Abstract:

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world and brought us limited opportunities in education. Building on the results of previous research that point to the crucial role of the textbook as a primary resource in students' teaching and learning (Sikorova, 2010; TIMSS, 2015), we ask ourselves a question now, "What changes have taken place in the use of teaching and learning resources in the teaching of lower secondary school students after the end of the mandated distance education?" This paper presents the initial findings of a research project to investigate what kinds of teaching and learning materials teachers use in English language classes, in what ways, and for what purposes. The research conducted also seeks to describe what proportion of teaching is based on digital resources and whether there are changes in the use of digital resources and platforms in English language classes in the teaching of Czech primary school pupils. The research follows a qualitative research design. The method used was in-depth semi-structured interviews with 5 English language teachers and structured observations of two lessons for each of them. Respondents were selected using the maximum variation sampling method (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2019). The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis was then conducted through open coding (Flick, 2006). The program atlas.ti, version 7, was used. The resulting findings were compared with the lesson observations.

The research shows that textbooks with workbooks still play a vital role in English language classes. Teachers use them mainly for the purpose of fixing the knowledge and practising. They also supplement the textbook with many other non-fiction resources (current journal articles, their own original materials, etc.). In their lessons, teachers respect the content of the textbook (the amount of knowledge and skills on the one hand, but also the level of knowledge and skills on the other). However, unlike in other subjects, they also strongly respect the methodological approach of the textbook authors (the ways in which knowledge and skills are constructed). It turns out that digital resources, which were necessary to work with in the distance learning era, still play an important role, in the post-pandemic era. Teachers have acquired new skills in working with these resources and platforms and continue to use them in their teaching.

Keywords:

Teaching and learning resources, textbook use, digital resources.