The role of learning materials in the forms of English coursebooks is pivotal in English teaching learning processes. They cater the students with language inputs and activities. Furthermore, they render the English teachers a guidance for creating learning activities and also serve materials to discuss. Therefore, all English coursebooks must meet the needs of what they should serve.
To examine whether English coursebooks meet the needs or not requires a set of comprehensive English coursebook evaluation checklists. The checklist should cover details of students’ current and future needs related to linguistic competence and linguistic performance, behavior, knowledge, and skills needed in the 21st century. Furthermore, the English coursebooks are evaluated through predictive evaluation and in series retrospective evaluation. The latter is suggested to be carried out in a cyclic process.
Ideally, the provided English coursebooks and those in the markets have been predictively evaluated based on theories of linguistics, psychology, learning, and communication, but some have not. However, the predictively evaluated English coursebooks do not always suit the students’ characteristics and the English teachers. If the English coursebooks do not suit the students’ characteristics and the English teachers, they will not foster the students’ learning. As a result, the learning goals will not be achieved.
Therefore, to search for the suitable English coursebooks, the English teachers should carry out an English coursebook retrospective dynamic evaluation using a set of comprehensive English coursebook dynamic evaluation checklists. They do it in a cyclic process. The set of comprehensive English coursebook dynamic evaluation checklist consists of curriculum, suitability for the students’ backgrounds, suitability for the English teachers, IR 4.0 related to English learning, S 5.0 related to English learning, literacy in English Learning, character education, cultures and local wisdoms, high order thinking skills (HOTS), and Skills required in the 21st century (4Cs).
To provide the students with suitable English coursebooks, therefore, it needs developing a model of dynamic evaluation and a set of criteria of comprehensive instruments for English coursebook evaluation, i.e., SQRAR.