This research collection presents a critical review of the materials used for learning English around the world. The first section includes a discussion of materials for specific learners and purposes, such as young learners, self-study, academic writing and general proficiency. The second section presents a detailed study of the materials used in Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa and Australia, and critically evaluates their effectiveness in the teaching of English to speakers of other languages. Taking both the teacher's and the learner's needs into consideration, the book makes a positive contribution to the future of research in materials development, and has practical applications. This comprehensive, critical analysis of materials in use around the world will be useful for academics researching materials development and applied linguistics and for students on post-graduate applied linguistics and ELT courses.

This book puts forward an authenticity-centred approach to the design of materials for language learning. The premise of the approach is that language learning should be based on authentic materials drawn from a variety of genres found in the target language culture, and that the learning tasks involving these materials should be correspondingly authentic, by entailing interactions that are consistent with the original communicative purpose of the authentic text. It provides both a theoretical grounding to the authenticity-centred approach, and demonstrates its practical application in a teaching task reference section. In outline, the book: - Refines a definition of authenticity in the context of language pedagogy. - Traces the historical background to authenticity in language learning back over one millennium. - Grounds the use of authentic materials in language learning in L2 acquisition research. - Gives a critical analysis of the authenticity of contemporary language study course-books. - Discusses the use of seven authentic genres for language learning; broadcasting, newspapers, advertisements, music and song, film, literature and ICT (information and communications technology). - Offers a set of practical principles for the design of authentic learning tasks. - Includes a reference section providing step-by-step instruction for the design and classroom procedure of learning tasks for materials taken from each of the seven genres.

Comprehensively revised and updated to take account of the impact of technology on the field of materials development

Language learning materials development remains a surprisingly under-supported aspect of language teaching. This book constitutes a much-needed resource in the area, aiming to support and advance the craft of materials design. The volume offers a snapshot of the contemporary influences on language learning materials development from diverse perspectives around the globe. These influences include the demands of teaching ESOL in Britain and Ireland, the impact of Corpus Linguistics, the needs of young learners and of diverse worldwide audiences, the development of intercultural competence, as well as the integration of L2 acquisition research. Contributors to the volume are drawn from a broad range of teaching, research and materials development backgrounds. The book includes some chapters based on papers given at the MATSDA (Materials Development Association) 2008 conference.

Issues in Materials Development provides readers with theoretical foundations and practical aspects of designing materials for EFL/ESL contexts. It starts with discussing some basic and preliminary principles of materials design followed by scrutinizing critical issues in materials development in an objective and systematic way. This ranges from considering learners’ needs, adopting, adapting, selection, and gradation of materials to the specific focus of the book on developing various types of materials for the four language skills, pronunciation, ESP vocabulary, and computer assisted language learning materials. Authenticity of materials to be designed and the inclusion of affective factors to develop motivating materials to engage language learners, in addition to features of materials design at a universal level are other areas to read about. This book finally tries to open new horizons and possible futuristic approaches to improve today’s ELT materials.

The Complete Guide to the Theory and Practice of Materials Development for Language Learning provides undergraduate and graduate-level students in applied linguistics and TESOL, researchers, materials developers, and teachers with everything they need to know about the latest theory and practice of language learning materials development for all media. The past two decades have seen historic change in the field of language learning materials development. The four main drivers of that change include a shift in emphasis from materials for language teaching to language learning; evidenced-based development; the huge increase in digital delivery technologies; and the wedding of materials developed for the learning of English with those for other second or foreign languages. Timely, authoritative, and global in scope, this text represents the ideal resource for all those studying and working in the field of language learning.

This publication is a result of the joint conference held by MATSDA and Fontys University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands, in Tilburg in June 2017. MATSDA is an international materials development association founded in 1993 which serves to bring together researchers, teachers, materials developers and publishers in an effort to improve the effectiveness of language learning materials. The 2017 conference centred on issues related to the development of meaning-focused materials for language learning, and attracted presenters from twenty-five countries stretching from Greenland to Brazil. These issues are reflected in the chapters in this volume, with each one focusing on a different aspect of meaning-focused materials and many of them introducing the reader to previously unexplored facets of the theory of meaning-focused instruction and its application to materials development. The contributions here are of essential value to post-graduate students, to teachers, to materials developers and to researchers. They are written to be academically rigorous, but at the same time accessible to newcomers to the field and to experienced experts alike.