A study of secondary education english teachers' criteria for the selection of textbooks different from the ones provided by Mineduc for the 9th grade, in six schools of the commune of Santiago belonging to the semi-private and state regimes

Abstract

The present investigation seeks to identify the possible criteria utilized by English teachers from six institutions belonging to the state and semi-private regimes located in the commune of Santiago, at the moment of selecting a textbook for Ninth Grade. An emphasis existed in the resources delivered by the Ministry of Education, analyzing through a mixed methods research the probable difficulties in working with these instruments, as it was appreciated, within some of the visited establishments that they had been substituted by alternative textbooks. Thus, an attempt to explain the reasons which motivated the election of the textbook among these institutions was made, in order to learn if objectivity prevailed over subjectivity during this process. Data collection was made through the application of a questionnaire for the teachers of these schools, being supported by an interview answered by the English Department Chair of each institution. The obtained results show that the main criteria at the moment of choosing an English textbook were related to the clarity of them, in addition to having appropriate objectives for the students and supporting material for the teacher. The cost of these resources was fundamental among the teachers who decided to use the official MINEDUC textbook. Regarding the latter, it was determined that the material did not accomplish the teachers’ expectations as a supporting tool in their work. Finally, it was concluded that subjectivity prevailed at the moment of selecting a textbook, being this process based on external factors unrelated to their content.