ENGLISH-LANGUAGE TEXTBOOKS IN THE RUSSIAN EFL CLASSROOM

The paper is devoted to a vital problem of modern teaching methodology. It deals with choosing the right textbook to use in the EFL classroom. The textbook is considered to be the cornerstone of the teaching/ learning process, much of the curriculum and instruction being based on it. It is a pedagogical instrument ensuring the learners' success. However, the selection of the proper EFL textbook becomes seriously complicated today due to a combination of causes; a wide variety of class books in the book market, ambiguous selection criteria, insufficient elaboration of EFL textbook theory in contrast to that of ESL books, etc. It should be mentioned that an inappropriate choice may waste effort and time and demotivate learners and teachers themselves. Our research aimed to develop basic criteria suitable to evaluate modern EFL textbooks in order to help teachers to select a proper one. These criteria could be used as a framework for creating new teaching materials as well. This aim involved addressing a number of issues. Both theoretical and practical aspects of the problem were studied (basic provisions of the textbook theory, RF legislation in the field of education, specific characteristics of EFL textbooks and their similarities with and differences from ESL books, school teachers' opinions and preferences, etc.). The results obtained allowed to build a system of criteria useful to evaluate the efficiency of EFL textbooks. The developed criteria were used to assess the advantages and disadvantages of a new series of EFL textbooks as well as to create recommendations for their further improvement. Based on the results and limitations of the study, further research of the issue was recommended in order to prove the results and hypothesis of the present study.