The Research On The Current Cambodian Lower Secondary School English Textbook (EFC)

EFC is a series of English textbook, which is being used in the process of teaching and learningin all public high schools in Cambodia. This textbook was written by the Ministry of Education,Youth and Sport under the support of the British government. By comparing with the previoustextbooks, it is more practical and effective in using. Moreover, it offers more possibilities ofstrengthening four skills—listening, speaking, reading and writing—to the students. However, untilnow there has been no clear research on this book. Therefore, the research on EFC1, exploring itswriting system, the teachers’ and students’ perceptions towards it and the same and different pointsbetween this book and Chinese lower secondary school English textbook,初一《英语》(ChuyiYingyu), is very important in providing a good document and suggestion to the Ministry ofEducation, Youth and Sport and the book writers in order to make this book or next textbooksbecome better and to those who are using it to have some more practical methods or ideas of how towork on it.This paper consists of six chapters. Chapter1is the introduction of the study, showing theproblem, the literature review, the significance, the methodology and the content framework of theresearch. Chapter2is the analysis of the writing system of EFC1, highlighting a short introductionin relation to EFC1and exploring the writing principles and characteristics, the structural systemand the main content of this textbook. Chapter3is a questionnaire survey and interview on theteachers and students who are using and who have used it. Based on the result of the data analysis,this paper will point out the good and bad points of EFC1. Chapter4is the comparative part ofEFC1and a Chinese English textbook初一《英语》, stressing on the short information and thecomparison of the external and internal structures of the two textbooks by raising up the same anddifferent points. Chapter5is the conclusion and suggestions of this research study; that is, after theanalysis of the writing system and the questionnaire survey of EFC1and the result of thecomparison of this book with初一《英语》, this paper will draw a conclusion towards EFC1. Then,it will make some suggestions practical for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, EFC1writers and those who are using it. Chapter6is the limitations and expectations of this researchstudy.