Al Khazaleh, S. (2020). A content analysis of the authenticity of the reading texts in the seventh grade EFL book in Jordan. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET), 7(3). 977-990. https://iojet.org/index.php/IOJET/article/view/872 Received: 20.04.2020 Received in revised form: 24.05.2020 Accepted: 26.05.2020 A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE READING TEXTS IN THE SEVENTH GRADE EFL BOOK IN JORDAN Research Article Saqr Al Khazaleh Yarmouk University 2019230070@ses.yu.edu.jo Saqr Al Khazaleh is currently PhD student at Yarmouk University/Jordan in Curriculum and instruction/English language major. He is an English language teacher at Ministry of Education. His main interests are teaching English language and decision-making. Copyright by Informascope. Material published and so copyrighted may not be published elsewhere without the written permission of IOJET. https://iojet.org/index.php/IOJET/article/view/872 mailto:2019230070@ses.yu.edu.jo https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2282-0301 International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET) 2020, 7(3), 977-990 977 A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE READING TEXTS IN THE SEVENTH GRADE EFL BOOK IN JORDAN Saqr Al Khazaleh 2019230070@ses.yu.edu.jo Abstract Based on the specific reading outcomes under the Reading Section in the General Guidelines and General and Specific Outcomes of the English Language Teaching Objectives in Jordan in 2006, the present study aimed at analyzing the reading texts of the student's book in Action Pack Seven to determine to what extent the reading texts were authentic. Non-parametric statistical analyses of frequency and percentage were used to present the results of the study. The findings of the analyses revealed that the reading texts of the student's book in Action Pack 7 had a high degree of authenticity. There was a strong match between reading specific outcomes and the authenticity of the reading texts in Action Pack 7. The findings of the analyses also revealed that the reading texts of Action Pack 7 had a high degree of authenticity, in that, 18 (86%) reading texts out of 21 were found to be authentic. Keywords: General and specific outcomes, Action Pack, reading texts, authenticity. 1. Introduction In Jordan, one of the basic as well as compulsory school subjects is the English language curriculum. Education development conferences were held and the consequent recommendations lead to the formation of the Action Pack. This book is still used in the schools of Jordan from grade one to twelve. Guidelines were put forward by the Jordanian Ministry of Education (2006) which stressed upon the importance of foreign language education for the students of Jordan. They believed it developed the student’s skills with reference to culture, cognitive, social and psychomotor. The aspects mentioned below are part of the guideline (2006). 1. Competencies related to knowledge economy were stressed upon – Knowledge economy is that type of economy whereby Students are to be educated in a manner that they become innovative thinkers and are able to analyze as well as communicate information and their work to the others, thus establishing a wholesome knowledge- intensive environment at large. 2. Students develop a new role – Students should be extended opportunities so they may attain their goals through their own path. 3. Teachers develop a new role – through this new role, the teachers engage the students in effective learning and communicating through appropriate consideration towards individual learning requirements. 4. Various instructional strategies – To make sure all students have attained their learning objectives; relevant instructional be strategies are to be selected. 5. The tools and strategies for assessment should be continuously updated (Ministry of Education, 2006) mailto:2019230070@ses.yu.edu.jo Al Khazaleh 978 6. Combining both information and communications technologies: it must be ensured that student learning is enhanced through the employment of proper technology. There are four organizers created to sort the English language results and these are related to the language skills. They are listening, speaking, reading and writing. The teaching of foreign language is no more restricted to language components, which are vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar and is now focus on the proficiency towards communication and four integrative skills, which are reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Language testing has now altered from discrete point tests to actual performance measurements (Bachman, 2001). In TEFL, reading is considered to be one of the essential skills and to make sure this skill is developed appropriately, it is necessary to have expertise of other language skills, like writing, speaking and listening besides literature appreciation. According to Al Regeb (2009) and Al Khawaldeh (2011), knowledge of the readers, general and specific, is enhanced with reading. Moreover, vocabulary is established and communication with others is possible further enhancing the language skills. For students of EFL, one of the essential skills is reading (Al khrisheh (2008)) since it builds upon knowledge, development and learning. When a student reads, he drifts off into far away lands and gains knowledge regarding the world using websites and electronic journals. The Jordanian Ministry of Education (2006:53) suggests that reading allows students to assess as well as respond to the English that is written within the context of authentic information and literature. Additionally, the textbook contents which are being read should be associated with subjects that are related to the daily life of the students and must be authentic in reality. This information should also be in accordance with the needs of the knowledge explosion era and communication era. The learning environment must promote authentic texts (Nunan (1991)). Omaggio (2001) suggests that students should be granted opportunities to make use of language in various contexts that the students are likely to face within the target culture. Furthermore, authentic language must be applied during instructions where or when it is possible (p.90). For the process of teaching and learning in EFL, the text books and general curriculum books need to be analyzed. The supervisor is able to assess the strengths and weaknesses present within the textbook and to determine its appropriateness for the course at large. This analysis allows making optimum use of the strengths and replacing or modifying the weak points through the use of other books (Cunningsworth, 1995). In Jordan, the English language educators are careful regarding the texts that are read by the students. They usually engage those texts which are related to their current life and environment. It is necessary to promote the cultural aspects through various methods so that students are able to survive in accordance with the target-language community. Hence, in the current research, analysis is carried out upon the authentic foreign language texts and materials which should be included within the eleventh grade Action Pack content. This implies that the English textbooks content analysis is essential since the authenticity needs to be confirmed. The researcher as the sample for Jordanian public schools English textbooks has selected the Seventh-grade Action Pack. 1.1. Purpose and Question of Study The objective of the current research was to assess the authenticity aspect of the reading texts in the course book Action Pack 7 Student’s Book, which is used in the EFL classes in Jordan. Therefore, the research question of the study was “Are the Action Pack Seven reading texts authentic?” International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET) 2020, 7(3), 977-990 979 1.2. Background of Study 1.2.1. English language curricula in Jordan According to the General Guidelines and General Specific Outcomes, the Action Pack is used in Jordan as an English course material for the students of basic and secondary level. It states that teaching of the English language should be interactive in nature and assessment should be done using the communicative language teaching basic principles (Ministry of Education 2006, p.9). The Jordanian Ministry of Education presented English Curricula Outcomes where the Action Pack materials integrated activities and tasks which would help develop skills for students and teachers. Hence, for every module, the outcomes are based on the teacher and learner interaction along with skill integrity. In Jordan, the students are required to complete a twelve-level course as part of the Action Pack series. It allows students to learn language through a course that guides them from the elementary level to secondary level. Developed and modern language teaching procedures are used. The functional language practice and topic-based approach are integrated and special focus is maintained upon the overall skills, vocabulary and grammar. The learners can now learn grammar through a systematic procedure and practice. If specific focus is maintained upon reading, writing and critical thinking skill development, it is possible to achieve effective integrated skills. The contents of the Action Pack include various international subjects that cover the educational updated requirements of the Jordanian students. There are six modules within the student books. Each of the modules is focused upon a specific theme that develops gradually. There is a two-page beginner for each module which offers insight into the subject matter of the module by showing some images from within the module. The beginner also states the potential outcomes, which are expected from the students after studying that particular module. For the students, having knowledge beforehand regarding what is to be learnt in the particular module helps them prepare for the detailed learning process. There are three modules, which come after the revision modules. Six headings including grammar, vocabulary, listening, reading, writing and speaking are also present. Various exercises are present under each of these six headings. For each module, there are one or two boxes of ‘Four Language Skills Strategies’. It helps students prepare themselves for writing, listening, speaking and reading tasks. There is a yellow task box which emerges above each writing exercise that asks student what they would do next. The students are given the chance to involve in a project to apply their learnt skills. A ‘Skills focus’ is present in some modules. The four skills -reading, listening, speaking and writing- are the centre of this section, emphasizing practice and production of language. This section provides plenty of opportunities for students to develop critical-thinking skills and express their opinions. A blue 'Quote' box is present in majority of the modules. The quote box includes a short quotation from a subject expert or notorious writer. A stimulating idea, stated in a few words, is present within the quote. It is like a comment upon the subject. A project is present at the end of each module. Through this project, the students are able practice the English language within a slightly in-formal context and establish cooperation and association amongst themselves. Some groundwork such as Research or preparation may be required in this context. Hence, for the curriculum, a textbook is quite essential. It is used as a resource by students and teachers in most of the schools since it allows them to extract knowledge, information, Al Khazaleh 980 guidance and structure regarding the topic. Textbooks offer cultural strategies, listening comprehensions, speaking, writing, reading, vocabulary and other communicative activities which help the teachers and learners. Textbooks are viewed as resource books by Allwright (1990) since they contain activities and ideas. They are not considered to be instructional materials specifically. The course books usually meet student requirements; however, they are not created to only cater to the students or a specific group. The teachers can also benefit from these (O'Neill, 1990). English Textbooks must contain the following qualities to be regarded as effective (Romero, 1975). 1. A series of courses for language learning must be issued as it ensures lower cost per unit for students and when they progress from one unit to another, they feel a sense of achievement. 2. The look of the textbooks must be appealing. It is important to keep the size of the fonts small and each page must hold limited amount of content. Each lesson must be of precise size to prevent confusion and boredom. Moreover, it must be well-organized. 3. Students who use the books should find the contents interesting to read. 4. The exercise included must be concise and short. 5. The dialogues should remain short and to the point. 6. The objectives of the textbook should be practicable (p.63). 1.2.2. Content analysis Substance investigation is the strategy that falls in the boundaries of social sciences, which explores the ‘content’ of communication. The sources, authenticity, or definition are closely investigated in this smart technique. The main questions of substance investigation suggested by Lasswell (cited in Krippendorff, 1980) involve study of reference to context determining "Who says what, to whom, why, to what degree and with what effect?" The substance investigation can be a clear, concise method used for summarizing the content into substance groups that are based on unbiased coding rules as suggested by Berelson (1952). It allows making few deductions in order to use other techniques of data transmission correctly. Palmquist (1990) laid emphasis on the fact that content analysis is a technique that allows concentrating on the internal features of media and on the original content. This tool is used to identify the existence of particular words, ideas, themes, statements, characters, sentences within preset texts or groups of texts and then it measures this presence accurately. Texts are widely explained as being something that communicates with the other person like: books, book topics, essays, discussions, newspaper headlines and articles, historical documents, speeches, dialogues, advertising, plays, casual chats. In order to analyze the content of texts the text is divided into subgroups which can be on various basis like: word, expression, verdict or topic followed by the analysis using any of the methods of content analysis, which are conceptual or relational analysis. Then, the outcomes are used to interpret messages in the texts, to interpret info about authors, audience and also, about the traditions and time at which these took place. Content Analysis has many benefits that are suggested by Palmquist (1990) as mentioned below: • It is able to understand the main aspect of social contact as it directly focuses on the communication through theories and books. • Allows both objective and subjective actions. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET) 2020, 7(3), 977-990 981 • It can help to gain historical/cultural experience through the exploration of the transcripts. • It can be used to decode the writings for the reasons like advancement of major mindsets (as the statements and verdicts can be coded in terms of clear explanation of concepts). • It is a smart means of intelligence analysis. • It explains complicated models of human psychology and language clearly. • It is considered as the right strategy for investigation if it is executed accurately [Contrary to Discourse Analysis (p: 3), this strategy is dependent upon facts]. For the use of content analysis, three kinds of deductions have to be made. Firstly, it must be considered that who is investigated for the deductions in the previous messages and the reason of these deductions. Secondly, it must be considered that what is the message, what the mode of communication is and who the receiver to understand the features of conversation is. Lastly, a conclusion is derived through the use of communication results considering the influence of communication as presented by Hostli (1969). As per Krippendorff (1980, p.51), content analysis involves the use of methods that are stimulated from symbolic information and that are cost-effective , convenient and more outstanding as compared to other techniques. This procedure can be precious as it allows finding out the main individual, firm or society (Weber, 1990). The content investigation will not only be limited to content’s capacity and permit for copy but the technique is also connected with valuable information. Following six questions must be answered in each content analysis as pointed out by Krippendorff (1980): 1. Which data is going to be examined? 2. How will they be identified? 3. What population is the sample taken from? 4. What is the perspective of data under analysis? 5. What are the limitations of the analysis? 6. What is the main aim of interpretations? 2. Literature Review Some examples of theories regarding content analysis are used as research tools in literature review. Modern Living English for Jordan is analyzed on the basis of needs, repetition, availability, potential and operations of students by Said (1985). He realized that the elementary books of these theories only deal with a few identifiable point zones where students can make use of English language. This majorly focuses on structure rather than vocabulary. 2216 children’s books were chosen by Grauerholz and Pescosolido (1989) from kids’ catalogue that had a wide range of topics and it used to aid librarians gathering a collection books. The analysts thought to categorize collection on the basis of gender or age of main character (for example adult, child, and creature), gender of the author. Followed by this they calculated ratio (male is to female) that helped to know the number of books having particular Al Khazaleh 982 gender as main or secondary character. It was concluded that there was unequal representation of both genders. English lexicon of reading is explored by Ljung (1989), it is the evidence gathered in Swedish upper supplementary schools to determine the relationship between the lexicon of the reading data and cutting edge in routine English. Ljung examined 56 books to know the difficulty level in lexicon between grades focusing on the conveyance of lexicon in reading data. The process starts from choosing writings from two Exercise center corpuses and then these are compared to the COBUILD corpus which offers largest mechanized English content. The outcome showed a different lexicon profile in Exercise center writings from those usually found in English content, as given by COBUILD theories. To know whether the vocabulary items concur with the vocabulary criterion suggested by Celce-Murcia (1991) an investigation was carried out by Manasrah, Al-Sobh and AL-Jabali (2013). This research helped to find out the extent to which vocabulary items concur with the suggested vocabulary analysis criteria by Celce-Murcia and the most and least convenient benchmark given in all text books’ courses. It was inferred by the outcomes of this study that vocabulary items were used in suitable framework. Moreover, these were added to each syllabus. Thirdly, these were available easily and are in appropriate numbers that can be easily understood at students’ level. The two Iranian English readings that were used for the eighth and ninth review in the open and private schools of Iran were analyzed by Majdzadeh (2000) who examined 21 lessons from the eighth and ninth review open school reading data and 24 lessons from the similar level course readings in a private school to determine the extent to which English dialect and culture differ from Iranian English course readings. The English reading material used in Iran are well disciplined for learning the structure of English dialect without the need of different communication exercises. The constructive English dialect of the first commercial secondary grade was assessed by Magableh (2000). These studies unveiled the need of language, theater, accent, spellings, and phonic translation of lexicon, tests, image facilities and conversation. The studies show that data was sequenced properly. This affected the students’ level and their concentration. To discover gender representations in topics, protagonists, and outlines from 1995-1999 from books of American Library Association eighty-three books were analyzed by Gooden and Gooden (2001). The results showed that more females played central role in the literature of that specified period. Secondly, there was slight reduction in gender generalizations. The stereotypes were evident within the outlines with gender discrimination as males were portrayed alone more often than females. Shatnawi (2005) researched culture in foreign language textbooks by performing content analysis on material and to examine the degree of its representation in the "cutting edge" series. To figure out the cultural elements of these textbooks, the researcher studied the contents of the Cutting Edge collection. The analysis showed that cultural dimensions including historical, physical, spatial, literary, political, religious, social, man-female, habitual, customary and conventional dimensions are part of the textbooks. Ababneh (2007) published a report evaluating the scope and experiences of teachers and managers on the aspects of Jordan Opportunities to grade 10 students. His research findings revealed that the details and terminology of his modules had not been evenly spread across modules. Most of this content included spelling and comprehension functions. The book of the instructor was a major support for the students. The study participants suggested the Jordan Opportunities ' suitability and recommended the omission of grammar exercise and provision International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET) 2020, 7(3), 977-990 983 of word list with a phonetic transcript and also recommended that the Jordan Opportunities modules be allocated equally. A consensus on the adequacy of the Jordan Opportunities modules for the Jordanian students’ 10th grade has usually been achieved. In the third year of students of electronics engineering in Telecommunications, Zaragoza University, Spain, Perez-Liantada (2009) has studied a corpus-based system to study and teach spoken English for academic intent. He reviewed the Multi-Viewpoint Decision Analysis paradigm of Bhatia in 2002 including the societal viewpoint, the genre view and a literary perspective. The results from the assessment phase and student output suggest that a pedagogic method is reflected from the corpus in the guidelines explained by Bhatia’s model. This approach is helpful in two ways. It enables students to recognize and appreciate the literary, genre and social characteristics of grammar in actual contexts. Secondly, it helps in achieving constructive student reaction in response to inputs and real grammatical use. Lee and Collins (2008) explored how recent enhancements in women's status affected their representation in secondary English textbooks in Hong Kong. They contrasted 10 recently published books being read currently with 10 of the books written at the end of the 1980s and not being read currently. The results showed women had greater representation in recent textbooks. For recent publications, it was reported that the representation of women in contrast to men is greater and there has been increased usage of Gender-inclusive pronouns and the respectful address title of Ms. Lee (2009) has studied 11 EFL secondary school teaching manuals used in Korea to know about the role of textbooks in teaching of culture. The main reason behind considering the contents of conversation is that the socio-cultural principles and ideals are usually seen during conversations. The study showed that the lessons of culture (including the general dimension of cultural learning and the tiny "c" goal of culture learning) were overlooked in all the considered textbooks. There has always been somewhat minimal usage of genuine content and digital technology in cultural learning. Coloring books published for children were studied as cultural artifacts by Fitzpatrick and McPherson (2010) wherein masculine protagonists are more prominent than feminine. Furthermore, 44% of males and 58% of female figures depicted traditional gender comportment. Eventually, 53% of men's characters were sexually egalitarian, contrasted with 36% of women's characters. The use of authentic content in English syllabus Action Pack Twelve was studied by Islami (2019). The content was being used in Jordanian schools at that time. The study depicted that the content of Action Pack Twelve was highly authentic having a reliability of 79.50%. In other words, 31 out of 39 content units were found to be authentic. The six modules of the Action Pack Seven (2012) were studied by Zawahreh in terms of the grammar work that was used in this student book for teaching English in Jordan as a foreign language and to assess how well the criteria proposed by it as well as that proposed by Celce- Murcia(1991) is fulfilled by such grammatical works. The findings indicate that, firstly, the amount and distribution of grammar tasks within the six modules of the textbook are sufficient and well structured. Secondly, the second criterion is fulfilled by all grammar operations, since the linguistic data is correct and comprehensive. Thirdly, 55 grammatical works out of the total of 60 were found to fulfill the consistency and completeness requirements. Lastly, the fourth criterion regarding the meaningful context was fulfilled by 56 out of 60 grammatical works. The six modules of the Action Pack Seven (2012) were studied by Zawahreh (2012) in terms of the vocabulary items that were used in this student book for teaching English in Jordan as a foreign language and to assess how well the criteria proposed by it as well as the ten-item criteria proposed by Al-Momani (1998) are fulfilled by these vocabulary items. The test results Al Khazaleh 984 show: First, most of the latest vocabulary products in the six Action Pack 7 modules fulfilled 100% and 82% of the two criteria. Furthermore, there is no equilibrium in (a) distribution of vocabulary items among the six modules; (b) distribution of parts of speech inside each module. 3. Methodology The study was based on mixed methods with qualitative and quantitative data. For the quantitative purposes, non-parametric statistical tests of frequency and percentage were used. In the quantitative dimension, the texts were analyzed one by one using the content analysis criteria of Krippendorff (1980). 3.1. Categories of Analysis Articles, conversation, (short) story, paragraph, text, dialogue and others in the studied textbook are the areas of study. 3.2. Reliability and Validity of Instrument To find the inter-rater reliability, two raters each analyzed the text by himself /herself analyzed the textbook. Then, the inter-rater reliability between them was calculated. It was found to be 0.85, which is statistically acceptable for this study. To check the instrument validity, it was given to a team of jury of judges. The team consisted to professors of English language teaching and English language teachers. They checked the instrument with regard to the text type. Their suggestions and recommendations were considered. They suggested adding some text types and analyzing frequencies in percentages. 4. Findings and Discussion Table 1 presents the frequencies and percentages of the reading texts in the Student's Book of Action Pack Eleven and their authenticity. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET) 2020, 7(3), 977-990 985 Table 1. Frequencies and percentages of the reading texts in the student's book of Action Pack Seven Type of text Frequencies of Text Percentages Authentic Text Non Authentic text Percentages of the authentic Texts Percentages of the None Authentic Texts Article 4 19.0 4 0 22.2 0.0 Conversation 3 14.3 2 1 11.1 4.7 (Short) Story 3 14.3 3 0 16.7 0.0 Paragraph 2 9.5 2 0 11.1 0.0 Text 2 9.5 1 1 5.6 4.7 Dialogue 2 9.5 2 0 11.1 0.0 Other (Brochure, report, leaflet, interview and radio documentary 5 23.8 4 1 22.2 4.7 Total 21 100 18 3 86.0 14.0 Table1 shows that 18 texts out of 21 in the Student’s Book represent authentic reading texts with a percentage of 86. Such focus on authentic reading texts highlights the significance of the reading skill in building the communicative competence of the students at the essential stage. Having a detailed look into the table, we can notice that in the first category, the articles, there are four articles out of 21 reading texts in Action Pack Eleven. The authentic articles are four. According to General Guidelines for the English Language (2006), it is expected that the students will read and understand authentic written English texts on topics of specific or general interest. One of the main reasons for using authentic materials in the classroom is once outside the “safe", controlled language learning environment, the learner will not encounter the artificial language of the school but the real-world language and how it is used. The role of the teacher is not to delude the language learners but to prepare them and to teach them the necessary skills to understand how the language is used. Omaggio (2001, p. 90-91) in her fifth hypothesis stated “Cultural understanding must be promoted in various ways so that students are prepared to live more harmoniously in the target- language community. This is one of the main calls by the communicative approach and the ACTFL guidelines the 1980s, and the Standards for Foreign Language Learning the 1990s. They believe that languages cannot be taught in isolation of their culture. However, the question to be tackled is: which culture should we teach in the foreign language? Is it the target culture? I.e. the culture of the foreign language being learnt? Or the learner's own culture?” For Jordanian students, the EFL curriculum should help the learners to internalize the Islamic and Arabic culture which should be used as a springboard to understand, appreciate and interact with people of different countries as well as Jordanian identity" (General Guidelines and General and Specific Outcomes for the English Language Curriculum, 2006 P.9). Al Khazaleh 986 Though the General Guidelines tend to focus on Islamic and Arabic culture, for example, there are two articles on page 34; the first one is about Visit the British Museum. The primary function of this article is to read about the objects found in the galleries of the museum. When they are ready, invite students from each group to share their ideas with the class, and encourage comments and further discussion. This article is related to Islamic and Arabic culture. Such texts motivate the students to practice the language and to communicate with their teacher and\or with their classmates. The second article is called "Petra comes back to life". This article is considered an authentic one; it includes information about Petra, which is one of the new seven wonders. The students have enough information about Petra so they can discuss or interact effectively in the classroom. However, this kind of article has a beneficial effect that enables students to gain knowledge and understanding of their culture. There is also an article on page 48; its title is "The wonders of the ancient world". The students are familiar with its importance in Jordan, so this article is an authentic one and is related directly to the historical locations in Jordan. It encourages them to discuss, interact and adequately practice the language using their personal information about beautiful sites in Jordan. The article on page 18 is about global warming. This article is also an authentic one. It is related to the environment of the students and how to deal with it. According to the percentages of the authoritative articles, it is clear that most of the articles in Action Pack 7 relate to the students' environment and their real world. These kinds of items encourage students to communicate in the English language, not only inside the classroom but also outside the atmosphere. As for the short stories, it is also given considerable space in the textbook. As seen in Table1, there are three stories out of 21 reading texts. The authentic stories are three with a percentage of 16.7, while the non-authentic stories are zero. Such focus on authentic stories highlights the significance of the authentic contexts in communication. The Standards for Foreign Language Learning describe the "what" (content) of world languages learning and form the core of standards-based instruction in the world languages classroom. One of the primary goals is “Communication stresses the use of language for communication in real-life situations"(Ommagio, 2001). These standards illustrate how the teaching of culture can be achieved while students engage in communicative tasks. The story on page 81 is authentic. It talks about a man called Ali Cogia lived in Baghdad in the time of Calipha Haroun, it improves students’ critical thinking and creativity. There is another story on page 60 which is considered authentic. It talks about a rich man who loses his bag, which has money when he was on his way back home. The idea is how Shiekh returned his lost bag. It is an exciting topic for many students to be discussed in the classroom and to have a lesson about how Shiekh is an honest and reliable man. They can also write about different issues that reflect their Islamic values. This will create an authentic environment that encourages students to practice the language effectively. We should keep in mind that students usually are attracted more to subjects that are interesting to them and not strange to their cultural background. Tomlinson (1998, p.8) says, “most learners are more at ease with text and illustrations that they can relate to their own culture than they are with those who are culturally exotic". Another example is on page 74. This short story is authentic. It talks about an intelligent sailor Ahmed Bin Majid. He was a knowledgeable traveler. This issue is significant in the students' life because it encourages them to be cleverness and ambition. In general, there is a reasonable degree of authenticity regarding this category. Bryan (2005) asserts that providing International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET) 2020, 7(3), 977-990 987 students with activities from their real-life situations is part of a culture, which is also part of communication. Furthermore, the more one is exposed to the culture, the easier it is to learn the English language. He also stresses that a textbook should provide and deal with subjects that are relevant to the students' daily life and real context. Being presented richly, this category is characterized by utility and authenticity. The third category, Conversations, is also presented well in the textbook. As seen in Table 1, there are three, which mean that 14.3 of the reading texts are conversations. The authentic ones are two, with a percentage of 11.1, which seems reasonable. For instance, there is a conversation between Nawal and Hisham on page 24; it is about global warming. The global warming happens when the Earth’s climate goes up every year. It is a global problem, so this reading text is considered authentic. Another example is on page 37. It talks about a trader called Abbas. This kind of writing encourages the students to learn how to buy things from the sellers and to communicate with them. Ketch (2005) asserted, “Conversation provides opportunities for students to practice and use cognitive strategies and is critical for developing comprehension. The Conversation is authentic and becomes evidence for teachers to determine strategies used and internalized”. There is a conversation which is non-authentic. It talks about the most famous detectives, especially Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. They are talking about who the owner of the stick was. As for the paragraphs, it is also given considerable space in the textbook. As seen in Table1, there are two paragraphs out of 21 reading texts. The authentic stories are two with a percentage of 11.1. The first one talks about a day in the life of a pilot Kareem Mahmoud. He is a Jordanian pilot. The paragraph is talking about his daily routine. The second one is on page 49. It talks about ancient locations in the Middle East, especially historical locations in Jordan. It gives a chance for the students to know more about historical sites in their country. As for the texts, it is given considerable space in the textbook, too. As seen in Table1, there are two texts out of 21 reading texts. The authentic documents are one with a percentage of 5.6, while the non-authentic texts are one with a percentage of 4.7. The first one talks Ibn Battuta, who is A Moroccan scholar and traveller. He visited different countries such as the Middle East, Turkey, North, East and West Africa. The second is on page 56. It talks about the best detective of all time. They are Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marble. As for the dialogues, it is also given considerable space in the textbook. As seen in Table1, there are two dialogues out of 21 reading texts. The authentic stories are two with a percentage of 11.1. The first one talks about the dialogue between Ibrahim and Noura in the British Museum in London. It has objects from all the countries such as Egyptian mummies, the Sutton Hoo treasure and the turquoise serpent. The second one talks about the dialogue between Hassan and Omar. Hassan has a beautiful adventure holiday in New Zealand. The last category, which is Others (Brochure, interview, leaflets, radio commentary and report), is given much space in the textbook. Table 1 shows that there are four reading texts out of 21 reading texts in Action Pack 7, with a percentage of 22.2, whereas there is one reading text non-authentic with a percentage of 4.7. The authentic ones (Brochures, leaflets, radio documentaries and reports) are in the following pages 36, 30, 31 and 50. They talk about the Roman theatre in Amman, Welcome to Souk Jara!, the important areas in Souk Jara, the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. The students are interested in these topics. The students like to talk about important sites in Arab and Jordanian countries which refer to their culture. Moreover, the students find that these texts are interesting and provide them with an excellent chance to talk about their cultures. This kind of reading text requires both reading Al Khazaleh 988 and speaking skill. The teacher asks his students to read the document carefully; then, he will ask every student to talk about what they like to know more about these places. Moreover, this kind of document encourages the students to talk about what they want to know more and develop their ability in expressing their opinions. It also promotes a friendly classroom atmosphere, which helps students, especially shy ones, to communicate using the English language since they are talking to a friend or a classmate, so embarrassment is reduced. Students become highly motivated to speak and listen using English (Ommagio, 2001). The non-authentic one is an interview on page 10 is about dangerous activities. The interview is between a journalist and Dr Fred. They are talking about there are two elements in danger: one is fear; the other is the need to defeat the fear 5. Conclusion The findings of the analyses revealed that the reading texts of the student's book in Action Pack 7 had a high degree of authenticity and there was a strong match between the reading specific outcomes and the reading text's authenticity in the textbook. Students will not learn effectively without relating what they have learned to their real environment. They are attracted more to subjects that are interesting to them and not strange to their cultural background. It is efficient and valuable to use authentic materials as Bryan (2005.p17) put it concisely "Real-world use is the eventual goal of any language program and authentic texts offer the first baby steps for the students along this journey. 6. Conflict of Interest The author declares that there is no conflict of interest. 7. Ethics Committee Approval The author confirms that the study does not need ethics committee approval according to the research integrity rules in their country. 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