An assesment of teacher?s opinions about the effectiveness of english coursebook used in foreign language high schools (case of Elaziğ and Diyarbakır cities)

The aim of this study is to determine the ideas of English teachers who teach at Foreign Language High Schools on how far the English coursebook has been used effectively. We tried to determine whether there?s a statistically significant difference among the teacher?s views in terms of type school, teaching experience and gender variables. In this direction of the aim of this study, we tried to answer the following question: Do the ideas of the teachers on the effective using of English coursebook used in Foreign Language High Schools change according to their educational degree, gender and type of school they work?Properties of English coursebook to be used effectively are divided into seven parts in the study. These are: physical properties, objectives and content of the coursebook, improvement of reading and writing skills in the coursebook and coursebook?s containing of speaking, writing skills, grammar-vocabulary teaching and kinds of evaluation.This descriptive study was administeredon 126 English teachers who work in Foreign Language High Schools in Elazığ and Diyarbakır cities in 2009-2010 academic year. The distribution of the teachers according to the type of school is like the following: % 4 percent of these teachers work in High Schools of Science (n=6), % 11 percent of them work in Anatolian High Training Schools (n=14), % 46 percent of them work in Anatolian High Schools (n=56) and % 38 percent of them work in Anatolian Technical-Vocational High School (n=50).Research data were obtained by means of a scale developed for the effective usage English coursebook. The scale abaut the English coursebook used in Foreign Language High Schools was developed by researcher. This scale consists of 44 items. The items of scale cover the ideas of English teachers abaut the properties of English coursebook used in Foreign Language High Schools.Research results were evaluated according to type of school, teaching experience and gender variables. In comparision with type of school and teaching experience, one way variance analysis was used and t-test was used to compare the data in terms of gender. In a prior examination, Levene test was used for variance analysis and t-test. In case of a significant difference among the ideas of teachers, ANOVA test was used. Meaningfulness degree was accepted as 0,05. If there is a significant difference, Scheffe test was used to determine among which specific groups the difference was significant.In the result of research, ıt was determined that English coursebook used in Foreign Language High Schools was found to be partly efficient. The teachers who work in High Schools of Science and those who have more teaching experience found the coursebook more efficient. Furthermore, in terms of gender variable, male teachers found the coursebook more effective than female teachers. In the light of these results to make the English coursebook in Foreign Language High Schools more effective,it is offered that modern methods-techniques should be used, activities should be presented in an integrative method, there should be research and project works to make student more active and listening activities should be done much more in the coursebook.Key Words: Coursebook, Foreign Language Teaching, Learning, Foreign Language High Schools, The Ideas of English Teachers.