How Much Material Do EFL College Instructors Cover in Reading Courses?

Abstract

EFL students at the College of Languages and Translation take 4 reading courses in the first four semesters of the translation program. The textbooks used are Interactions 1 & 2 and Mosaic 1 & 2. The present study examines the amount of reading texts, reading exercises, and reading subskills covered by instructors in the Reading I, II, III, and IV courses. Subjects of this study consisted of 24 instructors (6 instructors per course).  Since students usually mark texts, do exercises, and take notes on their textbooks, three reading textbooks per instructor were randomly collected from students enrolled in the Reading I, II, III, IV courses.  Each book was examined page by page.  The number of chapters, reading texts, reading subskills and exercises taught in each textbook were calculated. It was found that the typical instructor taught 50% of the reading texts in Interactions 1 and Interactions 2; one third of the reading texts in Mosaic 1; and one fifth of the reading texts in Mosaic 2. In Addition, the typical instructor taught 65% of the reading subskills and exercises in Interactions 1; half of the reading skills and exercises in Interactions 2; one third of the reading skills and exercises in Mosaic 1; and one fourth of the reading skills and exercises in Mosaic 2. Findings are reported in detail and are discussed in the light of some issues affecting content coverage as revealed by the instructors themselves in their responses to a questionnaire-survey.