Investigating EFL Teachers’ Coursebook Dependency: A Convergent Mixed-methods Study

Exploring English language teachers’ attitudes towards coursebooks is important as there is a connection between teachers’ attitudes, beliefs and practices. In this regard, this study aims to examine English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ coursebook dependency and how their dependence varies according to their years of experience, the type of school they work at, program and degree of graduation. Data were collected out of 99 EFL teachers working at primary, secondary and high schools. The study follows a convergent mixed methods design that includes both quantitative and qualitative data sources. Quantitative data were collected through the “Coursebook Dependency Scale” and analyzed on the SPSS 26.0 program. Qualitative data, on the other hand, were gathered through an open-ended questionnaire developed by the researcher that invites the respondents to provide metaphors for coursebooks and analyzed with content analysis. Findings revealed that majority of the teachers are moderately dependent on coursebooks and that their years of experience, school level and academic background do not have a statistically significant effect on their level of coursebook dependency. However, there appears to be a significant difference in the sub-dimension ‘practicality-based dependence’ in favor of those with an experience of 15 to 20 years. Furthermore, majority of the teachers’ metaphorical images fell under the categories of Support and Guidance that were in line with the finding indicating the moderate level of teachers’ coursebook dependency. Exploring teachers’ attitudes towards coursebooks might provide insights into the way they use materials in their teaching and help teachers become more aware of their practices and critical of their dependence on coursebooks, which might well contribute to develop in-service training programs.