A Comparative Research of Korean and Chinese Middle School English Textbooks

This study aims at comparing the 3rd grade middle school English textbooks of Korea and China, and thereby suggesting some ideas for the future improvement of English textbooks in these two countries. The analysis of the research presented the following results. First, the content of the Korean textbooks are uniformly similar to the Chinese textbooks. Second, as for the composition of the four skills, the Korean and Chinese textbooks all show advanced but mechanical contents. And the Chinese textbooks put more emphasis on reading. Third, various communicative skills do not seem to be adequately presented in either the Korean or Chinese textbooks. Fourth, in language forms and grammar, the Korean textbooks avoid grammatical terms and explanation while the Chinese textbooks present them after all units or in the appendix. Fifthly, the subjects for both of the Korean and Chinese textbooks are largely concerned about school life, family, and cultures of other countries. The paper concludes with pedagogical implications and suggestions for English textbook development.