Procedia

Social and
Behavioral
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 00 (2011) 000–000
Sciences
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 31 (2012) 66 – 72 www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia

WCLTA 2011

Attitude towards EFL textbooks as a predictor of attitude towards

learning English as a foreign language
Mehrak Rahimi a *, Masoumeh Hassani b
a
Faculty of Humanities, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Lavizan, Tehran, 1678815811, Iran
b
Qom Office of Education, Qom, Iran

Abstract

This study investigated Iranian high-school students’ attitude towards their EFL textbooks and its role in their
attitude towards learning English as a foreign language. Two-hundred and forty-four students participated in the
study. They filled in the Student English Book Evaluation Scale and the attitude toward foreign language learning
questionnaire. The results revealed that Iranian students roughly evaluated their English textbooks as valuable
learning resources; however they had positive attitude towards learning English as a foreign language. Both
variables were found to be positively related and attitude towards EFL textbooks was a predictor of attitude towards
learning English.
©
© 2011 Publishedby
2011 Published byElsevier
Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Prof. Hüseyin Uzunboylu.
Ltd.
Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Keywords: Attitude, textbook, EFL, learning

1. Introduction

There is no doubt that English is the international language in the world and it plays a crucial role in worldwide
relationships. For many countries, English language education policy has become a major attention of their officials.
However, educational policy of these authorities has influenced their communities in ways that are often
controversial (Khajavi & Abbasian, 2011). According to Chang (2006) English has been the prevailing foreign
language in the curricula of educational institutions and in foreign language learning. There is no doubt that many
countries attempt to support English education in order to engage actively in international activities. As such,
finding the ways which help in teaching English and culture in a balanced manner seems inevitable. Therefore, this
study focuses on the contentious issue of EFL textbook evaluation from the perspective of students and its role in
their attitude towards learning English as a foreign language.

1.1. Language learning attitude

Why are some language learners more successful than others? To account for the differences in learning a language
Dörnyei (2010) clings to individual differences. That is, the “dimensions of enduring personal characteristics that
are assumed to apply to everybody and on which people differ by a degree (p. 41)”. In some cases, learning a

* Mehrak Rahimi. Tel: +9821 22970035; fax: +9821 22970033

E-mail address: mehrakrahimi@yahoo.com; rahimi@srttu.edu

1877-0428 © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Prof. Hüseyin Uzunboylu.
Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.12.018
 Mehrak Rahimi and&Masoumeh
Rahimi Hassani /–Procedia
Hassani / Procedia - Social
Social and and Behavioral
Behavioral Sciences
Sciences 00 (2011) 31 (2012) 66 – 72
000–000 67

second language is a relatively important educational task that students face during their academic formation, while
for others it is a straight way to bilingualism. In both cases, researchers seem to agree that “affective variables such
as attitudes influence language learning” (Gardner, Masgoret, Tennant & Mihic, 2004). Karahan (2007) claims that
“positive language attitudes let learner has positive orientation towards learning English” (p.84). As such, attitudes
may play a very crucial role in language learning as they would appear to influence students’ success or failure in
their learning. It is also believed that positive attitude facilitates foreign language learning while negative attitude
acts as a psychological barrier against it (Dörnyei, 1998; Dörnyei & Csizér, 2002). Empirical evidence is available
to support these postulations. Nikolov (2001) for instance, found that students’ negative attitude to Russia or
Russians was responsible for their failure to learn or retain the language. Also, Gardner and Lambert (1972) in their
extensive studies give evidence that positive attitudes toward language enhance proficiency as well.
Many researchers believe that attitudes have cognitive, affective and behavioural components (e.g. Wenden,
1991). The cognitive component involves beliefs or perceptions about the objects or situations related to the attitude.
The affective component refers to the feelings and emotions that one has towards an object, 'likes' or 'dislikes', 'with'
or 'against'. The behavioural component means that certain attitudes tend to prompt learners to adopt particular
learning behaviours.
In the second language acquisition field, researchers have mostly paid attention to two types of attitudes:
attitudes towards the learning of the language, and attitudes towards the community of the target language. While
the first set of attitudes is educational in nature, the second one is more social. SLA literature supports a relationship
between attitudes towards language learning and achievement in the language (Masgoret & Gardner, 2003) even
more than that of other subjects of the curriculum (Jordan, 1941). Attitudes towards language learning also seem
connected to the context where learning takes place (Gagnon, 1974; Krashen, 1997).
In learning a second language, it is important that students have high motivation and positive attitude towards the
target language. This is because many linguists have proven that motivation and attitude are closely related in
determining the success of second language learning (Gardner & Lambert, 1972). Higher levels of motivation and
positive attitude will produce more successful language learners and vice versa. Brown (2000) states that positive
attitudes towards the self, the native language and the target language group enhance second language proficiency.
He further states that a language learner benefits from positive attitude and that negative attitude may lead to
decrease in motivation, input and interaction; and consequently it leads to unsuccessful attainment of proficiency.

1.2. The role of textbooks in language learning

Textbooks are considered the key component of most language programs (Richards, 2001) and provide the
necessary input into classroom lessons through different activities, readings and explanations (Tomlinson, 2002).
According to Cunningsworth (1995) the textbooks serve the language course as a source for material presentation,
activities for learner practice and communicative interaction, stimulation and ideas for classroom activities, and a
reference source for learners on grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Clandfield (2010) in a recent internet
discussion regarding the use of course book, asserts that textbooks are useful tools for ELT in that they provide a
structure for teachers and students to follow, provide attractive, motivational, colorful and diverse content, serve as a
great timesaver for teachers, and provide a source of ideas and methodology for them.
In spite of these values, there are potential negative effects of using textbooks. Textbooks may provide learners
with inauthentic language, they may include distorted content, and they may ignore students’’ needs or deskilled
teachers (Richards, 2001). Many language experts believe that due to these limitations, the perfect textbook does not
exist, however “the best book available for teachers and their learners does exist” (Grant, 1987, p. 8). This is the
book that suits the needs, interests and abilities of both the learners and the teacher. To be able to find the best book
available, materials evaluation has gained attention from language experts and researchers from 60s (Tomlinson,
2002) and still it is an appealing field of study due to the advent of technological innovations that revolutionize the
development of teaching materials.
Hutchinson (1987) defines evaluation as a “matter of judging the fitness of something for a particular purpose”
(p.41).While considering the evaluation process in language teaching, generally, the initial analyses are carried out
to understand whether the textbook fits into the official curriculum or the intended language program. Moreover, the

2
68 Mehrak Rahimi
Rahimi and Masoumeh
& Hassani Hassani
/ Procedia / Procedia
– Social - Social and
and Behavioral Behavioral
Sciences Sciences
00 (2011) 31 (2012) 66 – 72
000–000

textbook should meet the needs of the students by attending to their interests and abilities and it should also be in
agreement with the teaching style of a teacher (Grant, 1987).
In order to be able to evaluate teaching materials, several criteria such as program goals and objectives, theory
of language, theory of learning, learners’ needs, and cultural issues have to be taken into account in the process of
materials evaluation/selection (Cunningsworth, 1995; Garinger, 2002) for a language course. The agents of
materials evaluation can be: the outside observer to see how effectively teachers use books, one teacher or groups of
teachers who may write reviews or reports and discuss their experience with certain books in group meetings, and
students review to comment on their experience with the textbook (Richards, 2001) .

1.3. English textbook evaluation in Iran

The aim of learning English as a foreign language in Iran is familiarizing students with science, literature, and art of
the English speaking countries for a universal understanding and providing them with a means of finding foreign
sources of information (Birjandi & Soheili, 1982). As these goals may have not been achieved in language classes in
Iran, the national EFL curriculum has been under careful scrutiny to find the sources of students’ learning
demotivation and the reasons of failure of such programs. The general finding of these studies shows that one source
of EFL curriculum problems in Iran is the English textbooks (Rahimi, & Nabilou, 2009) that are widely used and
serve as syllabus and main guideline for teachers.
Studies regarding materials evaluation in Iran have investigated the inefficiency of English textbooks from the
perspective of teachers and accordingly they have reported that problems with these book can be attributed to high
load of information, inappropriate teaching content, discrepancy between the content and learning objective,
incomplete explanation for vocabulary, ignorance of students’ cognitive development, lack of entertaining materials,
lack of authentic materials, ignorance of oral skills, ignoring communicative language teaching, and lack of
scientific approaches to teaching pronunciation (Moradi, 2008; Rahimi & Nabilou, 2009).
Some researchers have done content analysis and evaluated English textbooks by considering certain criteria
such as problems with grading and complexity of readings (Ahmadi, 2007), culture (Safarnavadeh, 2004), arousing
students’ motivation (Ketabi & Talebinezhad, 2009), the amount of representation of CLT principles (Razmjoo,
2007), the types of learning objectives (Riazi & Mossalanejad, 2010), and national identity and globalization
(Khajavi & Abbasian, 2011). Most of these findings revealed unsatisfactory results with regard to the way English
textbooks present materials and learning objectives.
Although students are the key end-users of these books, the literature of materials evaluation in Iran has ignored
their ideas towards their EFL textbooks and consequently there is a dearth of research on the value of English
textbooks from students’ perspective. As any language policy and planning must take care of the attitudes of the
target group for whom a textbook is designed (Lewis, 1981 cited in Baker, 1992), the present study focuses on
Iranian students’ attitude towards their EFL textbooks and its relationship with their attitude towards learning
English as a foreign language. The study seeks answers to the following questions:

1. What are Iranian high school students’ attitudes towards their English textbooks?
2. What are Iranian high school students’ attitudes towards learning English as a foreign language?
3. Are attitudes towards EFL textbooks and attitudes towards learning English as a foreign language related?

2. Method

2.1. Participants

Two hundred and forty four high school students participated in the study.

2.2. Instruments

Two instruments were used in this study: Student English Book Evaluation Scale (SEBES) and the attitude towards
Foreign Language Learning Questionnaire (A-FLL).
3
 Mehrak Rahimi and&Masoumeh
Rahimi Hassani /–Procedia
Hassani / Procedia - Social
Social and and Behavioral
Behavioral Sciences
Sciences 00 (2011) 31 (2012) 66 – 72
000–000 69

2.2.1. SEBES
In order to develop SEBES, a thorough and detailed analysis of the literature and book evaluation checklists were
done. The first draft of the scale included 30 items grouped under 7 factors. To ascertain the face validity of the
scale, three English professors proofread the first version and 5 items were removed based on their ideas. The
wording of some items also changed. The content validity was guaranteed using components of book evaluation in
the literature including: students’ needs and interest, linguistic objectives, skills and components, teacher role, and
supplementary materials.
The scale was then distributed among 140 high school students. To estimate the factor structure of the scale,
exploratory factor analysis was utilized. As the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure was found to be 0.86, factorability was
assumed. The factor analysis resulted in six factors that explain more than 60% of the variance including students’
needs (items 1-2) and interest (items 11, 15-18 and 22), learning objective (items 3-6), skills and components (items
7-10 and 12-14), teacher role (items 19-21), and supplementary materials (items 23-25). In order to ascertain the
reliability of the scale, the Cronbach’s alpha was estimated and found to be 0.88 for the scale. The Cronbach’s alpha
of the subparts ranged from 0.60 to 0.77.

2.2.2. A-FLL
The second instrument was the Attitude towards Foreign Language Learning (A-FLL) questionnaire (Vandewaetere
& Desmet, 2009). A-FLL consists of three main sets of items and ten subsets: cognitive components (items 1-5);
affective/evaluative (13 items) including extrinsic motivation (items 6-8), intrinsic motivation (items 9-15), and
teacher influence (items 16-18); behavioral/personality (13 items) consisting of inhibition (items 19-20), exhibition
(items 21-23), tolerance of ambiguity (items 24-26), and learning effort (items 27-31). To estimate the reliability of
A-FLL, Vandewaetere and Desmet (2009) have used internal consistency technique and Cronbach’s alpha of three
subscales reported to be: 0.94, 0.85, 0.79, 0.92, 0.85, 0.64, 0.75, and 0.70 respectively. To be able to use A-FLL for
the purpose of this study, it was first translated into Persian, and then back translated to ensure the accuracy of
translation. Then the translated version was proofread by language experts and required changes were done. The
reliability of the Persian version was calculated through internal consistency technique and the Cronbach’s alpha
found to be .70.

3. Results

In order to find answers to research questions, descriptive statistics, correlation method and multiple regressions
were used.

3.1. Iranian students’ attitude toward their English textbooks

Iranian students’ evaluation of their English textbooks were represented by a mean score on a 7-point scale, where 7
(strongly agree) represents the maximum score of the scale and 1 (strongly disagree) represents the minimum score.

Table 1- Distribution of mean scores on SEBES and its subparts

Scale Number of Possible Mean SD Average per item

items range
SEBES 29 29-163 105.50 24.64 3.63
Students’ needs 2 2-14 7.68 3.47 3.84
Students’ interest 6 9-42 26.62 7.23 4.43
Objectives 4 4-28 15.24 5.73 3.81
Skills/Components 7 7-49 31.52 8.73 4.50
Methodology 3 3-21 14.59 4.40 4.86
Supplementary materials 3 3-21 9.82 4.43 3.27

4
70 Mehrak Rahimi
Rahimi and Masoumeh
& Hassani Hassani
/ Procedia / Procedia
– Social - Social and
and Behavioral Behavioral
Sciences Sciences
00 (2011) 31 (2012) 66 – 72
000–000

Table 1 illustrates the distribution of mean scores on the SEBES and its subparts. As table 1 illustrates, students’
overall evaluation of their textbooks showed that they have negative perceptions to their textbooks. In other words,
they do not consider their books as a valuable source of learning with an overall mean score of 3.63. The
respondents’ perceptions were roughly positive within students’ interest (mean=4.43) and language skills and
components (mean=4.50) and the way teaching materials are presented by the teacher in the classroom (mean=4.86).
They showed negative perceptions within students’ needs (mean=3.84), objectives (mean=3.81), and supplementary
materials (mean=3.27).

3.2. Iranian high school students’ attitudes towards learning English as a foreign language

Iranian students’ attitudes towards learning English were represented by a mean score on a 7-point scale, where 7
(strongly agree) represents the maximum score of the scale and 1 (strongly disagree) represents the minimum score.
Table 2 illustrates the distribution of mean scores on the A-FLL and its subparts.
As table 2 illustrates, Iranian students had positive attitudes towards learning English in general (mean=4.98).
The respondents’ attitudes were generally positive within cognitive (mean=4.98) and affective/evaluative
(mean=4.74) components. However, this perception was roughly positive within behavioral/personality components
in general (mean=4.41). Moreover, the respondents’ attitudes were negative within extrinsic motivation
(mean=2.87), inhibition (mean=3.62) and learning effort (mean=3.55). They had highly positive attitudes within
intrinsic motivation (mean=5.26), teacher influence (mean=5.46) and exhibition (mean=6.07), while a moderate
positive perception in the tolerance of ambiguity component was reported (mean=4.70).
Table 2. Distribution of mean scores on A-FLL and its subparts

Number of items Possible range Mean SD Average per item

Scale
A-FLL 29 83-223 144.53 21.58 4.98
Cognitive components 5 5-105 24.93 9.79 4.98
Affective/evaluative 13 32-90 61.68 10.62 4.74
Extrinsic motivation 3 3-21 8.61 4.86 2.87
Intrinsic motivation 7 16-49 36.85 7.14 5.26
Teacher influence 3 3-21 16.40 4.60 5.46
Behavioral/personality 13 31-86 57.45 10.23 4.41
Inhibition 2 2-14 7.25 3.46 3.62
Exhibition 3 3-21 18.23 3.58 6.07
Tolerance of ambiguity 3 3-21 14.12 4.80 4.70
Learning effort 5 5-35 17.78 6.77 3.55

3.3. The relationship between EFL textbook attitudes and attitudes towards learning English

In order to find the relationship between EFL textbook attitudes and attitudes towards learning English the
correlation and regression analyses were used. The result of correlation coefficient revealed a significant and
positive association between the two variables (r = .47, p<0.01).
In order to determine the proportion of the variance in A-FLL that could be explained by students’ attitudes
towards their EFL textbooks, regression analysis was performed. The summary of the regression results is presented
in tables 3 and 4. The results indicated that 22% of the variance in A-FLL was explained by the independent
variable of this study. The test statistic was significant at the 0.05 level of significance (F (1, 243) = 68.717;
p=0.000).
Table 3. Analysis of variance

Sources Sum of squares DF Mean square F R2 Adjusted R2 p

Model 23491.493 1 23491.493 68.717 .22 .217 .000
Error 83071.307 243 341.857
Total 106562.800 244
5
 Mehrak Rahimi and&Masoumeh
Rahimi Hassani /–Procedia
Hassani / Procedia - Social
Social and and Behavioral
Behavioral Sciences
Sciences 00 (2011) 31 (2012) 66 – 72
000–000 71

Table 4. Multiple regressions on dependent variable (A-FLL)

Variables B β t p
EFL textbook perception
.359 .470 8.290 0.000

4. Discussion

The present study aimed at investigating the perceived values of Iranian EFL textbooks and the role of this
perception in their attitude towards foreign language learning. The findings of the study showed that in general
students do not perceive their English textbooks as valuable sources (Mean=3.63). The mean of students’ attitude
towards different criteria used for the evaluation ranged from 3.27 for supplementary materials to 4.86 for
methodology. The means below theoretical mean (4) were students’ attitudes to supplementary materials (m=3.27),
students’ needs (mean=3.84), and objectives (mean=3.81). That is, from the students’ point of view, supplementary
materials, students’ needs and goal of learning have not been satisfactorily taken into account in their textbooks.
Since the highest mean was for the teachers’ way of presenting the content, it can be concluded that students believe
that teachers present the materials appropriately and satisfactory. The findings also indicate that the materials are
well developed with regard to language skills and components (mean=4.50), and even their interest (mean=4.43).
These finding cast doubts on the findings of those studies that have discussed that language skills and components
such as reading, listening, speaking, writing, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation are poorly developed and
presented in Iranian EFL textbooks (e.g. Ketabi &Talebinezhad, 2009). As the findings of most of these studies are
based on teachers’ ideas and perceptions, the reason why students’ ideas with regard to English textbooks are not in
absolute agreement with their ideas may lie in the fact that teachers and learners attribute classroom problems and
demotivative factors differently (Sakai & Kikuchi, 2009).
Further, the findings of this study revealed that Iranian students had very high motivation towards learning
English (Mean=4.98) and fortunately with a very high degree of intrinsic motivation (Mean=5.26). The means of
different components of attitude ranged from 2.87 for extrinsic motivation to 6.07 for exhibition. This study
contradicts with the opinion of some researchers who believe that in foreign language situations students are
instrumentally oriented (Gardner & Lambert, 1972). The findings of the present study confirms Vaezi’s (2008)
finding where Iranian students showed very high motivation towards learning English, though they had a higher
degree of instrumental motivation. The findings of this study are also in line with Chalak and Kassaian’s (2010)
findings. Their findings showed that students’ attitude was highly positive towards English, its culture and
people.The participants in their study were both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated. On the whole, it can be
concluded that most Iranian students understand the purpose of studying English and are aware of the role of
English as an international language. Therefore, they are interested in English and do not need external forces to
learn it.
Moreover, the findings of the present study showed that there was a positive relationship between Iranian
students’ positive attitudes towards EFL textbooks and their attitudes towards learning English as a foreign
language. This finding highlights the role of teaching materials in language programs (Garinger, 2002; Ricahrds,
2001) and yet adds another benefit to using textbooks in language classes, that is, increasing students’ motivation
and positive attitudes. It is evident that students often develop negative attitudes towards learning English as a
foreign language due to the lack of stimulating and authentic learning material and tasks (Richards, 2001). Authentic
material is meaningful to students, challenges their cognitive abilities, and engages them personally. It also increases
interest and intrinsic motivation. Many Iranian texts often contain material which fails to raise the interest of
students due to the heavy emphasis on vocabulary and grammar (Rahimi & Nabilou). Therefore, these course
materials should be revised and in a way that they provide students with opportunities to interact with the material
that motivates them to learn (Gibbs, 1992). Further, the textbooks should include an appropriate content consistent
with students’ age, preferences and expectations (Tomlinson, 1998).

6
72 Mehrak Rahimi
Rahimi and Masoumeh
& Hassani Hassani
/ Procedia / Procedia
– Social - Social Sciences
and Behavioral and Behavioral Sciences
00 (2011) 31 (2012) 66 – 72
000–000

References

Ahmadi, A. (2007). Treatment of pronunciation in Iranian ELT textbooks. Paper presented in the Fourth TELLSI Conference, Shiraz, Iran.
Baker, C. (1992). Attitudes and language. London: Multilingual Matters.
Birjandi, P. and Soheili, A. (1982). English Textbooks. Roshd Foreign Language Teaching Journal, 1, 7. Available online: www.magiran.ir
Brown, H. (2000). Principles of language learning and teaching. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Chalak, A., and Kassaian, Z. (2010). Motivation and attitudes of Iranian undergraduate EFL students towards learning English. GEMA Online™
Journal of Language Studies.10, 37-57.
Chang, J. (2006). Globalization and English in Chinese higher education. World Englishes, 25, 513-525.
Clandfield, L, 2010 - C is for Course book - Blog post: C is for Course book, (16/05/2010) Available online
http://scottthornbury.wordpress.com/2010/05/16/c-is-for-coursebook-bylindsay- clandfield/
Cunningsworth, A. (1995). Choosing your course book. Oxford: Macmillan Heinemann.
Dörnyei, Z. (1998). Motivation in second and foreign language learning. Language Teaching, 31,117-35.
Dörnyei, Z. and Csizér, K. (2002). Some dynamics of language attitudes and motivation: Results of a longitudinal national survey. Applied
Linguistics, 23, 421-462.
Dörnyei, Z. (2010). Researching motivation: From integrativeness to the ideal L2 self. In S. Hunston & D. Oakey (Eds.), Introducing applied
linguistics: Concepts and skills (pp. 74-83). London: Routledge.
Gagnon, M. (1974). Quelques facteurs determinant l’attitude vis-à-vis l’anglais, language second. In R. Darnell (Eds.). Linguistic diversity in
Canadian Society (Vol. II). Edmonton: Linguistic Research.
Gardner, R. C. and Lambert, W. (1972). Attitudes and motivation in second language learning. Rowley, Ma: Newbury House.
Gardner, R. C., Masgoret, A.M., Tennant, J. and Mihic, L. (2004). Integrative motivation: Changes during a year-long intermediate-level course.
Language Learning, 54, 1-34.
Garinger, D. (2002). Textbook selection for the ESL classroom. Available online: http://www.cal.org/ericcll/digest/ 0210garinger.html
Gibbs, G. (1992). Improving the quality of student learning. Bristol, UK: Technical and Educational Services.
Grant, N. (1987). Making the most of your textbook. Harlow: Longman.
Hutchinson, T. (1987). What’s underneath? An interactive view of materials evaluation. In L. E. Sheldon, (Ed.), ELT textbooks and materials:
problem in evaluation and development. ELT Documents 126, 37-44. London: Modern English Publications.
Jordan, D. (1941). The attitude of central schools pupils to certain school subjects, and the correlation between attitude and attainment. British
Journal of Educational Psychology, 11, 28-44.
Karahan, F. (2007). Language attitudes of Turkish students towards the English language and its use in Turkish context. Journal of Arts and
Sciences.7, 73-87.
Ketabi, S. and Talebinezhad, M. (2009). Socio-cultural patterns of Iranian EFL textbooks in arousing students’ motivation to do research. Journal
of Language Teaching Skills, 4, 41-69. Available online: www.sid.ir
Khajavi, Y., and Abbasian, R. (2011). English language teaching, national identity and globalization in Iran: The case of public schools.
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science.1, 181-186. Available online: www.sid.ir
Krashen, S. (1997). Foreign language education: the easy way. Calver City, CA: Language Education Associates.
Masgoret, A. M. and Gardner, R.C. (2003). Attitudes, motivation, and second language learning. A meta-analysis of studies conducted by
Gardner and associates. Language Learning, 53, 123-163.
Moradi, F. (2008). An investigation of problems in teaching and learning English in Tehran province, MA Thesis, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.
Available online: www.irandoc.ir
Nikolov, R. C. (2001). A study of unsuccessful language learners. Dörnyei, Z. and Schmidt (2001). Motivation and second language learning.
Rowley, MA: Newbury House.
Rahimi, M. and Nabilou, Z. (2009). Globalization and EFL Curriculum Reform in Iran: Challenges and Opportunities. Journal of Technology of
Education, 3, 115-124. Available online: www.sid.ir.
Razmjoo, S.A. (2007). High Schools or Private Institutes Textbooks? Which Fulfill Communicative Language Teaching Principles in the Iranian
Context? Asian EFL Journal, 9,126-140.
Riazi, A.M. and Mossalanejad, N. (2010). Evaluation of learning objectives in Iranian high-School and pre-university English textbooks using
Bloom’s taxonomy. The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language. 13, 1-16.
Richards, J.C. (2001). The role of textbooks in a language program. Cambridge University Press.
Safarnavadeh, K. (2004). A comparative study of national EFL curriculum in Japan, Iran and Pakistan with a focus on the impact of the Western
culture in these countries. MA Thesis, Allaneh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran. Available online: www.irandoc.ir
Sakai, H. and Kikuchi, K. (2009). An analysis of demotivators in EFL classes. System, 37, 57-69.
Tomlinson, B. (2002). In R. Carter & D. Nunan (Eds.), The Cambridge guide to teaching English to speakers of other languages (pp. 66-71).
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Vaezi, Z. (2008). Language learning motivation among Iranian undergraduate students. World Applied Sciences Journal, 5, 54-61.
Vandewaeterea, M. and Desmetb, P. (2009). Introducing psychometrical validation of questionnaires in CALL research: the case of measuring
attitude towards CALL. Computer Assisted Language Learning. 22, 349-380.
Wenden, A.L. (1991). Learner strategies for learner autonomy. London: Prentice Hall.