JAPAN ASSOCIATION FOR LANGUAGE TEACHING JALT2020 • COMMUNITIES OF TEACHERS & LEARNERS NOVEMBER 16–24, 2020 • ONLINE 300 Materials Development Frameworks and the Challenges of Developing Learning Materials Niall Walsh Nagoya University of Foreign Studies Brian Cullen Nagoya Institute of Technology Reference Data Walsh, N., & Cullen, B. (2021). Materials development frameworks and the challenges of developing learning materials. In P. Clements, R. Derrah, & P. Ferguson (Eds.), Communities of teachers & learners. JALT. https://doi.org/10.37546/JALTPCP2020-37 While ESL textbooks are the primary source of learning materials for many teachers, others favor developing materials to suit their own specific teaching context. Whether deciding to embrace third party materials, or go it alone, a common prerequisite for developing quality materials exists for both mass producers and individual teachers. The creation of teaching materials often benefits from following a framework. This research addresses three areas of materials design within a Japanese context: how well educators believe that textbooks meet the needs of their students, the challenges teachers encounter in materials design, and whether ESL teachers in Japan adhere to a materials development framework. The findings suggest that most teachers are satisfied with their textbooks. A major challenge that teachers encounter in materials design is a lack of time. Finally, a clear divide exists between teachers who adhere to a structured process of materials design and those that do not. 教科書は多くの教師の主な学習教材となっているが、教えている場面に沿った教材を開発したいと考える教師もいる。第三 者が開発した教科書を選ぶか、自身の教材を開発するかを決定する時共通の必要条件は良質の教材である。教材開発は、フ レームワークに従うことがしばしば有効である。本研究は、日本の状況下において、以下の三つの分野について論述する。すな わち、 ESLの教科書が学生のニーズにどれくらい応えているか、教師が教材開発で直面する課題、日本のESL教師が教材開発 のフレームワークを遵守しているか、である。結果として、ほとんどの教師は使用する教科書に満足していることがわかった。教 材開発の主な課題は、時間の不足であった。最後に、教材開発において構造化されたプロセスを遵守している教師とそうでな い教師との間に明確な溝が存在することがわかった。 T he materials that a teacher uses in the classroom are a core tool of language teaching. In many situations, the coursebook is a predominant feature of a classroom and a primary contributor to the language learning experience. Yet, a study by Tomlinson (2010) found that 78% of ESL teachers surveyed were not satisfed with the coursebook they were using. A major concern of educators is that these materials treat all learners the same (Maley, 2011). As a result, many teachers may choose to develop their own materials for their specifc teaching context. However, unlike large scale publishers, whose materials development processes are monitored and well documented, Tomlinson and Masuhara (2018) point out that there is a lack of research into the processes teachers negotiate when developing their own language materials. The lack of evidence is slightly concerning because, along with pedagogical style, the material used can be one of the most important determinants of student performance, and therefore requires structured planning and execution. The study at hand addresses the existing dearth of information on the materials development processes of language educators by documenting the experience of a sample of English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers in Japan. Specifcally, it focuses on how well educators believe that textbooks meet the needs of their students, the challenges teachers encounter in materials design, and whether ESL teachers in Japan adhere to a materials development framework. Materials Development Framework Publishing companies invest large sums of money in producing teaching materials, and their primary objective is to increase sales and proftability which is achieved by selling a textbook to as many users as possible without necessarily taking account of local circumstances and needs. A very specifc context such as producing a textbook that caters solely to the needs of a group of middle-aged men studying English to talk about mountain climbing may not be very lucrative, yet there may be a real need for such highly specifc learning materials. This is an extreme example, but there are clearly needs in any teaching context that cannot be fulflled by an externally produced textbook, which NEXT PAGE ⊲ ONLINE FULL SCREEN