 1996; Woods, 1996; Richards, 1998; Borg, 2003;). However, the term
cognition has been defined differently in the language teaching context such as “teachers’
beliefs” (Burns, 1996), “conceptions of teaching” (Freeman & Richards, 1993), “beliefs,
assumptions and knowledge” (Woods, 1996), “teachers’ pedagogical systems” (Borg, 1999) and
“teacher knowledge” (Freeman, 2002).
In fact, Borg (2003) reported that sixteen such terms representing the notion of teacher
cognition have been generated in the related literature. Despite the various terms, the focus of
research has always been on the content and basis of ESL teachers’ notion of teaching that relate
to the question of what teachers know, how they gain the knowledge, and how they draw it form
their knowledge (Freeman & Richards, 1996: Woods, 1996: James, 2001: Freeman, 2001: Borg,
2003). Similar focus applies to this particular research.
A number of studies reported that teachers’ prior language learning experience leaves
powerful imprints on teachers’ way of thinking in language teaching (Lortie, 1975; Almarza,
1996; Bailey et.al, 1996; Numrich, 1996; Golombek, 1998; Peacock, 2001; Noriah Ismail, 2011).
However, scholars in language teacher education have argued against the notion that teachers’
experience can be described exclusively in personal terms. Such studies require identification of
which teachers’ experiences have shaped teachers’ professional knowledge, beliefs and practices
(Freeman, 1992; Almarza, 1996; Binnie-Smith, 1996; Golombek, 1998; Freeman, 2002). The
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work of Wallace (1991) is a useful reference in this argument. Wallace (1991) divides teachers’
experiences into two categories; “received knowledge” that derives from traditional academic
foundations and “experiential knowledge” that describes teachers’ classroom experience gathered
through their personal teaching experience. Hence, the two categories demonstrate specific
understanding of the sources of teachers’ knowledge. However, very few studies indicated that
some L2 teachers reflect on their L2 learning experience in planning their teaching acts
(Almarza, 1996, Bailey et al. 1996).
In the field of teacher education, despite some debates that there are variations on the impact
across studies and participants in the studies, several empirical studies suggest that it has a
significant influence on teachers’ cognition (Almarza 1996; Dunkin, 1996; Richards. et. al, 1996;
Senden & Roberts, 1998). Nonetheless, Borg (2003) pointed out that cognitive modification due
to teacher education does not confirm behavioral transformation and vice versa.
The recent developments in theorizing teacher cognition provide a useful framework for
gaining insights into the cognitive processes influencing teachers’ decision making particularly in
terms of pedagogical decisions and instructional materials to use in class. Although the research
in the area of teacher cognition has shown a steady growth in the past ten years few studies
focuses on the perceptions and beliefs of effective teachers which seek to gain insights and
understanding of the teaching process, their role as decision-makers and their pedagogical
content knowledge which influences their choice of the ELT materials being used in the
classrooms (Halkes & Olsen, 1990; Gatbonton, 2000; Mullock, 2006).
Purpose of the Study
This case study explores the reflection and perceptions of twelve pre-service ESL teachers from
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) on the use of self-developed ELT resources and
materials for language classrooms courses in real classroom environments. This study also looks
into the pre-service teachers’ cognition, which is defined as an integrated system of beliefs,
assumptions, and knowledge (BAK) to discover whether their teaching experiences altered their
conceptions about the two different sets of ELT materials they developed (the theme-based and
the ordinary/non-theme based) and used for Form One secondary school students based on their
retrospective reflections and comments after the implementation of the materials in the classroom
context. The non-theme-based materials, on the other hand, are created without any specific
focus in each unit. The theme-based materials and lesson plans in this study were adapted from
‘The Dynamic ESL Resource Book’ by Noriah Ismail, Normah Ismail &Intan Safinas Mohd
Ariff Albakri (2009) – the reference book for the course. The non-theme-based materials were
adapted from other resources such as ‘Teaching English Language Learners by Teresa Walter
(2004) and ‘The Internet Café.com’. They were required to relate what they have learnt in their
materials development course with the real life classroom teaching experience particularly the
use of the theme-based versus non-theme based materials, the Malaysian culture as well as moral
values in their teaching materials.
Methodology
This study adopted a qualitative study approach to explore the pre-service teachers’ reflection on
the implementation of their developed materials in real classroom situations (Yin, 2003;
Sarantakos, 2005). The data were collected by getting the teachers to reflect on the lessons and
comment on the utilization of the self-developed teaching materials that they used in their
assigned classroom. This is to gather information on certain aspects related to the materials that
they think were significant and needed to be highlighted.
Twelve Malay pre-service (student) teachers who were taking a course in ‘Materials
Development for the Language Classroom’ course at UPSI volunteered to participate in this
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study. One of the requirements of the course is to get the pre-service teachers to develop two
different sets of teaching materials (theme-based and non theme-based) and two-double-period
lesson plans to teach English proficiency lessons based on the syllabus for a Form 1 class. The
pre-service teachers were required to integrate the four language skills in their lessons namely
listening, speaking, reading and writing. The duration of each period is 40 minutes. The pre-
service teachers were asked to work in groups, as was required by the course, with each group
(Group 1, 2 and 3) consisting four teachers. Each group needs to carry out their lessons to a
selected ESL class consisting of about 40 Form 1 students (aged 13 years old) at the chosen
secondary school in Malaysia.
During the lessons the pre-service teachers were asked to utilize all the materials they have
developed. The double-period lessons were then carried out and the lessons were video-taped.
This is to enable the participants to view the recording during the stimulated recall procedure,
after the lessons have been conducted, when they write their reflection paper. In addition to the
reflection paper, a stimulated recall interview session was conducted in order to get the teachers
to explain what they were thinking during particular parts of the lessons when they utilized their
self-developed materials. As the pre-service teachers were asked to work in groups, the
stimulated recall interview was also conducted in their respective groups. The interview was
carried out with each group immediately after they have completed their lessons in order to
ensure that the research participants were able to recall better what happened during the teaching
and learning process as suggested by Mackey and Gass (2000). The data from the interview were
transcribed, reduced, organized and displayed. The data were analyzed qualitatively by
categorizing the subjects’ retrospective comments into categories and themes and finally,
conclusions were made.
Findings and Discussion
Perceptions of Learners’ Reaction
All three groups (1, 2 & 3) of pre-service teachers reported that they had pre-conceived ideas that
the students would react positively to both types (theme-based and non theme-based) of materials
used. However, after the treatment, all the groups discovered that the students did not respond
well towards the non theme-based materials. Group 1 for instance reported that the students
preferred the theme-based materials compared to the non theme-based because it was easier for
them to relate to the materials that center around one theme such as ‘education’, ‘money matters’
and ‘pollution’. The following are some of the (unedited) excerpts from the interviews:
Using theme-based materials is indeed effective in helping the students learn
English. Categorizing the lesson plans into particular themes or topics lets the
students see for themselves how English is used in every day context. The
probability of the themes/topics chosen being an interest of the students is high
because each of them is within the phase of evolving themselves socially and
social issues, for example, could certainly attract their attention better than
those lessons without any categories/themes. Use their interest to teach; leads to
better attention at learning. (Group/G. 1)
Yes, this is because with such categorization, it helps our students to be more
focused in language learning where they would be able to comprehend the
lessons conducted by certain themes. This would be a especially good for
students of intermediate and lower level of proficiency because they could make
better sense of vocabularies or activities conducted. (G.2)
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It is more effective to apply and use theme-based materials for our students to
learn English. This is because focusing on specific themes makes it easier for
them to understand the lessons and relate them with their previous knowledge.
Comparing it with the non-theme based lessons, we would be unsure of the
approaches that should be used to get our students’ attention and
understanding. Hence, the students will face difficulties in relating the new
knowledge with what they already know (G.3).
Moreover, the students viewed that the theme-based lesson plans help to assist pre-service
teachers in developing their students’ language skills with a focus on themes and content familiar
to Malaysian students. The activities also provide opportunities for practicing the different
language skills in an interesting way.
By using theme-based teaching materials we can choose what vocabularies to
teach according to topics and I could help the students comprehend the contents
easier. Besides that, for production skills like writing and speaking, students will
be able to produce better because the issues to be touched are narrowed down
according to themes. This will eventually curb students from spending too much
time figuring out what to write or speak about. Hence, generates more ideas
from them (G.2).
The theme-based lesson plans help us in developing our students’ language
skills with a focus on themes and content familiar to Malaysian students because
the students will be able to relate their basic or general knowledge with the
topic being learnt and it will help them in sharing their ideas and knowledge to
the other students in class. This will also build the students’ confidence in trying
to speak out and listen to other students’ ideas. Besides that, they learn more
when they share their knowledge instead of just relying on their teacher for
information. This definitely helps the teacher in the teaching process (G.3).
Presentation and Use of the Self-Developed Materials
After utilizing their self-developed materials, the pre-service teachers realized that some
materials need to be improvised. Group 1 reported that the non-theme-based lesson plan they
prepared was too dull and confusing to the students. This made it difficult for the students to
participate actively. For instance, for group 2, they found the song they used for their non-theme
based lesson contained a number of unfamiliar words and the content of the song lacks specific
focus hence; the students found it hard to follow the song and enjoy it. Clearly from the
reflection, the pre-service teachers realized the importance of standardizing their lesson with a
central theme in designing materials to enhance the process of teaching and learning.
Yes, we found that the song we used lacks focus and is confusing for the
students. Now we realized that having a theme provides guidance for the
process of teaching and learning, especially for the intermediate to low level
students. Once we have a clear focus on what to teach, we could easily deliver
our lesson. Even if we have to modify from the lesson due to unexpected
problems, we would know how to relate back to the central theme and eventually
to the materials designed (G.2).
Using materials from certain sources is a good way of developing knowledge in
preparing aids for lesson plans. However, there is always a need to improvise
and modify the materials according to our teaching style, our students’ needs,
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interest and level. Sometimes, the materials suggested from certain sources are
inappropriate or not suitable for some students in some areas of the countries.
This depends on the students’ level of acceptance, surrounding, environment
and culture. The most important thing is that we must know how to improvise
and modify the materials based on the situation we face (G.3).
In addition, the pre-service teachers mentioned that the use of authentic texts, both fiction and
non-fiction, are the most reliable and consistent source of English language input ESL students
can have.By using such texts, teachers can help students develop the vocabulary, structures and
background knowledge they need in order to comprehend the language especially in their content
area classroom.
Yes, the use of authentic texts, both fiction and non-fiction, is the most reliable
and consistent source of English language input our students can have
especially when it comes to reading skills. This is because the level of language
difficulty is slightly greater in authentic texts than inauthentic texts. Hence, this
would be a good practice for students, providing that teachers know how to
cater difficulty level to students’ proficiency level. Besides that, in reading skills,
our students may apply their ability to skim and scan texts for important points
or the gist of the texts, find meanings according to context and so on (G.1).
To say that they are the most reliable and consistent would be too overstating,
because not all of our students are capable to comprehend such texts. However,
we found that they are indeed better at providing the important input of the
language to the students when they are used in the correct way (G.2).
The materials developed also carry characteristics which reflect evidence that the pre-service
teachers applied the knowledge they gained in the course on Materials for ESL teaching.
However, their retrospective comments after utilizing the materials clearly showed that they have
formed a set of beliefs on ELT materials particularly on the types of materials they would like to
develop and the presentation of the materials. Significantly, after using the materials in a real
classroom situation, they came to realize that contextual factors of the classroom like the
students’ level of proficiency, students’ preferred learning strategies, students’ interest and their
involvement in the activities also play a crucial role when developing materials. This is a good
outcome of the reflection on the implementation of their self-developed materials because they
were able to see clearly the close relationship between instructional materials and the target
learners. The findings thus suggest that the experience altered their conceptions about ELT
materials and its implementation in the classroom.
We feel that contextual factors of the classroom do play an important role in the
development of materials. As teacher we need to provide examples. For
instance, the language used in writing. This could help students with low
proficiency. Examples of materials could even be provided or placed in front of
the classroom so as to let the students see how they were developed (G.1).
We feel that the contextual factors of the classroom really play a crucial role
when developing materials. For instance, after we knew our students’ level of
proficiency, it was easier for us to look for the materials that suit their level of
learning language. Also when we know the students’ preferred learning
strategies, we could adapt the way of teaching with the students’ preferred way
so that it is well-accepted by the students. Besides that, we discovered our
students’ interest and their involvement in the activities also affect the way we
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need to develop the materials. So we have to use materials that could catch the
students’ interest and suitable for their age (G.2).
Yes, contextual factors of the classroom play a crucial role when developing
materials like the students’ level of proficiency, students’ preferred learning
strategies, students’ interest and their involvement in the activities. This is
because learning should never be autocratic. Students should also be given
choices. An effective classroom personally for me is the one that motivates
students to voluntarily participate and the one that teacher too enjoys teaching.
Hence, it is pertinent to consider students’ contextual factors (G.3).
Besides that, getting the pre-service teachers to implement their self-developed materials has
clearly benefited them in terms of their views and understanding about the authenticity of
materials to promote meaningful learning for their students. Based on the pre-service teachers’
responses, they were able to identify the importance of authenticity in the materials being
developed in getting their target learners to be able to relate to the content of the materials they
provide.
Authentic texts are one of the sources that help in learning English for ESL
students. Teachers can just use the prescribed textbooks. However, many
students may find them too boring. We found that the most favored source of
English language input for students are authentic texts since they are often more
interesting and students related better towards them. (G.1)
It is important to use self-developed authentic texts. The reason lies in the fact
that the materials are purposely developed to portray what we want to convey in
my lesson. Self-developed authentic materials could provide the students a sense
of “reality”. We could use examples in real life, ones that are related to my
students. If we develop a text, we can use the names of my students, for instance.
Hence, we need to develop the right materials in order to suit the objectives and
the students’ level (G.2).
When developing our teaching materials, we use authentic self-developed
materials because we found that they managed to get our students to become
more excited to know what the lesson will be about when they see the materials.
This is because the variety of materials built enhances students’ motivation and
curbs their boredom of traditional materials such as books, articles etc. (G.3)
The pre-service teachers also developed their knowledge about material evaluation when
they evaluated their own materials based on the students’ response. They were also able to see
how they can adapt the materials they produced to meet the learners’ needs. Clearly, the
knowledge and experience have given them a more comprehensive view on materials
development, materials evaluation, materials adaptation and second language teaching and
learning.
We were able to develop our knowledge about material evaluation when we got
the chance to evaluate our own materials based on our students’ responses. For
instance, when the students seemed excited and smiled when we presented the
materials to them, it showed that they liked them. Their facial expressions are
the most vital feedback to be aware of. From that, we can conclude that to
develop materials, we have to consider how the students would perceive them;
the suitability of materials to the students’ level etc. (G.1)
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The comments given by the students were taken positively and it encouraged us
to do better in developing the materials for the next lesson. Their ideas were
also used to make better teaching materials. It teaches us in adapting the
suitable materials for future lessons and which helps a lot in second language
teaching and learning (G.2)
Yes. By doing reflection after each application of materials in class, we
managed to decide about the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of materials used
by looking at certain aspects which include students’ participation and
performance in class. Not only that, to do so, we discovered a number of
techniques of evaluating materials through reading. After the reflection is done,
we were able to plan for a better lesson. (G.3)
Using an Integrated Approach
The pre-service teachers realized that in order for students to begin to understand new materials,
it is important that they learn how to apply the knowledge they gained from the lessons to other
subjects they are learning and also other situations in their lives. By reusing theme-based
materials and texts in a variety of activities, the pre-service teachers can provide the basis for
students to master both language and concepts, and thus making it increasingly easier for
students to express their ideas on the topics.
The students would be aware of how the language is used in certain situations.
Apart from making the students be aware of how individuals would react in
some situations, the materials and texts help them to realize how individuals
voice/present their reaction/responses in those situations. The W-H questions
could be used to relate those situation/themes to the language taught (G.2).
By reusing theme-based materials and texts in a variety of activities students are
guided to strengthen their former understanding about concepts and content of
the language (G.3).
Using Cooperative Learning
The pre-service teachers also noted that it is important to apply cooperative learning activities in
their lesson plans and language learning activities in order give students the opportunities to
work in groups and to share what they know. This helps students build strong peer relationships
through peer teaching and tutoring as well as takes the focus off of the specific language being
practiced and onto the completion of a learning task together (Crandall, 1994).
It is important to apply cooperative learning activities in our lesson plans and
language learning activities so that the students will practice cooperative skills
while learning language and doing many activities. The activities done will also
be more affective when the students learn to cooperate since they tend to discuss
and share ideas and thoughts in doing the activities and to achieve the
objectives of the lesson (G.1).
Teachers can also take advantage of the low-anxiety environment created in cooperative
learning to encourage shy or weak students to participate in language and skills development
activities. This cooperation includes face-to-face interaction with peers, positive interdependence
among group members, and the use of specific language to accomplish a task (Kagan, 1986).
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Activities that incorporate these characteristics give learners increased opportunities to both
practice language and clarify understanding of content-area topics.
Yes, we found that it is important to apply cooperative learning activities in your
lesson plans and language learning activities. This is because the students could
cooperate with one another; they would not be too shy to interact with
classmates. They would eventually sense that the classroom environment is
friendly and fun for them to be in (G.1).
Cooperative learning is a sure approach in classes of intermediate and
advanced proficiency level. We discovered that students could generate more
ideas and this also helps to strengthen their speaking skills for they have to
communicate with their group members or partners in order to complete tasks
assigned to them (G.3).
Using the Malaysian Culture
The Malaysian society is multicultural. Therefore, there are many opportunities for teachers in
the language class to teach respect of different cultures and religions, thus promoting unity in the
nation as well as acknowledging interdependence among people. By using interesting cultural
topics, the pre-service teachers reflected that they could help the students to use the language to
understand and appreciate each other’s different backgrounds.
Using the Malaysian culture in our self-developed materials helps our students
relate to the lessons better. The students would have a better understanding of
the topics hence enhances their participation and excitement in the lessons
learnt. (G.2)
Providing interesting cultural topics based on Malaysian culture as well as
language activities which provide meaningful moral lessons benefit the students
because students would have a greater sense of belonging to the topics and they
were less hesitant to participate (G.3).
Using Moral Values
The moral values integrated in the theme-based lesson plans are not only universal but are also
based on our Malaysian cultures. The situations and contexts used in the language activities offer
meaningful moral lessons, which our students can understand and relate to.
It is important to provide good moral values in the lesson plans and teaching
materials we developed for our students in order to inculcate positive attitude
and behavior in our students. The ‘Dynamic ESL Resource Book’ that we used
as the reference book uses interesting cultural topics based on Malaysian
culture as well as language activities which provide meaningful moral lessons.
They are indeed beneficial for the students because what better way to inculcate
and nurture their love and affection for the country than to use local/cultural
topics with good moral values (G.3).
Conclusion
Based on the findings above, it was clear that the pre-service teachers gained some invaluable
experience, knowledge and understanding in relation to materials development, evaluation and
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adaptation for language teaching. The evaluation of their self-developed materials; after
reflecting on the implementation of the materials, gave them some insights on how they can
improvise the materials. This study shows that improvisation or modification of the materials
could be done after reflecting and considering the reasons and benefits for doing so. The
decisions on how to modify and adapt the materials were done based on their reflection on their
students’ responses and performance as well as in relation to the principles related to effective
materials development.
The pre-service teachers feel that the use of the theme-based teaching materials help to assist
them in developing their students’ language skills with a focus on themes and content familiar to
Malaysian students. Hence, they feel that the use of the Dynamic ESL Resource book as a model
for developing their lesson plans helps them to develop good theme-based lesson and materials
which are preferred by the students. This finding concurs with Chamot (1997) who claims that by
organizing language lessons around interesting themes, teachers can help their students in a
number of ways. Teachers can help students to learn concepts and processes involved in subjects
like science, mathematics or life skills, thus providing a foundation for their content subjects.
Teachers can also strengthen the students’ abilities to practise language functions and skills
needed for success in the content area through a variety of language awareness activities. Apart
from this, students would be more motivated in the language class when they realize that they are
learning concepts and skills associated with business or the environment and that they are doing
“actual” school-work instead of learning English. Lastly, teachers would be able to help students
develop learning strategies for the purpose of acquiring new knowledge and skills in the content
subjects (Freeman, 2002; Noriah Ismail, Intan Safinas Mohd Ariff Albakri & Wan Zumusni Wan
Mustapha, 2014).
The pre-service teachers also became critical in their views about the presentation and
production of their materials. They realized the importance of adhering to the principles in
designing effective visual materials namely the use of authentic materials. They were able to
relate to the significant relationship of the presentation of the authentic materials and learners’
motivation to learn as one of the primary roles of utilizing materials in teaching. Furthermore,
aspects pertaining to learners’ interest and cooperation, the use of integrated approach as well as
the element of moral values being included in the materials being designed were seen as crucial
factors to in designing the best ELT materials. This is in line with the findings indicated in the
study conducted by Noriah Ismail &Intan Safinas Mohd Ariff Albakri (2012) which reported the
importance of the use of authentic, interesting learning materials to cater to ESL tertiary level
students’ writing needs (Noriah Ismail &Intan Safinas Mohd Ariff Albakri, 2012). Hence, as
mentioned by Howard and Major (2011), ESL teachers must spend a considerable amount of
their time to design, evaluate and adapt the right materials to be used in enhancing their teaching.
Moreover, the pre-service teachers were able to see the close connection between materials
and the contextual factors. Hence, these future ESL teachers developed their critical evaluation of
their own materials from their experience using the materials and they made and used in their
language classroom. Related research in the area of materials development has highlighted the
significance of contextualization (Altan, 1995; Gatbonton, 2000; Intan Safinas Mohd Arif
Albakri, et al. 2012). A number of commercially produced ELT materials are foreign to students
as they were not designed for any specific group of students. Hence, the content may not be
meaningful to particular students and they may find it difficult to relate to these materials (Altan,
1995; Noriah Ismail, Saadiyah Darus & Supyan Hussin, 2012a).
Overall, the study indicated that it is crucial to develop materials that could initiate the
students’ interest, cooperation and participation as the students would feel more motivated to
learn. Thus, ESL teachers must be aware that the materials developed for students must not only
meet the related principles to make them effective, they also have to meet learners’ ability to
comprehend as well as their interest in using them (Halkes& Olsen, 1990; Gatbonton, 2000;
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Mullock, 2006; Intan Safinas Mohd Arif Albakri, Noriah Ismail, Ainon Omar, Raja Nor Safinas
Raja Harun & Nor Haniza Zainal Abidin, 2011).
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Noriah Ismail: Senior Lecturer, Academy of Language Studies, MARA University of
Technology, Segamat, Johor, Malaysia.
Intan Safinas Mohd Ariff Albakri: Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics,
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia.
Dr. Normah Ismail: Senior Lecturer, Academy of Language Studies, MARA University of
Technology, Segamat, Johor, Malaysia.
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Dr. Supyan Hussin: Associate Professor, School of Language Studies and Lingusitics, Faculty
of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia,
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The International Journal of Pedagogy and Curriculum is one of ten thematically focused journals in the collection of journals that support The Learner knowledge community—its journals, book series, conference and online community. The journal explores the processes of designing and implementing learning experiences and the dynamics of learning.
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ISSN: 2327-7963