A Study on Middle School Students’ Perceptions about English Textbooks

The purpose of this study is to investigate the Korean middle school students’ perceptions about their English textbooks. Two hundred and fifty five middle school students from four different schools participated in this study. A questionnaire was designed to determine the students’ perceptions about the qualities of English textbook format and contents, and the learning effectiveness of English textbooks. Statistical procedures included descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation, and multiple regression. The students in this study show a general positive perception about their English textbooks. However, the students considered their English textbooks as having little relevance to English exams. In addition, the study found that the students’ English test scores and their private English education played a significant influence on the students’ perceptions about using English textbook for learning. Finally, the students’ perceived level of learning effectiveness of English textbooks was significantly correlated with the students’ overall satisfaction about English textbooks. The results suggest that students’ perceptions about the learning effectiveness of English textbooks should be considered in developing English textbooks. Further research needs to investigate students’ use of English textbook for studying for English exams to increase its utilization and satisfaction.