The Impact of Textbooks in Use for English as a Foreign Language Learners in Beninese Educational System

Abstract

The fundamental objective of the current study is to examine the impact of textbooks tied down for English as a foreign language student in Beninese instructive structure. Textbooks are conceived and elaborated through the high control of the ministries of educations for a variety of students’ grades and categories and used in EFL teaching and learning settings during school and academic years. The exploration of the challenges for the textbook use is made according to learners’ grade emphasizing on different characteristics. Data were collected over and down with questionnaires addressed to 137 learners as well as through interviews conducted with 13 EFL educators and 15 university EFL students. These data were gathered, transcribed, and analyzed, according to a certain number of criteria necessary in this investigation for the consideration a given textbook. The basic findings exposed through the great number of learners, indicated that the textbooks used in EFL classes were hardly accessible for the specific age group of learners in Benin. Respondents explained that several tasks and activities mentioned in these textbooks were not arranged from less difficult to more difficult steps in order to foster learners’ involvement. In addition, listening activities were scarcely backed up by audio recordings that ought to have been implied in textbooks. Furthermore, learners hoped the book could contain multiple-choice assignments. This means that certain parameters of these textbooks are to be revised, and the suitable audio recordings should bementioned in order to support the listening activities. Nevertheless, strengths of the textbook occur, for example, it is noticed that activities in the textbook could give opportunities that foster learners’ originality, motivation, as well as curiosity.