Evaluation of "First Certificate Gold Course Book": Evidence from students of a Private English Institute in Iran

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the first certificate Gold course book (Aclam & Burgess, 2006) taught at Mehr English Institute in Lahijan (Guilan Province, Iran). The objectives of this book focused on developing a communicative competence, providing plenty of practice, including listening and reading texts to bring the course up to date, including writing tasks, etc. The sample consisted of 35 EFL learners who were selected through random sampling. Also, 6 teachers evaluated the textbook. The researcher used a quantitative research survey design which includes a researcher-made evaluation checklist on the basis of eight checklist references. The course book was evaluated according to five key aspects: design and organization, topics, skills and strategies, practical considerations and illustrations, and activities. Quantitative data was obtained through a five-point Likert scale questionnaire consisting of 23 items. Descriptive statistics including percentage were calculated for each item of the questionnaire. Findings indicated that majority of participants and teachers had positive views toward the textbook. It was concluded that despite having a few shortcomings, the course book was fairly successful according to its intended objectives. In the light of these findings, some pedagogical implications are discussed.

First Certificate Gold Course Book, Evaluation, Checklist, English Language Teaching (ELT), Iranian EFL learners.