TEXTBOOK EVALUATION AND MATERIALS SELECTION IN THE CONTEXT OF ENGLISH FOR NURSING COURSE DEVELOPMENT

The paper analyses the process of textbook selection and materials adaptation in the context of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) courses and in the context of English for Nursing course. Textbooks and materials are essential components of ESP course design, which frequently contribute to the success or failure of the course in completing the course objectives. However, the process of selecting a specific textbook for the course, which will address the course objectives, is not straightforward or simple. In the ESP literature, the views about the need of using textbooks in ESP courses are polarised. The study will examine the benefits of using textbooks in ESP context, which include available sources for the students and facilitate the class preparation for the teachers, as well as the drawbacks which include the impossibility of finding a textbook which corresponds entirely to learners’ needs. The research includes the evaluation of the selected textbook in the context of English for Nursing. The evaluation is based on the literature review on the topic of textbook evaluation in ESP and language teaching and learning context in general. The evaluation described is based on the set of criteria provided by Miekley (2005), which includes the following criteria: content, vocabulary and grammar, exercises and activities, attractiveness of the text, the quality of the teacher’s manual and the context. Two textbooks are examined and compared, in order to select the appropriate one. Apart from the textbook analysis, the paper aims to provide suggestions and recommendations regarding materials adaptation and development of materials which can be used in English for Nursing and Medical English Courses.