LANGUAGE CIRCLE: Journal lof Language and Literature X/2 (April 2016)  p-ISSN 1858-0165 

Available online at http://journal.unnes.ac.id   e-ISSN 2460-853X 
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113 

DESIGNING A MODEL OF RESEARCH PAPER WRITING 

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR ACADEMIC WRITING COURSE: 

TEXTBOOK EVALUATION  
 

M. Ali Ghufron
 

alghufron.87@gmail.com 

Semarang State University, Indonesia 

Mursid Saleh 

mursids@hotmail.com 

Semarang State University, Indonesia 
 

Received:  30 December 2015. Revised: 30 January 2016. Accepted: 3 March 2016 

ABSTRACT 

This study attempted to evaluate an academic writing textbook used in English Education Study Program 

of Language and Art Education Faculty of IKIP PGRI Bojonegoro, East Java, Indonesia. The fourth 

edition of a book entitled ―Writing Academic English‖ written by Oshima and Hogue was critically 

evaluated based on two major points, namely general attributes of the textbook and the learning-teaching 

contents of the textbook. The general attributes of the textbook cover the book in relation to syllabus and 

curriculum, the methodology, the book‘s suitability to learners, physical and utilitarian attributes, and 

efficient outlay of supplementary materials; and the learning-teaching content of the textbook covers 

general elements (move of the tasks, tasks‘ objectives, etc.), academic writing (specified on research 

paper writing), vocabulary, grammar, and exercises. The questionnaires developed to evaluate the 

textbook were adapted from textbook evaluation checklist developed by Mukundan, Nimehchisalem, and 

Hajimohammadi (2011). The results indicate that the lecturers and students were not really satisfied with 

the book since it does not represent the students‘ needs and curriculum (the curriculum of English 

Education Study Program of IKIP PGRI Bojonegoro mandated to teach research paper writing for 

Writing IV course). The materials provided there are not specified to research paper writing. However, 

the textbook is very good in some points such as the methodology, physical and utilitarian attributes, 

layout of the book, general elements (move of the tasks, tasks‘ objectives, etc.), academic writing (from 

paragraph writing to various essays writing), vocabulary, grammar, and exercises in the area. 

 
KEYWORDS: Academic writing, textbook evaluation, instructional materials, teachers‘ perspectives, 

students‘ perspectives  
 

How to Cite: Ghufron, M. Ali & Mursid Saleh. 2016. Students‘ Differences and Students‘ Outcomes in English 

Learning. Language Circle: Journal of Language and Literature, X/2. 

 

INTRODUCTION 

There are two forms of instructional 

materials: printed forms, such as textbook, 

workbook, teacher‘s guide, etc., and non-

printed forms, such as videotapes, audiotapes, 

and computer-based materials. Intructional 

materials are considered as main component 

in TEFL programs, which is very essential for 

both teachers and learners. Especially, 

textbooks are the mostly used teaching and 

learning materials for both teachers and the 

learners. They do not only provide a 

framework for teachers in achieving the aims 

and objectives of the course, but also serve as 

a guide to the teacher when conducting 

lessons. On behalf of the learners, a textbook 

truly affects their attitudes and performance to 

the lesson throughout the course. It is a fact 

that when learners like their textbooks, they 

like the course as well and become active 

participants to the lesson. The textbook is an 

important source of input and a great 

opportunity for EFL learners to communicate 

in the target language, which is realized only 

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114 

in classroom settings in most public schools 

(Tok, 2010). 

Commonly, English teachers teach their 

students by using available textbooks. 

However, such learning materials which are 

really suitable with the needs of the students 

are not always available. This condition 

should not discourage the teachers as far as 

they have the objective(s) of the teaching or 

are familiar with the need(s) of the students. 

By having the objectives of the teaching/ 

learning or being familiar with the needs of 

the learners, the teachers can develop their 

own materials for the learners to achieve the 

objectives or to fulfill the needs of the 

learners. 

Since English teachers use ‗textbooks‘ in 

their classrooms, they have the right to be 

involved in the process of evaluation in order 

to be provided with the relevant textbook for 

their specific learner group. Their views on 

the usefulness and effectiveness of the 

textbooks are also worth scrutinizing their 

textbooks, so as to identify the weak and 

strong points in relation to their own teaching 

situation. This is required because selecting 

textbooks involves matching the material to 

the context where it is going to be used, and a 

wide range of specialists share the view that 

no textbook that is designed for a general 

market will be absolutely appropriate and 

ideal for one‘s particular group of learners. As 

Grant (1987: 8) claims (the) ‗Perfect book 

does not exist', yet the aim is to be to find out 

the best possible one that will fit and be 

appropriate to a particular learner group. 

Sheldon (1988) suggests that textbooks do 

not only represent the visible heart of any 

ELT program, but also offer considerable 

advantages for both students and the teachers 

when they are being used in ESL/EFL 

classrooms. Cunnigsworth (1995) suggests 

that potential, which textbooks have, in 

serving several additional roles in ELT 

curriculum, is an advantage. He argues that 

textbooks are an effective resource for self 

directed learning, an effective source for 

presentational material, a source of ideas and 

activities, a reference source for students, a 

syllabus where they reflect pre-determined 

learning objectives, and support for less 

experienced teachers who are yet to gain 

confidence. In addition to that, Hycroft (1998) 

states that one of the primary advantage of 

using textbooks is that they are psycho-

logically essential for students since their 

progress and achievement can be measured 

concretely when we use them. 

Textbooks play a prominent role in the 

teaching/learning process and they are the 

primary agents of conveying the knowledge 

to the learners. Besides, one of the basic 

functions of textbooks is to make the 

existence knowledge available and apparent 

to the learner in a selected, easy and 

organized way. Hutchinson and Torres (1994) 

argue that the textbook has a very important 

and a positive part to play in teaching and 

learning of English. They state that textbooks 

provide the necessary input into classroom 

lessons through different activities, readings 

and explanations. Thus, they will always 

survive on the grounds that they meet certain 

needs. 

Regarding the multiple roles of textbooks 

in ELT, Cunningsworth (1995) identifies a 

textbook as a resource in presenting the 

material, a source for learners to practice and 

do the activities. They also provide the 

learners with a reference source on grammar, 

vocabulary and pronunciation. What is more, 

textbooks serve as a syllabus and a self-study 

source for learners. They also serve as a 

support for the beginning teachers who have 



Ghufron, M. Ali & Mursid Saleh. 2016. Students‘ Differences and Students‘ Outcomes in English Learning. 

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115 115 

yet to gain in confidence. Thus, it can be said 

that the fundamental role of textbooks is to be 

at the service of teachers and learners but not 

their boss. 

Richards (2001) states that without 

textbooks, a program may have no impact, 

therefore, they provide structure and a 

syllabus. Besides, the use of a textbook in a 

program can guarantee that students in 

different classes will receive a similar content 

and therefore, can be evaluated in the same 

way. In other words, textbooks provide the 

standards in instruction. Moreover, they 

include a variety of learning resources such as 

workbooks, CDs and cassettes, videos, etc., 

which makes the learning environment 

interesting and enjoyable for the learners. 

While there are many theorists, as 

mentioned before, that point out the extensive 

benefits of using ESL/EFL textbooks, there 

are many other researchers and practitioners 

who do not necessarily accept this view and 

retain some well founded reservations on the 

subject. Allwright (1982) suggests that 

textbooks are too inflexible and generally 

reflect the pedagogic, psychological, and 

linguistic preferences and biases of their 

authors. 

Some proponents of authentic classroom 

language models have argued that the 

problems with many textbooks are not 

necessarily the fact that they are culturally or 

socially biased, but that they are actually too 

contrived and artificial in their presentation of 

the target language. They argue that it is 

crucial to introduce learners to the 

fundamental characteristics of authentic real-

life examples of both spoken and written 

discourse. They have demonstrated that many 

scripted textbook language models and 

dialogues are unnatural and inappropriate for 

communicative or cooperative language 

teaching because they do not adequately 

prepare students for the different types of 

pronunciation (Brazil et al., 1980; Levis, 

1999, Litz, 2005), language structures, 

grammar, idioms, vocabulary and convers-

ational rules, routines and strategies that they 

will have to use in the real-world (Cathcart, 

1989; 1991; Yule et al., 1992, Litz, 2005). 

They further contend that the scripted 

unauthentic language found in many 

textbooks does not lend itself to 

communicative practice, but instead can lead 

to an oversimplification of language and 

unrealistic views of real-life situations. It can 

also provide additional inaccurate advice 

about the target language society that can be 

particularly dangerous for students entering 

the target language community or those who 

are expecting to engage in significant 

amounts of real-life interactions with native 

speakers. Whether one believes that textbooks 

are too inflexible and biased to be used 

directly as instructional material or that they 

actually help teaching and learning, one 

cannot deny the fact that textbooks still 

maintain enormous popularity and are most 

definitely essential. 

Rea-Dickins and Germaine (1994: 4) state 

that ―evaluation is an intrinsic part of teaching 

and learning‖. Evaluation plays a key role in 

education and it is important for the teacher 

since it can provide valuable information for 

the future going of classroom practice, the 

planning of courses and management of 

learning tasks by students. Finally, evaluation 

is essential for the use of instructional 

materials such as textbooks. 

Cunningsworth (1995: 7) suggests that we 

should ensure that ―careful selection is made, 

and that the materials selected closely reflect 

[the needs of the learners and] the aims, 

methods and values of the teaching program‖. 



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116 

One other reason for textbook evaluation is 

that it can be very useful in teachers‘ 

development and professional growth. Ellis 

(1997) suggests that textbook evaluation helps 

teachers go beyond impressionistic assess-

ments and it helps them to acquire useful, 

accurate, systematic and contextual insights 

into the overall nature of textbook material. 

If one accepts the value of textbooks in 

ELT, then it must surely be with the 

qualification that they are of an acceptable 

level of quality, usefulness, and appropriate-

ness for the context and people with whom 

they are being used. In the literature, the 

subject of textbook evaluation is not 

particularly extensive. Pre-eminent theorists 

in the field of ELT textbook design and 

analysis such as Williams (1983), Sheldon 

(1988), Brown (1995), Cunningsworth (1995) 

and all agree, for instance, that evaluation 

checklists should have some criteria 

pertaining to the physical characteristics of 

textbooks such as layout, organizational, and 

logistical characteristics. Other important 

criteria that should be incorporated are those 

that assess a textbook‘s methodology, aims, 

and approaches and the degree to which a set 

of materials is not only teachable, but also fits 

the needs of the individual teacher's approach 

as well as the organization's overall 

curriculum. Which a set of materials is not 

only teachable, but also fits the needs of the 

individual teacher's approach as well as the 

organization‘s overall curriculum. 

Finally, textbook evaluations should 

include criteria that pertain to representation 

of cultural and gender components in addition 

to the extent to which the linguistic items, 

subjects, content, and topics match up to 

students' personalities, backgrounds, needs, 

and interests as well as those of the teacher 

and/or institution. 

Ellis (1997) distinguishes two types of 

materials evaluation, namely, predictive 

evaluation and retrospective evaluation. A 

predictive evaluation is designed to make a 

decision regarding what materials to use. 

Teachers who are required to carry out a 

predictive evaluation determine which 

materials are best suited to their purposes. 

Once the materials have been used, further 

evaluation may be conducted to find out 

whether the materials have worked out for 

them, and this type of evaluation is called 

retrospective evaluation. As it can be 

understood from the aforementioned 

definitions, both predictive and retrospective 

evaluations aim at making the teaching/ 

learning environment more effectively. They 

both help teachers to make appropriate 

judgment concerning the effectiveness of their 

teaching including the materials they used. 

The reasons for materials evaluation 

activities are also many and varied. One of the 

major reasons is the need to adopt new 

coursebooks. Another reason as Cunnings-

worth (1995) emphasized is to identify 

particular strengths and weaknesses in 

coursebooks already in use. Such activities 

also permit teachers to make optimum use of 

their strong points and strengthen the weaker 

areas by adapting and substituting materials 

from other books. Coursebook analyses and 

evaluation do not only help teachers to 

develop themselves, but also helps them to 

gain good and useful insights into the nature 

of the material. Moreover, as Hutchinson 

(1987) points out, materials evaluation do not 

only serves the immediate practical aim of 

selecting teaching materials, but also plays a 

critical role in developing teacher‘s awareness 

in a number of ways, which are teachers being 

able to analyze their own presuppositions 

about the nature of language and learning, 



Ghufron, M. Ali & Mursid Saleh. 2016. Students‘ Differences and Students‘ Outcomes in English Learning. 

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117 117 

forcing teachers to set their prerequisites and 

helping them to see materials as an essential 

part of the whole teaching/learning situation. 

Sheldon (1988) points out that textbook 

evaluation is done for two reasons. First, the 

evaluation will help the teacher or program 

developer in making decisions on selecting 

the appropriate textbook. Furthermore, 

evaluation of the merits and demerits of a 

textbook will familiarize the teacher with its 

probable weaknesses and strengths. This will 

enable teachers to make appropriate 

adaptations to the material in their future 

instruction. In this line, Cunningsworth 

(1995) and Ellis (1997) propose that textbook 

evaluation can be of three types, namely ―pre-

use‖, ―in-use‖, and ―post-use‖ evaluations. 

Evaluation of textbooks for pre-use, or 

predictive, purposes helps teachers in 

selecting the most appropriate textbook for a 

given language classroom by considering its 

prospective performance. The second type of 

evaluation aids the teacher to explore the 

weaknesses or strengths of the textbook while 

it is being used. Finally, post-use, or 

retrospective evaluation helps the teacher 

reflect on the quality of the textbook after it 

has been used in a particular learning-

teaching situation 

The textbook entitled “Writing Academic 

English” written by Oshima and Hogue was 

used as main resources in teaching academic 

witing course in English Eduation Study 

Program of Language and Art Education 

Faculty of IKIP PGRI Bojonegoro since 5 

years ago. This particular research reported on 

a survey that was conducted on academic 

writing teachers in IKIP PGRI Bojonegoro. It 

is hoped that this study will be a preliminary 

evaluation of the mentioned textbook and it is 

also expected that the results of this 

evaluation study will reveal the areas that 

need to be revised and improved in that 

particular EFL textbook. Furthermore, it is 

hoped that this study will raise the awareness 

of textbook writers in onsidering various 

criteria for the development of ESL/EFL 

textbooks; and of English teachers in develop-

ing textbooks which accomodate students‘ 

needs and learning outcomes in curriculum.  

 

METHODOLOGY 

This research was designed by using 

descriptive research model. The data about 

the assessment of the academic writing 

textbook used in English Education Study 

Program of the subject group, which consists 

of the Academic Writing teachers working in 

English Education Study Program of 

Language and Art Education Faculty of IKIP 

PGRI Bojonegoro is based on the results of 

the data collection instrument (Teacher 

Textbook Evaluation Form). 

 

Participants 

The study was done with 3 academic writing 

teachers (2 males, 1 female) at English 

Education Study Program of Language and 

Art Education Faculty of IKIP PGRI 

Bojonegoro. All of participants have 2-5 years 

experience in teaching. Besides, this study 

also involved 10 students of the fifth semester 

students of English Education Study Program 

of Language and Art Education Faculty of 

IKIP PGRI Bojonegoro. The ten students 

were chosen purposively. The students chosen 

to be involved in this study were those who 

have the highest score in their academic 

writing (Writing IV). 

 

Instrument 

The data collection instrument consists of two 

parts. The first part is about the subjects‘ 

personal information; the second part is the 



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118 

Textbook Evaluation Checklist, which elicits 

the criteria of a textbook for English course. 

―Textbook Evaluation Checklist‖ was adapted 

from textbook evaluation checklist developed 

by Mukundan, Nimehchisalem, and 

Hajimohammadi (2011). This textbook 

evaluation checklist covers two major points, 

namely general attributes and learning-

content. From the two major points, there 

were 31 questions dealing the textbook which 

is going to be evaluated. For the statements in 

the ―Textbook Evaluation Checklist‖ a Likert-

type of equal-range was used. The statements 

in the inventory have been labelled as; 

―Completely Agree (5)‖, ―Agree (4)‖, ―Partly 

Agree (3)‖, ―Disagree (2)‖, ―Completely 

Disagree (1)‖. In order to guarantee the 

reliability of the data, Focus Group 

Discussion (FGD) was also done among the 

respondents and the researcher. 

 

Limitations 

This study is limited to Academic Writing 

teachers in English Education Study Program 

of Language and Art Education Faculty of 

IKIP PGRI Bojonegoro. Therefore, 

conclusions need to be verified by conducting 

similar studies across different universities. It 

is assumed that teachers and students 

answered the questions honestly and with 

seriousness. Another limitation of this study is 

that the present study is a micro level 

evaluation study, however, it can be 

complemented with a macro evaluation study, 

which is on the task level.  

 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 

The data of this study were gotten from 

questionnaires distribution to 3 academic 

writing teachers and 10 fifth semester 

students of English Education Study Program 

of Language and Art Education Faculty of 

IKIP PGRI Bojonegoro, East Java, Indonesia. 

The results are presented as follows: 

 

Table 1. The Results of Textbook Evaluation Checklist (adapted from checklist which was 

developed by Mukundan, Nimehchisalem, and Hajimohammadi (2011) 

No. Criteria 
Score Total N 

(%) 5 (%) 4 (%) 3 (%) 2 (%) 1 (%) 

General Attributes       

A. The book in  relation to syllabus and curriculum       

1 It matches with the specifications of the syllabus - - - 4 (31%) 9 (69%) 13 (100%) 

B. Methodology       

2 The activities can be exploited fully and can embrace 

the various methodologies in ELT 

13 (100%) - - - - 13 (100%) 

3 Activities can work well with methodologies in ELT 13 (100%) - - - - 13 (100%) 

C. Suitability to learners       

4 It is compatible with background knowledge and level 
of students 

- 10 (77%) 3 (33%) - - 13 (100%) 

5 It is culturally accessible to the learners - - 8 (62%) 5 (38%) - 13 (100%) 

6 It is compatible to the needs of the learners - - - 13 (100%) - 13 (100%) 
7 It is compatible to the interests of the learners - - - 13 (100%) - 13 (100%) 

D. Physical and utilitarian attributes       

8 Its layout is attractive 9 (69%) 4 (31%) - - - 13 (100%) 
9 It indicates efficient use of text and visuals - 6 (46%) 7 (54%) - - 13 (100%) 

E. Efficient outlay of supplementary materials       

10 There is a teacher‘s guide to aid the teacher - - - 13 (100%) - 13 (100%) 

Learning-teaching content       

A. General       

1 Most of the tasks in the book are interesting - 7 (54%) 6 (46%) - - 13 (100%) 
2 Tasks move from simple to complex 13 (100%) - - - - 13 (100%) 

3 Task objectives are achievable 5 (38%) 8 (62%) - - - 13 (100%) 

4 Cultural sensitivities have been considered 9 (69%) 4 (31%) - - - 13 (100%) 



Ghufron, M. Ali & Mursid Saleh. 2016. Students‘ Differences and Students‘ Outcomes in English Learning. 

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119 119 

5 The language in the book is natural and real 9 (69%) 4 (31%) - - - 13 (100%) 

6 The material is up-to-date - 4 (31%) 9 (69%) - - 13 (100%) 
7 It covers a variety of topics in ELT - - - 8 (62%) 5 (38%) 13 (100%) 

8 The book contain materials taken from ELT research 

findings  

- - - 13 (100%) - 13 (100%) 

9 The book covers materials of writing research paper - - - 13 (100%) - 13 (100%) 

B. Academic Writing       

10 Tasks have achievable goals and take into consideration 
of learner 

- 10 (77%) 3 (33%) - - 13 (100%) 

11 Models are provided for different genres 13 (100%) - - - - 13 (100%) 

C. Vocabulary       
12 The load (number of new words in each lesson) is 

appropriate to the level 

9 (69%) 4 (31%) - - - 13 (100%) 

13 There is a good distribution (simple to complex) of 
vocabulary load across chapters and the whole book 

- 8 (62%) 5 (38%) - - 13 (100%) 

14 Words are efficiently repeated and recycled across the 

book 

- 8 (62%) 5 (38%) - - 13 (100%) 

D. Grammar       

15 The spread of grammar is achievable 5 (38%) 8 (62%) - - - 13 (100%) 

16 The grammar is contextualized - - 7 (54%) 6 (46%) - 13 (100%) 

17 Examples are interesting - - 9 (69%) 4 (31%) - 13 (100%) 

18 Grammar are introduced explicitly - - 9 (69%) 4 (31%) - 13 (100%) 

E. Exercises        
19 They have clear instructions 13 (100%) - - - - 13 (100%) 

20 They are adequate 13 (100%) - - - - 13 (100%) 

21 They help students who are under/over-achievers - 9 (69%) 4 (31%) - - 13 (100%) 

 

From the table above, it is known that 

questions in the textbook evaluation checklist 

were divided into two major points: general 

attributes and learning-teaching content. The 

general attributes cover the book in relation to 

syllabus and curriculum, methodology, 

suitability to learners, physical and utilitarian 

attributes, and supplementary materials. The 

learning-teaching content covers general 

aspects (such as move of the task, etc.), 

academic writing aspects, vocabulary, 

grammar, and exercise.  

 

General Attributes 

The first major point that was evaluated from 

the textbook entitled ―Writing Academic 

English‖ written by Oshima and Hogue is 

general attributes. In this part, there are 5 

aspects that were evaluated. The first aspect is 

the book in relation to syllabus and 

curriculum. From the table 1 above, it is 

clearly seen that 31% of respondents disagree 

with the statement that says about the 

suitability of the textbook with the syllabus 

and curriculum, while 69% of respondents 

completely disagree. Therefore, it is 

concluded that the textbook entitled ―Writing 

Academic English‖ written by Oshima and 

Hogue does not match with the syllabus and 

curriculum of academic writing course in 

English Education Study Program of IKIP 

PGRI Bojonegoro. The curriculum there 

mandates the materials that should be taught 

in Writing IV must deal with the ELT 

research paper writing. 

The second aspect is methodology. There 

are two statements dealing with this aspect. 

The statements deal with the activities in the 

textbook whether or not can be exploited fully 

and can embrace the various methodologies in 

ELT; and activities can work well with 

methodologies in ELT. In both of the first and 

the second statements, 100% of respondents 

completely agree with the statements. It 

means that in this point (methodology), the 

textbook is excellent. 

The third aspect is the textbook suitability 

to learners. This aspect covers four 

statements, i.e. the compatibility of the 

textbook with the students‘ background 

knowledge and students‘ level, the textbook 

accessibility of the culture to the learners, the 

textbook compatibility to the needs of 

learners, and the textbook compatibility to the 

interests of learners. The results show that 

77% of respondents agree with the first 



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statement, and 33% of them partly agree. 

Then, for the second statement, 62% of 

respondents partly agree with the statement 

and 38% of them do not. For the third and the 

fourth statements, 100% of respondents 

disagree with the statement. Therefore, the 

conclusion is the aspect of textbook suitability 

to learners still does not have good suitability 

to learners, since there are still some parts that 

do not fulfill the students‘ needs.  

The fourth aspect is the physical and 

utilitarian attributes. This aspect involves two 

statements. The first statement is whether or 

not its layout is attractive and the second one 

is whether or not it indicates efficient use of 

texts and visuals. The results reveal that 69% 

of respondents completely agree and 31% of 

them agree with the first statement. While for 

the second statement, it is seen that 46% of 

respondents agree and 54% of them partly 

agree with the second statement. In 

conclusion, it can be said that the textbook 

has good enough physical and utilitarian 

attributes especially its layout. 

The last or the fifth aspect of the general 

attributes is supplementary materials. There is 

only one statement proposed to the 

respondents dealing with this aspect. The 

statement is whether or not the textbook 

provides teacher‘s guide to help the teacher in 

using the textbook. 100% of respondents 

answered that there is no teacher‘s guide 

provided.  

 

Learning-Teaching Content 

The second major point that was evaluated 

from the textbook entitled ―Writing Academic 

English‖ written by Oshima and Hogue was 

learning-teaching content. In this part, there 

are also 5 aspects that were evaluated. They 

are general aspects (such as move of the task, 

etc.), academic writing aspects, vocabulary, 

grammar, and exercise.  

The first aspect that was evaluated from 

this part is general aspects. They deal with 

whether or not (1) most of the tasks in the 

book are interesting; (2) tasks move from 

simple to complex; (3) task objectives are 

achievable; (4) cultural sensitivities have been 

considered; (5) the language in the book is 

natural and real; (6) the material is up-to-date; 

(7) it covers a variety of topics in ELT; (8) the 

book contain materials taken from ELT 

research findings; and (9) the book covers 

materials of writing research paper. The 

results show that 54% of respondents agree 

and 46% of them partly agree with the first 

statement. For the second statement, it seen 

that 100% of respondents completely agree. 

The third statement was answer by 

respondents with the results that 38% of 

respondents completely agree and 62% of 

them agree with the statement. The next is the 

fourth statement which was answered by 

respondents with the results that 69% of 

respondents completely agree and 31% of 

them agree with the statement. Then, the fifth 

statement was answered and results the same 

percentage with the fourth statement, it is 

69% of respondents completely agree and 

31% of them agree with the statement. The 

next is the sixth statement which deals with 

the novelty of the materials. The results show 

that 31% of respondents agree and 69% of 

them partly agree with the statement. The 

seventh statement deals with textbook‘s topics 

variety in ELT. 62% of respondents disagree 

and 38% of them completely disagree with 

the statement. The eighth statement deals with 

the materials which are taken from ELT 

research findings. The respondents answered 

that 100% of them disagree with the 

statement. The last is the statement dealing 

with the materials of writing research paper. 

The answer from respondents is the same as 

the eighth statement. It is 100% of them 

disagree with the statement. Finally, it can be 

concluded that the textbook is good enough in 

terms of general attributes. However, if it is 

used for teaching and learning of academic 

writing course (Writing IV) in English 

Education Study Program of IKIP PGRI 



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121 121 

Bojonegoro is still not relevant with the 

students‘ needs and curriculum. This is 

caused by the inexistence of the materials in 

the textbook which cover ELT research 

findings and research paper writing in which 

the two of them are in line with the students‘ 

needs and curriculum for Writing IV course. 

If it is analyzed further, this textbook is 

relevant with the curriculum if it is used to 

teach academic writing course in the terms of 

sentences, paragraph and essay writing 

(Writing I, Writing II, and Writing III 

courses). According to Richards (2005: 1) 

effective instructional materials in language 

teaching are shaped by consideration of a 

number of factors including teacher, learner, 

and contextual variables. Teacher factors 

include the teacher language proficiency, 

training and experience, cultural background, 

and preferred teaching style. Learner factors 

include learner‘s learning style preferences, 

their language learning needs, interests, and 

motivations. Contextual factors include the 

school culture, classroom condition, class 

size, and availability of teaching resources in 

situation where the materials will be used. 

Therefore, in order to fulfill the students‘ 

needs and adjust the curriculum, there should 

be new instructional materials which cover 

ELT research findings and research paper 

writing. 

The second aspect that was evaluated 

from the textbook is academic writing. This 

aspect covers two statements. The first 

statement deals with achievable goals of the 

tasks and whether or not it has been taken into 

consideration of learners. The results show 

that 77% of respondents agree and 33% of 

them partly agree with the statement. The 

second statement deals with models of 

different genres provided by the textbook. 

The results reveal that 100% of respondents 

completely agree with the statement. 

Therefore, it can be concluded that the 

textbook is very good in terms of academic 

writing aspects. 

The third is vocabulary aspect. There are 

3 statements dealing with this aspect. The first 

statement is whether or not the load (number 

of new words in each lesson) is appropriate to 

the level. 69% of respondents completely 

agree and 31% of them agree with this 

statement. The second statement is whether or 

not there is a good distribution (simple to 

complex) of vocabulary load across chapters 

and the whole book. The answers show that 

62% of respondents agree and 38% of them 

partly agree with the statement. The last 

statement is whether or not words are 

efficiently repeated and recycled across the 

book. The answers show that 62% of 

respondents agree and 38% of them partly 

agree with the statement. Then, it is 

concluded that the textbook is very good in 

vocabulary aspects. 

The fourth is grammatical aspect. There 

are 4 statements dealing with this aspect. The 

first statement is whether or not the spread of 

grammar is achievable. The answers of 

respondents show that 38% of them 

completely agree and 62% of them agree with 

the statement. The second statement is 

whether or not the grammar is contextualized. 

The results reveal that 54% of respondents 

partly agree and 46% of them disagree with 

the statement. The third statement is whether 

or not examples are interesting. The answers 

show that 69% of respondents partly agree 

and 31% of them disagree with the statement. 

The fourth statement is whether or not 

grammars are introduced explicitly. The 

answers show the same results as the third 

statement. The 69% of respondents partly 

agree and 31% of them disagree with the 

statement. Then, from the results above, it is 

concluded that the respondents are not 

satisfied enough with grammatical aspects in 

the textbook.  

The last aspect that was evaluated from 

the point of teaching-learning content is 

exercises. It covers 3 statements. They are 

whether or not (1) the exercises help students 



LANGUAGE CIRCLE: Journal lof Language and Literature X/2 (April 2016) 

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 122 

who are under/over-achievers; (2) they are 

adequate; and (3) they have clear instructions. 

For the first and the second statements, 100% 

of respondents completely agree with those 

two statements. Then, for the last statement, 

69% of respondents agree and 31% of them 

partly agree with the statement. The 

conclusion is the textbook provides very good 

exercise for every single topic discussed 

there. However, some of them do not have a 

very clear instruction. 

 

CONCLUSION 

After analyzing the textbook entitled ―Writing 

Academic English‖ written by Oshima and 

Hogue by using textbook evaluation checklist 

developed by Mukundan, Nimehchisalem, 

and Hajimohammadi (2011), it is concluded 

that the lecturers and students were not really 

satisfied with the book since it does not 

represent the students‘ needs and curriculum 

(the curriculum of English Education Study 

Program of IKIP PGRI Bojonegoro mandated 

to teach research paper writing for Writing IV 

course). The materials provided there are not 

specified to research paper writing. However, 

the textbook is very good in some points such 

as the methodology, physical and utilitarian 

attributes, outlay of the book, general 

elements (move of the tasks, tasks‘ objectives, 

etc.), academic writing (from paragraph 

writing to various essays writing), vocabulary, 

grammar, and exercises in the area. Besides, 

if it is used for teaching and learning of 

academic writing course (Writing IV) in 

English Education Study Program of IKIP 

PGRI Bojonegoro is still not relevant with the 

students‘ needs and curriculum. This is 

caused by the inexistence of the materials in 

the textbook which cover ELT research 

findings and research paper writing in which 

the two of them are in line with the students‘ 

needs and curriculum for Writing IV course. 

If it is analyzed further, this textbook is 

relevant with the curriculum if it is used to 

teach academic writing course in the terms of 

sentences, paragraph and essay writing 

(Writing I, Writing II, and Writing III 

courses). Therefore, in order to fulfill the 

students‘ needs and adjust the curriculum, 

there should be new instructional materials 

which cover ELT research findings and 

research paper writing. 

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