Evaluating The Effectiveness Of English Coursebook Speaking Activities For Developing Libyan Secondary School Learners’ Oral Fluency

This thesis presents the outcomes of two qualitative case studies which investigate the value and effectiveness of a coursebook according to the perceptions of two Libyan English language teachers and their learners. Specifically, it focuses on the speaking activities, and the extent to which the study participants perceive these to be effective in the development of oral fluency. It illuminates key aspects of the coursebook activities which aim to develop learners’ oral fluency with a focus on how they are actually taught.

A two-level approach (macro and micro) to data collection, including coursebook analysis using Littlejohn’s framework, individual interviews with the teachers, focus group interviews with learners and semi-structured classroom observation were used. In answering the research questions, the following themes are addressed: the coursebook’s design; classroom teaching to examine how the coursebook is used by both the teachers and their learners; and the teachers’ and learners’ perceptions of the coursebook’s speaking activities as they relate to the promotion of oral fluency.

The findings of the analysis reveal that some coursebook activities can play a role in encouraging oral fluency. However, the classroom observation revealed that the teachers tend to focus more on developing learners’ general oral proficiency, rather than oral fluency. While the teacher interviews demonstrate a high level of confidence regarding the teaching of oral fluency, the analysis indicated that the teachers’ knowledge of oral fluency, and by extension, the kinds of classroom activities that can promote oral fluency, were limited.

The research study contributes to the literature on developing oral fluency by examining under-researched aspects of coursebook design, which in turn offered a focus on the coursebook activities in use (through the observation of the teachers and learners) and their perspectives on it (through the interviews). There are only a few studies that evaluate coursebook materials by their end-users.