Evaluation of reading strategy instruction in an EFL reading textbook and teachers' perceptions of that reading strategy instruction

Strategic reading abilities are one of the major components of fluent reading, thus, developing strategic readers should be a focus of academic reading instruction. In such instruction, materials and teachers play a crucial role. The objective of this study was to evaluate reading strategy instruction in www.dbe.off-line.readings2, the intermediate-level reading textbook used in the Department of Basic English (DBE), at Middle East Technical University. Additionally, the study aimed at determining DBE teachers’ perceptions of strategy instruction in the textbook. In the first part of the study, a Textbook Evaluation Instrument and a Reference Sheet including 30 of the most frequently mentioned reading strategies in the literature were prepared. Then, these instruments were used to identify explicit/implicit strategy explanations and strategy practice opportunities in the textbook. Data collected from the textbook evaluation were analyzed quantitatively using frequencies and percentages. In the second part of the study, a questionnaire was administered to 44 intermediate-level DBE teachers to obtain data about their perceptions of the strategy instruction included in the book. Data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed quantitatively by employing descriptive statistics, such as frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Results of the study revealed which strategies receive explicit and/or implicit strategy instruction in the textbook. Teachers’ perceptions of the strategy instruction in the book are generally in conformity with the results of the textbook evaluation. The findings of the study might guide teachers in the design of supplementary reading materials to augment strategic reading instruction.