There are some relevant studies about the teachers‟ challenges toward pilot textbook used to be a model and reference to support this research. The first research was carried out by Nguyễn, T. T. T (2018) which studied the high-school teachers‟ difficulties on the implementing the textbook. It was a
case study of high school teachers from the North of Vietnam. This study aimed to explore high-school English teachers‟ perceptions of challenges in teaching with the set of English textbooks in their province and give possible solutions proposed by teacher trainers and textbook authors. The research was investigated on five English teachers in different high schools in a Northern Province in Vietnam and two teacher trainers who directly participated in writing and editing the set of English textbooks. The results of this research showed that teachers who directly accessed to textbooks encountered with six challenges namely (1) a wide range of difficult and unfamiliar topics or text genres, (2) inadequate time and program allocation, (3) lack of references for teachers, (4) mismatch between learning and testing, (5) mixed-level classes, and (6) students‟ low motivation. In addition, teacher trainers and textbook authors proposed possible solutions to deal with the challenges.
The second research is a research on high school teachers‟ and students‟ perspectives on communicative skills represented in English textbook investigated by Tran, P. N. T., & Tran, Q. T (2020) in the new English textbook grade 10. The aim of the study is to explore EFL teachers‟
and students‟ perspectives communicative skills represented in the new English textbook grade 10. This study consisted of 42 students in answering a questionnaire and 5 teachers in responding the interview questions at Bui Thi Xuan High School, Lam Dong Province. The findings of this research indicated that participants believed that the new English textbook grade 10 could improve their communicative skills.
The third study investigated EFL Student-Teachers‟ perception of intercultural communication competence and whether perceptions were practiced in their language teaching in high school settings (Minh, T. Q. et al., 2019). This study consisted of forty-five senior students in English education
department studying at a School of Foreign Language of Can Tho University in the Mekong Delta region, Vietnam during the year of 2017-2018. The result of the study indicated that their willingness to practice Intercultural Communication Competence (ICC) in language teaching was recognized actively through their teaching performances.
Another study aims at exploring the teacher and learner perceptions of EFL textbooks in Hong Kong Secondary schools in terms of suitability and parameters (Chow, 2004). The study consisted of 555 teachers and 2,535 learners from 52 schools in Hong Kong. The results suggested that statistically different perceptions exist among the inter-groups (e.g. learners and teachers) and the intra-groups (e.g. subject streams, learning stages, teacher qualifications and experience). The study proposed greater collaborative effort among the textbook stakeholders relating to textbook development and evaluation as a method to achieve greater textbook suitability and user satisfaction.
In another research, Nguyet, H. T. T., & Van Long, N. (2020) compared the two sets of textbooks used at senior high school in Vietnam and evaluate the effectiveness of the new one, centering on lexical resources at word level, particularly individual words and phrasal verbs. The results revealed a quantifiable evaluation of the lexical resources, tapping into the mutual and exclusive words, as well as examining lexical complexity of the two sets of textbooks.
Besides, Srakang (2013) did a study on investigating how 10th Grade English teachers perceived the use of English textbooks. There were 12 English teachers from 10th Grade level in Maha Sarakham Province participating in this study. Questionnaires, classroom observations and semi- structured interviews are used for collecting data. The findings showed the
effects of using English textbooks in teaching in terms of teachers‟
perceptions toward using English textbooks, the roles of English textbooks in classroom practice, and problems concerning the use of English tetxbooks.
Moreover, Seda Aytuğ (2007) examined English teachers‟ attitudes towards the evaluation of the textbook New Bridge to Success for 9th Grade New beginners (NBS) and teachers‟ perceptions concerning main characteristic of a model ELT textbook designed for high school students in Ankara. This study concluded 60 English teachers from 13 different Anatolian High Schools in Ankara during June 2006. The findings showed the description of agreement and disagreement of teachers‟ evaluations that considered the features of the textbook NBS.
Another research on students‟ perceptions related to textbook layout and organization and their evaluation of the textbook simplicity of learning was examined by Hoshangabadwala (2015). He explored whether the layout dynamics of school textbooks make difference in students‟ interest in studying and subject understanding. The research consisted of 73 students from various private schools of Pakistan‟s cosmopolitan. The results of the research indicate that students rank print and color above paper quality and there is no specific connection between a book design and the genuine utilization of textbooks.
Khodabandeh and Mombini (2018) evaluated the new English textbook entitled “Vision 1”, developed for the Iranian first grade high school students. The participants of the study consisted of 30 teachers teaching this book and 70 students studying in the first grade high school in Baghmalek in Khuzestan province. The findings indicated that teachers and students were interested in the book in all criteria except cultural considerations.
In short, this chapter has reviewed the overview of teaching English at the general education level in Vietnam, the roles of textbook in teaching and learning, as the issues in textbook evaluation. In addition, some relevant studies were represented in this chapter. The next chapter will focus on the methodology, presenting the participants of the study, the instruments, and data analysis procedures used in the study.