Tests as a Technique for an ESP Coursebook Evaluation

Design-based research evolved near the beginning of the 21st century as a practical research methodology that could effectively bridge the gap between research and practice in formal education, as it aims at both developing theories about domain-specific learning and the means designed to support that learning. Since ESP teachers often design their own learning materials, this kind of research enables them not only to evaluate their quality and gradually improve them but also to produce design principles. Accordingly, the aim of my ESP coursebook design-based research is to evaluate the quality of a coursebook pilot version I developed for the students from the Faculty of Information Technology at Brno University of Technology in the Czech Republic, and consequently formulate necessary modifications based on design principles. I first frame the basic concept of design-based research and ESP testing. Then, I describe the methodology of the ESP coursebook evaluation. Results indicate the requirements for the coursebook redesign, which involve adding more tasks for the acquisition of linguistic means for expressing different language functions, including more material for recycling and reinforcement focused mainly on vocabulary practice and increasing the level of difficulty of listening passages. Based on these results, I discuss the ESP coursebook design principles related to multi-skill tasks, and professional vocabulary and language functions acquisition.