AN EVALUATION OF TOP NOTCH SERIES

The role of textbooks cannot be overlooked in the triangular net of elements in language learning which includes the learner, teacher, and textbook. Thus, it goes without saying that so much attention should be paid to the way the textbooks are evaluated to fulfill both the learners’ and teachers’ needs. Textbook evaluation can potentially be a particularly worthwhile means of conducting research as well as a form of professional improvement. Nowadays, the Top Notch series have become one of the most frequently used series in almost all of the institutes and also most of the tutoring for English teaching and learning especially in Iran. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the series based on Littlejohn’s (1998) framework. To evaluate the series, 30 Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers were recruited from different language institutes. To collect and interpret the data, both qualitative and quantitative statistics were used. The findings indicated that the series fulfill the intended objectives and enjoy benefits for language learners through encouraging the L2 learners to communicate successfully by offering opportunities for interaction. However, one shortcoming of the series is the lack of activities or discussions for presenting new words that require EFL teachers’ consideration. The results of this study have some pedagogical implications for teachers and materials developers in EFL contexts. The results of the study help L2 teachers know the detailed points of the series and detect areas of weakness and strength. Moreover, novice English teachers profit from this study because they have an idea about the nature of the textbook they want to teach.