Investigating the Implementation of the Instructional Objectives in Relation to two Principles of Mastery Learning Approach in EFL Textbooks: The Case of the First Year Secondary School Textbook At the Crossroads

Abstract

This study dealt with the evaluation of the EFL textbook At the Crossroads designed for firstyear learners in the Algerian Secondary School in terms of its instructional objectives. More precisely, the study was about the evaluation of the instructional objectives included in the textbook in relation to two main principles of the mastery learning approach which are “time flexible principle” and “achievability principle”. That is, research was carried out to determine whether the learning objectives implemented in At the Crossroads can be learned by the students within the allotted time (20 hours for each unit). To reach this objective, Bloom’s (1968) mastery learning approach was used as a framework. The mixed research method combining qualitative and quantitative methods was used. In addition, the descriptive statistical method was employed so as to calculate the number of the textbook’s instructional objectives and the number of its tasks as well. Content Analysis was employed for the explanation and the interpretation of the findings. Our results indicate that the textbook’s instructional objectives meet the “Achievability principle”; that is, they do not go beyond the students’ learning capacities. However, the textbook includes too many learning objectives, which means that the “Time Flexible Principle” is not met.