Appraisal of English Textbooks as a Tool for Effective Teaching of English Language at the Junior Secondary School Level

This paper looked into the contents of four English textbooks written in line with the National English Studies Curriculum contained in the 9-year Basic Education Curriculum that are used for teaching the English Language and Literature in English at the Junior Secondary School level in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. The textbooks were purposively selected and analysed to ascertain their suitability for effective teaching of the English language as well as the literature in English aspect. In addition, some Junior Secondary School English teachers were interviewed to find out the level of coverage of the contents of Literature in English in the textbooks and the effectiveness on students' performance. The findings showed that the language concepts are adequately captured with focused details while the literature aspect, through which the four language skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing) are harnessed, is given peripheral focus. Moreover, the teachers interviewed revealed that many of the public school students do not buy the textbooks coupled with over-populated classrooms thus constituting a hindrance to effective teaching and learning of English. This paper recommends that Literature in English, which educates the whole person, should be taught as a separate subject at the Junior Secondary School level for proficiency, parents should be encouraged to provide essential textbooks for their children and more teachers should be employed to cope with over-population in schools.