Why 'think-aloud' Protocols?

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In the last several years the number of English-language teaching materials on the market has grown exponentially, addressing a variety of learner interests, skill levels, and tastes. Among other features, these materials also vary in their linguistic design, focus, and objectives, making the choice of a textbook—an integral part of many ELT classrooms—a seemingly formidable task. Teachers or those training to become English teachers can look to a number of sources to help them to make more informed decisions when evaluation is required. For Patek Philippe Replica instance, some teacher training courses offer instruction in materials evaluation. In addition, there are various references in the literature that address the topic—Tomlinson (2003) and McGrath (2002) are two of the more recent books that include chapters on evaluation—but empirical studies revealing what experienced textbook evaluators actually do are rare.

In this small-scale case study of textbook evaluation conducted by L AT E X at Lancaster ...
... University, the researchers chose to focus on the practices of teachers at different stages of their careers to discover what effect this variable might have on their evaluation styles. This was in the hope that the conclusions drawn from the research would help point to more effective means of evaluation, which can thereby be utilized by all teachers who are required to make informed decisions about choosing a course book. The researchers note that the scale of the study—with three participants— necessarily limits its generalizability but, nevertheless, it is hoped that the research framework may also serve as a model for future large-scale research projects focusing on materials evaluation procedures.

This 'collective case study' of the textbook evaluation practices of experienced and novice teachers was designed to facilitate greater understanding of effective and efficient techniques of evaluation with the aim of' theorizing' about these techniques in general (Stake 2000: 437). When formulating the design of the case study, the researchers decided that the technique that would best capture the introspective thought processes of the participants involved was concurrent verbalization. This is a technique that has been criticized for possibly distorting thinking processes, especially when the participants are asked to verbalize their thoughts retrospectively, or in a language other than their first language, or when they are asked to analyze their thoughts as they report them. None of these demands were placed on the Breitling Replica Watches informants in this study, nor were any time constraints imposed. Given the virtual impossibility of obtaining any truly complete records of complex thought processes, some of which will be hidden from the thinkers themselves, the use of 'think-aloud' protocols offers some insights that other methods would not be able to reveal. Even pauses in the verbalization can be revealing, indicating phases when intense thinking is taking place was not in use in the participants' institution, and therefore all three were equally unfamiliar with the contents.

The design analysis routines available in a CAD system help to consolidate the design process into a more logical work pattern. Rather than having a back-and-forth exchange between design and analysis groups, the same person can perform the analysis while remaining at a CAD workstation. This helps to improve the concentration of designers, since they are interacting with their designs in a real-time sense. Because of this analysis, capability designs can be created which are closer to optimum. There is a time saving to be derived from the computerized analysis routines, both in designer time and in elapsed time. These saving results from the rapid response of the design analysis and from the time no longer lost while the design finds its way from the designer's drawing board to the design analyst's queue and back again.