Materials Development

Abstract

Abstract This entry focuses on the development of materials for the learning of languages. In doing so, it initially focuses on the dramatic change in attitudes toward materials development and reveals how since the early 1990s materials development has received far more attention in the literature and on academic and training courses both as a practical undertaking and as a field of study. From being perceived as an adjunct to publications and courses on methodology, it has now become a significant focus of action and study in its own right. It has also progressed from being an atheoretical activity to a research‐informed activity, as well as becoming a popular focus for academic study and a means of applying theory to practice and practice to theory. This entry also reports on a number of controversial issues which dominate the literature on materials development. For example, it considers whether materials should focus on teaching language forms or on providing experience of the meanings which language conveys; it asks whether materials should be contrived in order to focus and simplify the learning process, or whether they should be authentic representations of how the target language is actually used; and it compares the value of asking learners to practice language with asking them to use language for communication. It also looks at the benefits and drawbacks of current developments such as the global coursebook intended for any learner anywhere, and the design and use of digital materials.

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