




































    

 American Journal of Arts and Communication 

Vol. 9, Issue 1; January-February 2024; 

ISSN: 2994-0540 

Impact Factor: 6.91 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

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DIALOGUE DYNAMICS: A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF 

CONVERSATION TEXTBOOKS FOR UNDERGRADUATES AT AN-NAJAH 

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, PALESTINE 
 

 
1Yasmin A. Mansour, 2Omar H. Khalil 
1,2Department of Education and Teacher Training, College of Education and Teacher Training, 

An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine. 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10600342 

 

Abstract: The role of textbooks in education is central and indispensable, serving as the heartbeat of teaching and 

a cornerstone in the educational process. Acknowledged as the primary reservoir of information and activities, 

textbooks play a pivotal role in aiding learners to actively engage with language and supporting educators in 

realizing their educational objectives (Graves, 2000:175). This paper delves into the multifaceted significance of 

textbooks, particularly in fostering independent and responsible learning. 

Drawing from the insights of Basturkmen (2010), the paper underscores the pivotal role a well-crafted textbook 

play in cultivating students' independence and instilling a sense of responsibility for their own learning. By 

providing a structured framework of information and exercises, textbooks empower learners to navigate their 

educational journey autonomously, thereby contributing to the development of crucial skills for lifelong learning. 

Furthermore, the study embraces the perspective of Minh (2007), emphasizing that textbooks serve as 

indispensable tools in the teaching and learning landscape. Minh's findings highlight the facilitative role of 

textbooks, streamlining the responsibilities of educators, enhancing learners' comprehension, and conserving 

valuable time and effort. This study explores the nuanced ways in which textbooks act as catalysts for efficient 

teaching practices and effective learning experiences. 

The analysis extends beyond the traditional view of textbooks as mere instructional materials, positioning them 

as dynamic agents that shape the educational landscape. Through a comprehensive examination of the impact of 

textbooks on both educators and learners, this study aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on pedagogical 

tools and strategies. 

Keywords: Textbook, Independent Learning, Responsible Learning, Pedagogical Tools, Educational Process   

 

INTRODUCTION 

A textbook is the heart of teaching and the most important element of the educational process. It is the primary 

source of information and activities that help learners practice the language as well as support teachers in 

achieving the desired goals) Graves, 2000:175(. With regard to independent and responsible learning, Basturkmen 

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 American Journal of Arts and Communication 

Vol. 9, Issue 1; January-February 2024; 

ISSN: 2994-0540 

Impact Factor: 6.91 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJAC; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

15 | A m e r i c a n  J o u r n a l  o f  A r t s  a n d  C o m m u n i c a t i o n  

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(2010(, confirmed that a good textbook encourages students to be independent and take responsibility for learning. 

Textbooks are also considered an essential tool in teaching and learning as emphasized by Minh (2007(who 

showed that textbooks can facilitate teachers' jobs, ease learners' understanding and save time and effort. 

The success of the educational process depends mainly on the quality of the selected textbook. In selecting the 

textbook, all stakeholders in the teaching and learning process should participate in selecting the materials or in 

choosing the objectives (Raba, 2007).  When selecting textbook to be used, teachers need to analyze and evaluate 

it to determine its suitability to the learners' level, needs, age, and interests. The process of textbook analysis 

helps teachers determine their strengths and weaknesses and then decides what areas need to be modified or 

changed to make them more suitable for learners. Through analyzing textbooks, teachers make valuable 

judgments and gain insights about the type of activities involved to choose the approach to render ideas behind 

each part of the textbook (Gómez-Rodríguez, 2010). 

According to Byrd and Schuemann (2014), textbooks are valuable tools that are considered the basis for the 

teaching and learning process. However, there is no single perfect textbook that fits completely the teaching 

settings. As a result, teachers need to analyze and evaluate the chosen textbook to adapt it to the curriculum, 

teacher, and students. 

Despite the importance of textbook content analysis, studies focusing on analyzing conversational textbooks are 

very limited. It is known that teaching individuals’ English conversation skills is very essential but is not an easy 

task. Teachers are challenged to select the appropriate content, activities, and techniques that stimulate learners 

to use the language fluently (Ur, 2012).  To ensure successful teaching of these skills and achieve the desired 

goals, teachers need to analyze and evaluate the textbook to determine its merits and demerits, reveal the 

language used in it and determine the effective and suitable classroom pedagogy (Cerezo, 2007). Speaking a 

foreign language in the right way is one big problem student’s face and using think-pair- and –share activities 

could be a good solution and could enrich both creative and interactive activities in the textbook. 

In recent years, the nature of language teaching has changed. Whereas traditional education has been based on 

primitive methods in which language learning was viewed as a matter of habit formation, memorization, 

repetition, and imitation, now the main goal of modern teaching methods is to communicate. Therefore, 

developing students' oral communication ability has become the basic priority for teaching which in turn affects 

what language teachers are supposed to teach (Littlewood, 2007). Because of the significant role of speaking, 

researchers like Bailey )2005(and Goh )2007(emphasized the role of teaching pedagogies, types of activities and 

types of materials. 

Milova (2015) emphasized that teaching conversation is the most important phase of the language learning 

process. Teachers can develop students' conversation skills   by   bringing real-life situations to the classroom 

where they got the opportunity to deal with real problems and use the language automatically. This can be 

achieved by using effective procedures and various activities such as role-play activities, discussions, 

brainstorming, simulations, interviews, and debates. 

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 American Journal of Arts and Communication 

Vol. 9, Issue 1; January-February 2024; 

ISSN: 2994-0540 

Impact Factor: 6.91 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJAC; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

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Sze )1995), stated that conversation is the oral exchange of information that is based on conversational 

competence. This type of competence can be developed by keeping it as a goal for language teaching. The type 

and quality of the activities and materials used to teach conversation within the classroom have a great role in the 

success or failure of the teaching process. Besides, the good practice of language is the basis for developing 

students' conversational skills. This does not include systematic memorization or repetition drills, but by engaging 

students in activities that motivate them to produce the language themselves. 

Statement of the problem 

A good textbook content is one of the most important resources for teaching all language skills and it is the 

teacher's responsibility to select the appropriate textbook that helps them fulfill the desired goals. Therefore, they 

need to analyze the content of the selected textbooks carefully to understand their nature and to determine whether 

or not they possess the characteristics that are important to help students produce the language properly, naturally 

and fluently. Based on this ground, the researcher conducted this study and related the final judgment of a good 

textbook to the five rubrics that entail all the learning dispositions. 

Questions of the study 

This study answers the question "What is the level of existence or frequency of the five rubrics with the different 

learning dispositions in a conversation English textbook for second-level university students? 

Purpose of the study 

This study aims to determine if the conversation textbook used for second-level university students is appropriate 

or not and this can be done according to the level of existence or absence of these rubrics: topic consistency, 

frequency of drill use, type of syllabus, self-expressing activities, and the appropriate type of language they use. 

Significance of the study 

The finding of this study may yield valuable information for conversation textbook writers. The result of this 

study may also point out the need for improving and modifying some of the textbooks' weak points according to 

the five rubrics that contain learning dispositions. The information gathered may provide ideas about what and 

how modification should be implemented, and how can we develop the conversation textbook which should 

include the five variables in a consistent, fair, and good way. Besides, the findings of this study provide valuable 

information for oral communication courses as they shed light on different aspects of what should a conversation 

textbook be like, and how can they develop their students' conversation skills. 

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 

Several previous studies have focused their attention on analyzing conversation textbooks.  The researcher was 

able to come up with some of these studies and arranged them chronologically. 

In the area of suitable communicative activities to be used for teaching oral proficiency, Fukut et al. )2017(assured 

authentic activities that match with meaning, and the learners’ language use are found to be suitable and promote 

students' language proficiency. Similarly, Romney and Holsworth (2016) in their study reviewed a specific system 

and created some rubrics for selecting a new EFL oral communication curriculum. They focused on the context 

of the textbook and determined the areas that need to be changed to make it more appropriate for students. Similar 

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 American Journal of Arts and Communication 

Vol. 9, Issue 1; January-February 2024; 

ISSN: 2994-0540 

Impact Factor: 6.91 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJAC; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

17 | A m e r i c a n  J o u r n a l  o f  A r t s  a n d  C o m m u n i c a t i o n  

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in content, but different in the region, Ellif and Maarof (2011) revealed that textbooks used for teaching oral 

communication for the Saudi EFL third-year university students are not rich with activities that promote natural 

communication. 

In the area of teaching natural and authentic communication, Gómez-Rodríguez (2010) found that all the 

textbooks used in Colombia for teaching communication using English do not include adequate communicative 

activities, thus, they do not promote students' communicative competence. Effective teaching along with suitable 

and natural content can produce effective communication. 

In the area of self-expression activities that an effective communication textbook should include, Akutsu (2006) 

showed that an oral communication textbook included many direct strategies, but it lacks indirect strategies. If an 

activity included in a textbook used for communication focuses on form more than on contextual meaning, it will 

fail to achieve fluent and authentic communication among learners (Ellis and Ellis 1994). 

Gibson (2004) conducted a study about the effect of class size on teaching English conversation skills. This study 

mentioned the difficulties faced by teachers in developing this type of skill in large classes and how to overcome 

them. 

The   findings   showed   that   applying some effective Raba techniques can be useful and facilitate teachers' jobs 

during the teaching process. One of the most effective activities is the group work and peer work that enhance 

students' interaction and engages them in discussions that suit their interests. 

To sum up, most of the studies presented in the literature review have shed light on the importance of analyzing 

the contents of the textbooks to understand their nature and determine what aims they serve. Some studies rely 

on specific standards and certain variables during the analysis process that is compatible with their goals as what 

Fukuta et al. (2017) follow in their study. The researcher agrees with what Ellif and Maarof (2011) and Gómez-

Rodríguez (2010) found in their studies that there are not enough activities in the textbooks that promote natural 

communication among students. The present study suggested that an effective textbook for teaching 

communication that is fluent, natural, and authentic should be in the line with the five rubrics that contain learning 

dispositions mentioned earlier in the study. 

METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES 

This study followed content analysis research design which is an appropriate research method to analyze the  

conversation textbook for second -year English Majors and TEFL Majors in An-Najah National University 

concerning the five-item rubrics that emphasized the inclusion of all the learning dispositions such as persistence, 

flexibility, motivation, questioning and problem solving skills. These learning dispositions are included in 

interactive activities, creative activities and self-expressing activities which are rubrics included as focal ideas to 

refer to in the process of content analysis. The study was conducted during the second semester of the academic 

year 2019-2020. 

Instrumentation 

The only tool used was the five-item rubrics that include all the learning dispositions to determine the 

appropriateness or the inappropriateness of the conversation textbook which can be achieved according to the 

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 American Journal of Arts and Communication 

Vol. 9, Issue 1; January-February 2024; 

ISSN: 2994-0540 

Impact Factor: 6.91 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJAC; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

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level of existence or absence of these rubrics in the textbook. These rubrics are topic consistency, frequency of 

drill use, type of syllabus, self-expressing activities, and the appropriate type of language they use. This tool 

allows the researcher to calculate the frequencies of each item in the conversation/oral communication textbook 

that is used in An-Najah National University for second-year students. 

Choosing the textbook 

An oral communication textbook for second-level university students was used in implementing this study. At 

this level, students should be exposed to activities that consider the five variables to develop their speaking and 

oral communication skill. 

RESULTS AND INTERPRETATIONS 

This section illustrates the results that were obtained after analyzing the oral comprehension textbook. The 

following five-item rubric was used: 1-topic consistency 2frequency of drill use 3-type of syllabus 4- self-

expressing activities and 5- the appropriate type of language they use. 

Interpretation regarding topic consistency 

Do all the textbook units have topic consistency or topic inconsistency? If topics are consistent, this means that 

the textbook is organized in a complementary way. For example, the same topic is internally connected smoothly 

and coherently until it is complete. This completion is basic in the sense that it emphasizes content and exchanges 

ideas that can stimulate and promote students' communication. 

Unit title: the art of conversation 

Model dialogue (a conversational skill that deals with culture):  What topic should you avoid when talking to 

strangers? What topics are taboos for your culture?  What topics are taboos for you personally? Why do people 

like to learn bad words in other languages? By answering these questions adequately and appropriately, we can 

say that the topic is consistent and students can adequately communicate the topic. In this way, the conversation 

will be structural, situational, and notional.  The conversation and oral communication textbook emphasizes on 

situational syllabus and focuses on what language needed in various situations and how to use it in a certain 

context, for example how to use language (when you are talking to foreigners, in arguing, on birthdays), but the 

textbook doesn't provide enough exercises for practicing. For example: From conversation and oral 

communication textbook p.106: 

Booking an airline ticket 

Call and book an airline ticket. The airline agent will need information such as time and day of departure, class, 

smoking, and non-smoking section and day of return, the traveler wants to know the price, seating, and whether 

it is a direct or nonstop flight. 

Keywords and phrases 

Departing, arriving, flight number, tourist, business, or first class, direct or nonstop, check-in time.  Using these 

words or phrases, book a ticket with an airline agent. After you have done this once, reverse roles and do it again. 

When you do it again. When you play the agent, be sure to confirm all details about the ticket. 

Interpretation about drilling activities 

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 American Journal of Arts and Communication 

Vol. 9, Issue 1; January-February 2024; 

ISSN: 2994-0540 

Impact Factor: 6.91 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

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Language patterns are basic in achieving better communication. These chunks and patterns can be better learned 

and taught via drills whether repetitive, substitutional or transformational. The goal of using drilling activities is 

to produce and practice utterances and chunks to be used for meaningful communication. 

For example: From conversation and oral communication textbook p.39: 

Hobbies 

I have a talent for (verb) ing-I have a talent for writing poems. 

I have been (verb)ing for 5 years- I have been playing tennis for 5 years. 

I (verb) 3 times a week- I go in for sports 3 times. 

Interpretation concerning self-expressing activities 

The role of these activities is to enhance meaning rather than form through encouraging students to generate their 

own language, and so they can be motivated and actively engaged in all class tasks. 

For example 

From conversation and oral communication textbook p.83: (empathic listening application). Describe a 

relationship in which you need to use the skill as well as the attitude of empathy. 

What is your usual response to this situation?  How does your attitude influence your listening in this relationship?  

Specifically, what will you do to apply empathy the next time in your interaction in this relationship? In such 

situations, learners are to explain and describe the relationship between attitude and empathy. 

Interpretation concerning activity type (Interactive 

activities and creative activities) 

In interactive activities, it is important for participants to be of equal proficiency in the target language. These 

activities involve a conversational exchange between students whereas non-interactive activities can be performed 

alone. Creative activities such as creating interviews and working with peers to adapt them allow students to 

engage with meaningful topics and get to know each other. Non-creative activities focus more on form, and 

students memorize language that may not relate to their real lives. Non-interactive activities: 

Table 1. Scale and result. 

 
Result  Conversation and oral comprehension  +  Situational  20% 

 8  Creative:3 Interactive:0 

Source: Author 

Table 2. Scales and frequencies. 

Scales Frequencies 

Topic consistency 5 

Type of syllabus 8 

Frequency of drill use 4 

S cale

s 
  Name of the 

textbook  
  / + -   topic 

consistency 
  Main 

syllabus 
  Percentag

e  
of drilling 

activities 
  

Number of activities 

for  expressing the 

self 
  

Activities 

types 
  

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 American Journal of Arts and Communication 

Vol. 9, Issue 1; January-February 2024; 

ISSN: 2994-0540 

Impact Factor: 6.91 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJAC; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

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Self-expressing activities 8 

The appropriate type of language they use Creative activities 3 

Activities types: Interactive activities 0 

Source: Author 

For  example,  from  English  street  oral communication: 

Hello, may I speak to Kate? 

I think you have the wrong number. What number you are calling? 

22173131 

This is 2117313 

Oh, I’m sorry. 

This activity can be performed alone since necessary information is already present. In such activities the 

existence of an interlocutor is unnecessary; therefore, they are categorized as non-interactive. Tables 1 and 2 

summarize the 

analysis 

Oral communication textbook analysis 

Table 2 shows that: The total number of exercises in the conversation textbook that are related to the different 

scales is 28. The frequencies range from 3-8. The lowest frequency is found in activity types which are creative 

activities and there aren't activities related to interactive type. The highest frequencies are found in both syllable 

organization and activities for self-expression. Both syllables of the syllabus and activities for self-expression are 

equal. 

Conclusions 

After the data analysis, it was found that the conversation textbook for second-level university students lacks 

interactive activities. It was also found that there were not enough exercises that encourage students to practice 

the language naturally, which is the key to develop their speaking skills. For successful teaching, teachers need 

to look for the appropriate textbook that fits their goals and helps students developing their oral communication 

skills. An effective conversation textbook should include creative and interactive activities that create a good class 

discussion and communication which is important for language learning. 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

Based on the above-mentioned conclusions, the researcher recommended the following: 

1. Teachers should not underestimate the role of textbooks in facilitating the learning process. They have to 

increase the quality of their teaching and use various activities to enrich the educational process. 

2. The   educational    institution   should conduct training courses for teachers on how to select the 

appropriate textbook and what rubrics should be taken into consideration when analyzing textbooks. 

3. More interactive and practical activities must be included in textbooks to enhance students' interaction, 

and so improve their conversation skills. 

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 American Journal of Arts and Communication 

Vol. 9, Issue 1; January-February 2024; 

ISSN: 2994-0540 

Impact Factor: 6.91 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJAC; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

21 | A m e r i c a n  J o u r n a l  o f  A r t s  a n d  C o m m u n i c a t i o n  

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4. More studies need to be conducted about analyzing conversational textbooks. 

CONFLICT OF INTERESTS 

The author has not declared any conflict of interests. 

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 American Journal of Arts and Communication 

Vol. 9, Issue 1; January-February 2024; 

ISSN: 2994-0540 

Impact Factor: 6.91 

1252 Columbia Rd NW, Washington DC, United States 

https://topjournals.org/index.php/AJAC; mail: topacademicjournals@gmail.com 

 
 

 

 

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