THE PROCESS OF WRITING TEXTBOOKS :A case study of two English teachers who write textbooks

摘要

This study reports on the exploration of two English teachers’ experiences when they were involved in different textbook writing projects. The experience of the two English teachers involved in this study, in terms of textbook writing might become a model for other teachers in doing the same thing. The focus of this study was for answering two research questions: what processes are involved in textbook writing? What benefits and challenges do the teachers gain in textbook writing?ududThe study employed a qualitative research approach, using a case study design. Two English teachers were chosen as participants in this study because of their expertise in textbook writing and their long experience in the teaching field. The data were obtained from two sources, interviews and documents. The data from interviews were coded and categorized to describe the process of writing textbook through two writers. Then, they were interpreted according to the research questions. The document data of the two textbooks written by two teachers were analyzed by finding relevant materials which will answer the central themes of this research.ududThe findings revealed that the process of writing textbook consisted of six steps: 1) selecting project team, 2) planning, 3) drafting: creating a sample unit, 4) reviewing, 5) writing development, 6) designing and production. This process was rather different from the standard steps as suggested by some experts; it was caused by the absence of piloting within the process. Time and financial constraints might be the main reason for this condition. The findings also indicated that four benefits were obtained by the two participants in textbook writing: 1) career improvement, 2) teaching professionalism enhancement, 3) financial benefit, 4) psychological satisfaction. While the challenges of textbook writing were: 1) managing time of collaborative work, 2) writer’s block, 3) seeking resources of authentic materials. The first challenge was overcome by sharing job, and the second one by doing anything other than writing then writing again. The last one was overcome by the editor.ududBased on the findings, it is recommended to teachers to realize that they could be potential material writer by learning ways to adapt, develop, and evaluate textbooks. As well, this study is expected to inspire other researchers to conduct research on other issues in textbook writing.