Evaluating SAMT English Textbooks through Passage Readability and Students’ Reading Needs Analysis: The Case of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

The present study evaluated a sample of five SAMT English textbooks that were practically applied for instruction in the context of English for General Purposes (EGP) courses at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM). The evaluation focus was on readability of textbook passages and their adequacy to undergraduate students’ reading expectations. A convenience sample of 787 male and female students (1849 years old) completed Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT), as for baseline placement scores, and out of them, 461 completed a questionnaire on their expectations of reading passages in their textbooks. Six main readability indexes, including Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRE), Gunning Fog Index (GFI), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), Coleman-Liau Index (CLI), SMOG Index (SMOG), and Automated Readability Index (ARI) were used to assess the readability of five SAMT textbooks (four semi-technical and technical books specified for Accounting, Economics, Theology and Islamic Studies, and Veterinary Medicine, plus one general book designed for General English across various disciplines). The results showed that the average readability indices of SAMT technical and semi technical books consistently exceeded EGP students' proficiency, confirming their unsuitability for EGP courses. Only "General English" book was within the standard range. Regarding students’ expectation of reading passages, activating prior knowledge and reading fluency were the most expected aspects to be taken into account. Our outcomes have practical implications for EGP curriculum designers, and instructors on the need to adapt technical and semi-technical SAMT reading passages to EGP students’ proficiency levels and reading expectations before being used for instruction.