Documentary Review of the Revised English Language Textbook's Effectiveness in Enhancing Oral Communicative Competence among High School Students

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the revised English textbook, “Comprehensive English Book One for Class XI”, prescribed by the Sindh Textbook Board, in meeting the language needs of ESL students in Pakistan, particularly in developing oral communicative competence (OCC) among high school students. Adopting an interpretivist approach, the research employed a qualitative methodology, specifically documentary review. Data were collected using a qualitative checklist and analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings revealed that the revised textbook is highly effective in enhancing students' OCC, with one of its notable strengths being the inclusion of a dedicated section for oral communication in each unit. However, the textbook lacks exercises specifically focused on pronunciation, stress, and intonation, omitting essential aspects of phonetics. Furthermore, the textbook does not adequately address listening skills, which are critical to language learning. The absence of clear assessment criteria for OCC is another significant shortcoming. Overall, while the textbook serves as a strong educational resource, addressing these gaps—particularly by incorporating phonetics and listening exercises—would further enhance its effectiveness in developing students' OCC. The study recommends that the national curriculum be revised to include explicit listening skill development, which is currently underrepresented, by incorporating these elements into both the curriculum and textbooks.

Keywords: Oral communicative competence, English textbook development, ESL teaching and learning.