I.

THE NOTION OF COURSEBOOK

What is actually textbook or coursebook? Experts
have defined textbook or coursebook in some ways.
According to Tarigan (1986:13) “textbooks are books of
lesson in certain field of study as a standard book
arranged by the experts of field for instructional
purposes and compiled by harmonious teaching media
and easy understood by the user in schools and colleges
to recieve teaching program”. Graves (2000: 175) states that
the textbook is a
book used as a standard source of information for
formal study of a subject and an instrument for teaching
and learning. Meanwhile, according to Cunningsworth
(1995:7) a textbook is the best seen as a source in
achieving aims and objectives that have already been
set in terms of learners’ need.
From several experts’ statements above, conclusion
can be drawn that textbook is one of the important
media of teaching and learning in the classroom which
serves a function as source of information and is
standardized to meet the students’ need in order to
achieve the goals of teaching and learning.
II. CRITERIA OF GOOD TEXTBOOK
Considering that textbooks have to assist teacher in
teaching and learning process and have to meet the
students’ need, the content of the coursebook must be
suitable to the aims and objectives of teaching. To understand
how textbook is categorized into
good quality, the teacher should pay attention to the
several standards or characteristics of good textbooks.
According to Greene and Petty (1971) in Tarigan
(1993:20-21) good textbook possesses certain qualities
as follows: 1. The textbook must be interesting and attractive
toward the learners. So, they will be interested in
using textbooks. 2. The textbook must be able to motivate the
learners, The contents of textbook must be illustrative 4. The
textbook should consider the linguistic
aspect. So, it will be suitable with the learner`s
ability. 5. The contents of textbook must be related to
the other branch of science 6. The textbook must stimulate the
personal
activity of the learners 7. The contents of textbook must be
clear in written to
avoid the children to be confused in using textbook 8. The
textbook must have the clear point of view
because it will be the learner`s point of view 9. The textbook
must be able to give the balance
and emphasis on the value of the learners 10. The textbook
must be able to respect to the
differences of the individual (Greene and Petty (1971) in
Tarigan (1993:20-21) Whilst, Cunningsworth (1995:15)
proposes the
criteria of textbook as follows: 1. Textbook should correspond
to learner`s needs.
They should match the aims and objectives of the
language learning program. 2. Textbook should contain
(present or future) which
learners will make of the language. Select textbook
which helps to equip learners to use language
effectively for their purposes. 3. Textbook helps learners to
learn in a number of
ways. 4. Textbook should have a clear role as a support for
learning like teachers; they mediate between the
target language and the learner. Generally speaking, a textbook
should be consisted
of several parts or components. The author or the book
writer must write the book which is comprised of some
general components of the book. Speaking about
elements of English textbook, Weddel (2009:5)
proposes that the ESL student textbook have to be
comprised of several parts as follows: ntroduction – note to the
teacher and/or learner b. Scope and sequence – table of
contents listing the
topics, vocabulary, skills, outcomes, and standards
 covered in each unit c. Unit – each unit may include a
presentation of new
language (vocabulary, content, structures), practice
activities, application activities, an evaluation or end
of unit performance assessment. d. Tape scripts e. Answer
keys f. Grammar appendices g. Index
III. THE IMPORTANCE OF TEXTBOOK
Although textbook or coursebook is not the only
mean of teaching and learning process, textbook is
considered to be the essential thing in teaching and
learning process. Why is it important? Betsy Parrish in Weddel
(2009:3) describes several
advantages of using textbook as follows: a. It assures a
measure of structure, consistency, and
logical progression in a class. It minimizes preparation time for
teachers. c. It allows learners to review material or preview
other lessons. d. It meets a learner’s needs or expectations of
having
something concrete to work from and take home
for further study. e. It provides novice teachers with guidance in
course
and activity design. f. It may provide multiple resources: tapes,
CDs,
videos, self-study workbooks etc.
Meanwhile, O’Neill (1982) provides 4 justifications
for the use of coursebooks. 1. Firstly, a large portion of a
coursebook’s material
can be suitable for students’ needs, even if not
specifically designed for them. 2. Secondly, coursebooks allow
for students to look
ahead, or refresh themselves with past lessons.
They remove the element of surprise in student’s
expectations. 3. Thirdly, coursebooks have the practical aspect
of
providing material which is well-presented in
inexpensive form. Finally, and I believe most importantly, well-
designed coursebooks allow for improvisation and
 adaptation by the teacher, as well as empowering
students to create spontaneous interaction in the
class. In addition, Graves (2000: 175) and Basturkmen
(2010: 149) state the following list of the most
frequently stated advantages of using textbooks: a. It provides
a syllabus for the course because the
authors of the syllabus have made decisions about
what will be learned and in what order. b. It provides security
for the students because they
have a kind of a road map of the course: they know
what to expect and they know what is expected
from them. c. It provides a set of visuals, activities, readings,
etc.,
and so saves the teacher time in finding or
developing such materials. d. It provides teachers with a basis
for assessing
students’ learning. Some textbooks include tests or
evaluation tools. It may include supporting materials (teacher’s
guide, cd, worksheets, and video.)
f. It provides consistency within a program across a
given level, if all teachers use the same textbook. If
textbooks follow a sequence, as within a series, it
provides consistency between levels.
IV. THE LIMIT OF COURSEBOOK;
Although there have been many advantages of
using coursebook or textbook in the classroom, using a
single textbook may be considered to be bad for teachers
and students. This is in line with White (2000) who states
that most experts agree that heavy dependence on a
single coursebook is detrimental to students’ needs, and
that adaptability and supplemental materials are
supportive additions. Textbooks also have limitations, which can
lead to
dissatisfaction of teachers and learners to the course. The
most frequently stated disadvantages of using only ready-
made textbooks according to Graves and Basturkmen in
Dragana M. Gak (2014) are as follows: The content or
examples may not be relevant or
appropriate to the group and they may not reflect the
students’ needs since textbooks are often written for
global markets and often do not reflect the interests
and needs of students. b. They may contain inauthentic
language, since texts,
dialogs and other aspects of content tend to be
specially written to incorporate teaching points and
are often not representative of real language use. c. The
content may not be at the right level. Richards (2002: 2) states
several potential of
negative effects of using textbook as follows: a. Textbook may
contain inauthentic material b. Textbook may distort content c.
Textbook may not reflect the students’ need d. Textbook may
deskill teachers e. Textbook may be expensive Based on the
explanation in advance, it is true that
basing teaching and learning proccess only in one
coursebook as a single resource is truly not wise decision.
It will be difficult to meet students’ need as the some
contents of coursebook may not be suitable for thestudents.
Therefore, several current research supports
the opportunity for teachers to select the source of
teaching and learning in accordance with students’
learning needs and interest. Even sometimes the teacher-
made materials with a specific group of students will
assist professional published materials. In addition, Graves
(2000: 176) suggests that, in
order to minimize difficulties when selecting textbooks,
teachers should: use the textbook as a resource for
students, but not the only resource; use a textbook as a
guide, be free to modify, evaluate, develop, change,
eliminate, or add to the material in the textbook,
supplement the textbook with lots of outside readings.