"Choose the best alternative in each case": A Task Analysis of Two EFL Textbooks Used in Swedish Upper Secondary School

Abstract

Textbooks are widely used in education and they often claim to include certain content or to adopt specific approaches. In the Swedish context, EFL textbooks often claim to be designed based on the English syllabi and to cover their content. However, no centralised quality control exists today in Sweden and teachers report that they lack time to evaluate textbooks. For this reason, the tasks of two EFL textbooks are analysed in the present study in an attempt to answer the following questions: (1) what task features are represented in the textbooks, (2) what is the frequencies and percentages of different task features, (3) do the contents of the textbooks cover the content in the English 5 syllabus, and (4) do the contents of the textbooks cover their claims of what they should include? The task analysis is done by using Littlejohn’s (2011) framework in which the materials are first divided into tasks and then recorded in a task analysis sheet. The frequencies and percentages of the different task features are then calculated. The results show a mismatch between the claims made by publishers and producers of textbooks and the textbooks’ tasks since they primarily involve learners working individually with written language while tasks involving spoken language and communication are very limited. This suggests that a critical and selective approach towards the use of EFL textbooks should be taken.