AN EVALUATION FRAMEWORK FOR SECOND LANGUAGE LISTENING COURSEBOOKS: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE
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Coursebooks are central to second language (L2) listening instruction, yet existing evaluation tools tend to be generic rather than specifically tailored to L2 listening. To offer teachers principled guidance for selecting and evaluating instructional materials, this paper proposes an evaluation framework for L2 listening coursebooks, grounded in theories of listening comprehension, listening assessment, and second language acquisition. The framework comprises seven principles, each operationalized through a guiding question and a set of indicators. An illustrative example is also provided by applying the framework to Listen This Way (Level 4), a coursebook used in undergraduate English programs in the Chinese mainland, demonstrating how the framework supports a systematic evaluation of an L2 listening coursebook. Implications for L2 listening instruction and coursebook design are discussed.
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