Derivational paradigms in ELT textbooks

Abstract

Developing morphological awareness is an effective learning strategy which can simplify learning L2 vocabulary. The present chapter explores how far morphological-awareness activities are represented in over 100 international ELT coursebooks, 10 teacher training manuals and 17 practice books. The results show the coverage is rather low and unsystematic except in specialist manuals for vocabulary teaching and vocabulary practice books. Even in them the quality varies. Materials mostly focus on affixation and are not based on research findings. Attention should be paid to presenting teachers and teacher-trainees with more information on teaching derivational paradigms, and to introducing existing research and reliable materials which contain quality exercises and explicit information for students as well as ideas for classroom use.