An evaluation of an english coursebook titled Moonlight targeting 8 th graders within a Turkish Context

The main purpose of the study is to explore the perceptions and views of English language teachers and 8th graders about the effectiveness of the textbook titled Moonlight in aspects of layout and design, subject and content, aims and objectives, methodology and activities, language skills, language components and general considerations. In addition to these criteria, general perceptions of teachers and students towards major concerns of English Language Teaching (ELT) are also investigated. Within the scope of the study, mixed method research design was conducted in order to obtain both qualitative and quantitative data. The data consists of checklists conducted by 65 English language teachers and 300 8th graders; semi structured-interviews with 15 teachers and focus-group interviews with 10 teachers. The research was carried out in five districts of Adana; namely, Yüreğir, Seyhan, Sarıçam, Çukurova and Ceyhan. SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science) software version 24.0 was used to analyze quantitative data. Besides, content analysis and thematic analysis were conducted to analyze qualitative data. The results of the study revealed the perceptions and views of students and teachers towards the textbook titled Moonlight. The criticisms generally focused on the heavy vocabulary load, complicated texts, lack of pronunciation studies, grammar-based teaching, irrelevant topics, inadequate cultural considerations and drawbacks on integration and presentation of language skills. On the other hand, some strengths of Moonlight were revealed: the convenient size, attractive cover page and informative workbook activities. In addition to the pre-determined criteria, the findings revealed the suggestions of teachers in major concerns of ELT such as improving the quality of English courses, classroom management, and student placement exams. The study aims to raise awareness of evaluating materials and sharing experiences of English language teaching with institutions and other stakeholders. In this regard, the study revealed that the users of the materials could provide valuable feedbacks and a set of suggestions related to the material and educational procedures. Therefore, to reflect the voices of teachers and students enriched the value of this study.