| dc.description.abstract | Although textbooks play an important role in many primary English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms and the development of children’s creativity is increasingly seen as a matter of importance, there is little research into how creativity is understood by teachers in the context of primary teaching materials. This thesis addresses this issue by investigating how teachers in Spain perceive creativity in primary EFL textbooks.
The study employed a mixed methods explanatory sequential research design (participant-selection model). The data collection process involved an initial online quantitatively orientated questionnaire which gathered data from 56 primary EFL teachers, followed by in-depth semi-structured interviews with four purposely-selected teachers. These interviews included a materials evaluation task which elicited teachers’ thoughts on the creativity of a set of anonymised primary EFL textbook tasks. In addition, and prior to the questionnaire, a task analysis sheet (TAS) was used to categorise and quantify creative tasks in nine primary EFL textbook sample units.
The study found that the participants’ conceptions of creativity are multi-faceted, drawing simultaneously on different, but frequently interconnected understandings of the construct. The teachers also recognise the importance of developing children’s creativity in the primary EFL classroom and believe that a creative learning environment and the use of creative pedagogies can help practitioners in this endeavour. Additionally, the study showed that the teachers identify a number of practical benefits of using a textbook, but also believe that the textbook’s inflexibility, its overfocus on linguistic knowledge, and its homogenous content can reduce opportunities for learner and teacher creativity.
Further findings in the study showed that the participating teachers identify and value a wide range of textbook tasks and approaches that can help to develop children’s creativity. However, the results of the TAS revealed that there are significant gaps between these understandings and the creative tasks that are currently incorporated in primary EFL textbook in Spain. Additionally, the participants believe that textbooks should be more flexible, contain more creative textbook tasks, and support teachers in using creative pedagogies.
This thesis concludes with a series of recommendations for textbook design, educational policy, and research. These recommendations respond to the existing constraints on and limitations of creativity in primary EFL textbooks, and provide educational stakeholders with practical suggestions for the future development of primary EFL materials that better support and facilitate learner and teacher creativity. | en_GB |
