Skip to main content

Materials Adaptation in Ghana: Teachers’ Attitudes and Practices

  • Chapter
International Perspectives on Materials in ELT

Part of the book series: International Perspectives on English Language Teaching ((INPELT))

Abstract

Adapting teaching materials is about effecting changes to make them suitable for learners and their needs. Indeed, textbooks are not merely artefacts, and teachers have a fundamental role to play as ‘mediators’ (McGrath, 2002: 20) between the books and learners. This implies that teachers will almost inevitably adapt the materials they use in class. While a number of writers have focused on reasons why teachers need to adapt and how this might be achieved (see, for example, Cunningsworth, 1995; Maley, 1998; McDonough and Shaw, 2003), little attention has been paid to how teachers actually adapt materials, their underlying rationale and, above all, their attitudes towards adaptation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Akagre, J. (2006). Effective Teaching and Learning of English in Ghana. Available at http://www.ghananewsagency.org/details/Features/Effective-Teaching-and-Learning-of-English-in-Ghana/?ci=10&ai=1853 [Accessed 20/8/2011].

  • Block, D. (1991). Some thoughts on DIY materials design. ELT Journal, 45(3): 211–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canniveng, C. and Martinez, M. (2003). Materials development and teacher training. In Tomlinson, B. (ed.), Developing Materials for Language Teaching. London: Continuum, pp. 479–487.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cunningsworth, A. (1995). Choosing your Coursebook. Oxford: Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edge, J. and Garton, S. (2009). From Experience to Knowledge in ELT. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray, J. (2000). The ELT coursebook as cultural artefact: how teachers censor and adapt. ELT Journal, 54(3): 274–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Humphries, S. C. (2011). Exploring the Impact of the Introduction of New EFL Textbooks on Teachers’ Practices and Attitudes at a Technical College in Japan. Sydney: Macquarie University (Unpublished doctoral dissertation).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hutchinson, T. and Torres, E. (1994). The textbook as agent of change. ELT Journal, 48(4): 315–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jolly, D. and Bolitho, R. (1998). A framework for materials writing. In Tomlinson, B. (ed), Materials Development in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 90–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Littlejohn, A. L. (1992). Why are ELT Materials the Way They Are? PhD Thesis: Lancaster University. Available at http://www.andrewlittlejohn.net [Accessed 10/8/2011].

  • Maley, A. (1998). Squaring the circle — reconciling materials as constraints with materials as empowerment. In Tomlinson, B. (ed), Materials Development in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 279–294.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonough, J. and Shaw, C. (2003). Materials and Methods in ELT a Teacher’s Guide, 2nd Edition. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGrath, I. (2002). Materials Evaluation and Design for Language Teaching. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGrath, I. (2006). Teachers’ and learners’ images for coursebooks. ELT Journal, 60(2): 171–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meddings, L. and Thornbury, S. (2009). Teaching Unplugged: Dogme in English Language Teaching. Peaslake: Delta Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milambiling, J. (2001). More than talk: a proposal for TESOL teacher education. TESOL Journal, 10(4): 3–4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moulton, J. (1997). How do teachers use textbooks? a review of the research literature. Academy forEducational Development. Washington DC: SD Publication Series: Technical Paper No. 74, 1–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Opoku-Amankwa, K. (2010). What happens to textbooks in the classroom? Pupils’ access to literacy in an urban primary school in Ghana. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 18(2): 159–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Opoku-Amankwa, K., Brew-Hammond, A. and Elsbend Kogigah, F. (2011). What is in a textbook? Investigating the language and literacy learning principles of the ‘Gateway to English’ Textbook Series. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 19(2): 291–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richards, J. C. (1993). Beyond the textbook: the role of commercial materials in language teaching. Perspectives, 5(1): 43–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ur, P. (1996). A Course in Language Teaching: Practice and Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Copyright information

© 2014 Esther G. Bosompem

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Bosompem, E.G. (2014). Materials Adaptation in Ghana: Teachers’ Attitudes and Practices. In: Garton, S., Graves, K. (eds) International Perspectives on Materials in ELT. International Perspectives on English Language Teaching. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137023315_7

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics