ESP FOR HELICOPTER PILOTING TEXTBOOK EVALUATION: MEETING STUDENTS’ NEEDS, OBJECTIVES, AND WANTS

On the basis of the importance of textbooks as one of the elements in curriculum which will guarantee effective teaching and learning in English as a foreign language (EFL)/English as a second language (ESL) courses and the necessity of textbook evaluation for selecting appropriate textbooks, this study tried to evaluate an English for Specific Purposes(ESP) book taught in Imam Ali Military Academy, Faculty of Aviation to indicate if ESP students of Helicopter Piloting are satisfied with their textbook in terms of their objectives, needs, and wants in addition to format and design of the textbook. The participants were a group of 70 male students, their age varied from 22 to 24. The materials to be evaluated included the ESP textbook English for Pilot Students prepared for the third year pilot students. The data collection instrument utilized was a 38-item questionnaire in a five-scale Likert categorized into 4 options as 1-objectives, 2-needs, 3-wants, and 4-format and design. The researchers also observed the ESP class and an interview was done with some students and teachers to get their ideas as well. The result indicated that ESP students of Helicopter Piloting were satisfied with their textbook in terms of their objectives and needs while they were not satisfied with their textbook in terms of their wants and format and design of the book. Findings of this study may offer insights for those involved in educational administrations, syllabus design, curriculum planning, and materials development to do their best to improve the quality and appropriateness of ESP textbooks, materials, and instructional objectives.