BOOK REVIEWS 79

(4) Social and organisational stability. These can either encourage or inhibit change. Where revolution persists change can be hampered. (5) Resource accessibility. Is is easy to obtain equipment and resources? (6) The organ~atio~l and technical efficiency of the nation. Some countries are far better organised in these areas than others. (7) The adequacy of funding and the financial capability for educational expansion. While not everyone would necessarily agree with the terminology it is hard to quibble with the broad areas covered by these forces for change.

For any reader who wants a good overall introduction to the region and who wishes to see the countries set into a regional context in a historical and future perspective Schooling in East Asia is to be warmly commended. The chapters contrasting the two Chinas and the two Koreas are particularly illuminating. That in the space of fifty pages or so the vagaries and complexities of Chinese educational developments are so well analysed is, in itself, a remarkable achievement. The final overview drawing together different aspects for comparative analysis, such as GNP, population growth, enrolment rates, dropout, class size, public vs private schooling, is particularly helpful.

While it is true to say that these two volumes refer to specific regional contexts, there is much in them both, and in their methods of analysis, which could be transferred to other regions of the world. Although basic information and data may constantly be changing, the underlying trends and analysis transcend these weaknesses and anyone with an interest in the education, history or economic develop- ments of both South East Asia and East Asia should be aware of these two volumes.

KEITH WATSON University of Reading

Language for Learning: A ~e~~~ Book for Engiish Language Learning in Secondary Schools: I-i. 0. Ayot fed.). Macmillan, Kenya, 1984

Language and Literature Teaching: from Practice to Principle: Christopher J. Brumfit. Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1985, 161 pp.

Evaluating and Selecting EFL Teaching Materials: Alan Cunningsworth. Heinemann Educational Books, 1984,106 PP- Ayot’s is a curate’s egg of a book: good in parts. It is also only half the story. The result of a seminar organized jointly by the Kenyan Ministry of Higher Education and Kenyatta University College, Nairobi in August, 1981, it attempts to offer the teacher of English a methodological framework in line with the 1981 national language teaching syllabus launched the same year.

The authors, under the editorship of Professor Ayot, are to be congratulated for attempting to do so much in just over one hundred and sixty pages. It is never easy to bring coherence and focus to collections of conference papers. A keynote paper addressing itself to the fundamental ques- tion of a languages policy for Kenyan schools (in particu-

lar, the relationship and function of English, Swahili, and the various mother tongues) might have given this book more direction and bite. However, there are some excellent papers, notably those dealing with reading, writing and the importance of pupil-talk in language acquisition.

The two papers on reading concentrate on practical ways of making the reading process central to the secondary- level language curriculum as well as being a vehicle for the inculcation and development of academic study skills, so essential in an education system where English is the medium of instruction. A third contribution in the area of extensive reading and the production of a reading scheme might well have replaced the weaker papers on the role of school libraries and course books in use.

The two chapters on writing - for creative use and in everyday life - are well written. It is good to see the use of a checklist to summarize the main points and to offer the teacher-reader a handy guide. Grouping writing exercises into those dealing with exposition, description and narra- tion and at the same time indicating which are suitable for which level is the sort of practical help the hard-pressed teacher needs. Such checklists might have been included in the other skills areas; and where was the discussion of integration of skills?

The paper titled ‘Talking to Learn’ (and we could have done with one focusing upon that ‘forgotten’ skill, listen- ing) did, however, highlight three fundamental issues that might be the themes of a future seminar and book: the importance of giving pupils time (and permission) to talk to each other in class; the need to develop competence in functional English; and the problem of too much teacher- dominated ‘chalk and talk’ methodology.

We might add that any future book should also include chapters on language across the curriculum (in spite of the blurb on the jacket this book neglects this issue) and the adaptation of textbooks like Pmctical EngZish which do little justice to their title and yet continue to be widely used.

Lastly, two papers on language testing cover familiar ground. Maybe the controversial place of non-standard Kenyan English could have been discussed here (see Jane E. Zuengler’s excellent ‘Kenyan English’ in B. Kachru’s The Other Tongue: Englirh across the cultures, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1983).

So what do we have? A useful collection of papers, some excellent, some weak, which will be of interest to all those teaching English as a second language, particularly in African schools. What is needed now is a second volume dealing with such keynote concerns as Kenya’s language policy and the methodological areas missing from this book.

It is hoped that Macmillan Kenya will make this collection available in other countries where English is the second language and medium of instruction at secondary and tertiary level.

Chris Brumtit in his introduction to this second collection of his articles (the first, Problems and Principles in English Teaching was published by Pergamon Press in 1980) su&gests that ‘we approach language teaching in a spirit of optimistic caution’. I approached this volume in such a way, optimistic that I would find some Brumfit I might