An evaluative checklist for self-access materials

Abstract

Self-access centres (SACs) are playing an increasingly pivotal role in supporting the (self-) study of languages. Selecting suitable resources thus becomes more and more important. At the selection stage, identifying problems with available resources is not an easy task, and is made more difficult by a lack of published guidelines. Linked with this difficulty is the wide range of skills, topics, and levels that self-access resources cater for,making it difficult to have a precisely defined list of criteria. Starting with the premise that evaluation criteria for self-access resources are different from those developed for classroom materials this study worked through two stages. First, existing evaluative criteria for self-instructional materials in general education and language learning were reviewed. Based on this review, a new evaluation tool was developed to guide self-access in the selection of materials.