In summary, textbook is one of the instructional resources that consist of pictures, graphs, texts, maps, exercises, and other media of learning that is
considered as the resource that is mostly used in the classroom that could facilitate the teachers and the students in the teaching and learning process. It
also influences the teaching and learning process in the classroom.
2. The Use of Textbook
People could not deny that the textbook has many advantages in the teaching and learning process. As stated before that it is considered as the
resource that is mostly used in the teaching and learning process, thus the textbook has important role in the teaching and learning process.
In addition, Airasian and Russel highlight that, “The instructional
resources available to a teacher influence not only the nature of instruction but also the learning outcomes that are possible.
”
4
It is clearly said that the textbook, as one of the instructional resources, could help the teachers to make
the better outcomes in the teaching and learning process. Ornstein in Reed, Bergemann and Olson also adds
that, “The textbook has had the longest and most obvious influence on curriculum, to the extent of,
in effect, standardizing teaching and instructional practice.”
5
It means that the textbook is important equipment in the teaching and learning process because it
can standardize the instructional practice in the classroom. The textbook also provides the students with such illustration materials
like pictures and graphs to make it interesting to be read. Therefore, the textbook is obviously useful for both the teachers and the students because it
facilitates the teachers and the students with interesting illustrations that could help the students to be more interested in the teaching and learning process.
4
Airasian and Russel, op.cit., 2008, p.62
5
Reed, Bergemann, and Olson, loc.cit, 1998, p.256
Then, according to Cunningsworth, textbook has multiple roles in the English language teaching and can serve as:
a resource for presentation material spoken and written
a source for activities for learner practice and communicative
interaction
a reference source for learners on grammar, vocabulary,
pronunciation, etc
a source of simulation and ideas for classroom language
activities
a syllabus where they reflect learning objectives which have
already been determined
a resource for self-directed learning or self-access work a support for less experienced teachers who have yet to gain
in confidence.
6
Hence, the writer infers that the textbook is one of the instructional tools used in the classroom as a reference in the learning and teaching process so it is
very useful for both the teachers and the students. Textbook could give the teachers an idea or a framework to teach with interesting materials and allow
them to look forward and back for giving them a chance to prepare what’s
coming and review what they have done. For the students, the textbook could help them in reviewing their improvement in the learning process so they could
know their own progress in learning.
3. The Common Features of A Good Textbook
There are many common features of a good textbook from many experts in the educational field. Those common features help the teachers to be more
careful in selecting an appropriate textbook for their students. As an important role in teaching and learning process, the textbook has big influence in the
learning outcome so the teachers need to be selective in the textbook selection activity. If the textbook is not considered as a good textbook, it could influence
6
Alan Cunningsworth, Choosing Your Coursebook, Oxford: Macmillan Publisher, 1998, p.7
