An Evaluation of Getting the Message: A Reading Course for Schools—Based on Reading Theories

摘要

In the context of English as a foreign language (EFL), English textbooks are one of the most common and valuable materials to develop learners’ reading ability. So it is imperative for teachers to evaluate whether or not a textbook is helpful for learners to improve their reading comprehension. This study attempts to analyze Getting the Message: A Reading Course for Schools (Student’s Book One), a widely used reading material for junior middle school students, from the perspectives of schema theory, reading strategies, motivation, and vocabulary growth and grammar, all of which are believed to exert a significant effect on learners’ development of English reading proficiency. Furthermore, the strengths and weaknesses of this textbook are discussed. English teachers especially those who teach reading to EFL learners and English language teaching (ELT) materials developers will find this course book enlightening when selecting an appropriate intensive and extensive reading textbook.