CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

1.2 Formulation Of The Problem

1. What is materials evaluation?
2. Why evaluate materials?
3. How do you evaluate materials?
1.3 Purpose Of The Paper
1. To know what materials evaluation
2. To know why evaluate materials
3. To know how to evaluate materials

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 CHAPTER II

DISCUSSION

2.1 Materials Evaluation

Having complted your need analysis and course design, you must now decide what you
are going to do with it. There are three possible ways of turning your course design into actual
teaching materials:

a) Select from existing materials: materials evaluation

b) Write yur own materials: materials developmen
c) Modify existing materials: materials adption

In this and the following chapter we shall look at the first two options: materials
evaluation and materials writting. The third options is a combination of the first two. So, if this
your choise, you will need to use both process. The materials writer can learn alot in terms of
ideas and techniques ffom evaluating existing materials. Similiarly, writing materials makes you
more aware of what to look for in materials written by other people and also more sympathetic to
the efforts of other materials writers.

2.2 Why Evaluate Materials?

According to Hutchinson &Waters (1987) stated that evaluation is a matter of judging the
fitness of something for a particular purpose. Evaluation concerns on the relative merit. There is
no absolute good or bad, only degrees of fitness for the required purpose. It means that, when the
teacher does materials evaluation, the evaluation is based on the required purpose or goal that
would be reached by the students.

In another word, according to Hutchinson &Waters (1987) stated that in any kind of
evaluation, the decision finally made is likely to be the better for being based on a systematic
check of all the important variables. In doing the evaluation materials, the writer probably get a
negative and positive impact. The negative side of evaluation materials is the teacher probably
spent a lot of expense, time, and probably getting frustrated. On the other hand, the positive side

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of evaluation materials is; it can also help in justifying request of the sponsors or other members
of an ESP team for money to buy materials or time to write them. In another word, according to
Hutchinson &Waters (1987) stated that in any kind of evaluation, the decision finally made is
likely to be the better for being based on a systematic check of all the important variables. In
doing the evaluation materials, the writer probably get a negative and positive impact. The
negative side of evaluation materials is the teacher probably spent a lot of expense, time, and
probably getting frustrated. On the other hand, the positive side of evaluation materials is; it can
also help in justifying request of the sponsors or other members of an ESP team for money to
buy materials or time to write them.

2.3 How Do You Evaluate Materials?

Hutchinson &Waters (1987) stated that“evaluation is basically a matching process:

matching needs to available solutions”. In order to match the needs and solutions, the matching
should be done as objective as possible. It means that teachers have to look the needs of students
and the solution separately. In the final analysis, any choice will be made on subjective grounds.
However, if subjectivity influence your judgement, it may blind you to possible alternatives. For
example: teacher might reject a particular textbook, because the teacher does not like the picture
on the cover or dislike functional syllabuses but it does not mean that the book does not suit the
needs of parties. Thus, teachers should not let subjectivity too much influence their judgement in
the early stages of analysis when evaluating materials to be taught. Process of evaluation can be
divided into four major steps(see figure 26)
1) Defining Criteria
2) Subjective analysis
3) Objective analysis
4) Matching

The first two stages will be done in course design stage. While the other two stage is done
as the continuation of the subjective analysis where teacher have to evaluate or develop their
material through objectve analysis. From these process, teacher will be easier to know how far
the material match the needs.

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We can now present our own checklist of criteria for objective and subjective analyses. This is
not exhaustive list. You may find other criteria which you feel are important.

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 There are some practical steps that we should do in material evaluation, as follows ;

1. Answer the A question

In this step, answer the A question to identify the requirements that can be used as a basis for
writing the material or as an input to the next stage of material evaluation.

2. Answer the B question

In this step, answer the B question to analyze the materials that have selected.

3. Compare the A and B findings

This step can be done by awarding the points :
0 = does not match the desired features
1 = partly matches the desired features
2 = closely matches the desired features
Based on the awarding points, you have to look for the widest spread of desired features and
concentrations in the areas you consider most important.

4. Make your choice and use your findings to prepare any documentation needed for defending
your decision. You can make a decision upon the analysis, whether everything is good, or some
part need to be modified/replaced

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 CHAPTER III

CLOSING
3.1 Summary

In this chapter we have looked at materials evaluation as one way of exploiting a course
design. Even if you eventually decide to write your own materials, the evaluation of existing
materials can provide a good source of ideas (of what to avoid as well as what to do) and
techniques. It can also save a lot of duplication of effort by possibly revealing existing materials
that can provide all or part of your materials needs.