Summary of content

The discussions in all four books are directly relevant to the needs and interests of professionals who are involved in language teaching and teacher education. The issues raised are also comparable but the books differ in the approach and treatment of the issues. The difference lies mainly in how the theoretical and practical issues of change are dealt with in each volume.

Managing curricular innovation focuses on the management of curricular innovation in second and foreign language education. Part 1 gives a broad overview of the various innovations and presents a diffusion-of-innovations perspective on language teaching. This perspective considers why and how new ideas and practices in language teaching are adopted and/or rejected. Markee states that he intentionally violated the approach taken in most academic books by first giving examples of innovation in second and foreign language teaching in chapter 2 instead of beginning by defining the key terms dealt with in the book (p. ix). The six examples of innovation represent a range of major innovations in ELT since the 1970s. They are the British Council's international development work, the notional-functional syllabus, the process syllabus, the natural approach, the procedural syllabus, and task-based language teaching. For each of the examples described, some implications for educational change are presented and a critical evaluation is made of each innovation. The implications relate to issues such as implementing and maintaining change, the process of change and the models of change. The theoretical aspects of change, for example the models of change, are referred to briefly and with simplicity in relation to each of the six examples of innovation.

This unconventional approach of Markee is commendable as, through the six concrete examples of innovation in language teaching that are provided first, readers’ attention to issues in managing change is captured from the start. This approach is a more powerful means to interest readers and to enable them to gain a grasp of the more abstract definitions and theories found in the book, albeit implicitly, than a purely theoretical approach.

In chapter 3, Markee develops the issues raised in chapter 2 by formulating a concise and useful multidisciplinary framework for understanding innovation. The framework borrows theoretical concepts from within and outside ELT, namely ‘from education, management, medicine, anthropology, sociology, development planning, language planning, and urban planning’ (p. 42). It addresses the question of ‘who adopts what, where, when, why and how?’ (p. 43). ‘Who’ deals with the roles different participants have in the innovation process; ‘adopts’ examines the decision-making phases of potential adopters; ‘what’ provides a definition of curricular innovation which reflects Markee's own experience as a change agent; ‘where’ gives the socio-cultural context of innovation; ‘when’ offers a quantitative definition of diffusion; ‘why’ describes the profiles of adopters and the characteristics of successful innovations; and ‘how’ explains the five models of change and the strategies of change. Although Markee's framework was presented in 1997, it contains a relatively up-to-date summary and critical evaluation of the major concepts in innovation theory, and it remains relevant twelve years on.

Part II of the book features a case study in curricular and teacher innovation (CATI), involving innovation in an English as a Second Language (ESL) university programme in the United States, and in which Markee played the role of project director. A wide range of important issues in innovation project design, implementation, management, evaluation and maintenance are discussed in relation to the CATI project. Markee ends this part with a discussion of the lessons he has personally learned from the project. In Part III, the author lists nine general principles of curricular innovation to guide the management of educational innovation. Such an explicit listing of principles is especially informative for readers who are just beginning to get acquainted with the literature on curricular innovation and change. This format is also far more reader-friendly and useful than embedding the principles in an extensive discussion or argument. Discussions of issues that are thematically linked are helpfully cross-referenced through the use of text boxes referred to as ‘Text Link’ on the left and right margins of the pages in the book. The cross references enable readers to connect easily the ideas presented within and across the chapters.

Markee mentions in the Introduction that he divided the book into three parts to give readers the choice of deciding how they prefer to approach their reading of the book, recommending that readers who are using the book for research purposes or as a reference on educational innovation theory focus on Parts I and III, while those interested in the practical perspectives can pay more attention to Part II. This is a prudent approach which enables Markee to achieve his intention of reaching out to a broad audience of language teaching professionals who may have different reasons for reading the book.

Exploring change in English language teaching is a collection of personal accounts by teachers and language specialists from eight different countries (Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Finland, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and Chile) who have had the experience of teaching in a range of public, private and semi-private schools and who have also taken on positions of responsibility as facilitators, trainers, advisors and managers. The case studies describe change at three levels: national, institutional, and classroom. In general, all the case studies give detailed descriptions and candid comments about the contributors’ experiences and learning that resulted from their involvement in implementing innovation in ELT. Some examples of these experiences include the implementation of new ELT curricula at the primary and secondary levels, the introduction of new coursebooks, the use of Information Technology (IT), and teachers' involvement in action research projects.

The chapters are sequenced from macro- to micro-perspectives in that the presentation of the case studies proceeds from national large-scale change in Section 1 to institutional change in Section 2, and end with classroom change in Section 3. With such a systematic content categorisation, the book appears to cater specifically to the needs and interests of language teaching specialists, depending on their roles in the areas of policy design, delivery and/or implementation. The relevant literature and theoretical models on change are incorporated into some of the case studies, where appropriate, instead of being treated separately within a chapter, as in Managing curricular innovation. This makes Exploring change in English language teaching less academic and more practitioner-oriented. The consistent format and layout throughout the chapters and section synopses make the book reader-friendly and especially suited for teacher-practitioners who prefer information that is easily accessible.

The case studies on national curricular change in Section 1 are situated in four countries but have common points of comparison. These include the inevitable top–down approach for instituting change at the national level; the crucial role played by change agents at the intermediate level in implementing change; the importance of time, training and resources to be given for change to be effected successfully; the creation of conducive conditions for change to happen; the building of collaborative cultures for change to take place; the need for a change in attitudes and beliefs among those involved in the change process; and the need to take into account national and organisational cultures and possible cross-cultural conflict when implementing change.

Like the case studies in Section 1, the four case studies in Section 2, which focus on change in institutions, share a number of similar emphases. These include the need to consider teachers' attitudes and beliefs, the creation of positive conditions for change to take place, and the importance of building collaborative cultures. Other points of comparison between and across the case studies in Section 2 which were not raised in Section 1 include the need for essential support from management for implementation to be successful; the requirement that change agents be mindful of maximising benefits and minimising costs to those involved in implementing change; the significance of enhancing teacher expertise; and that change agents need skills in subject content, management and interpersonal relations to be able to manage difficult situations. In the two case studies presented in Section 3, the focus is on teachers implementing change in their own classrooms through action research projects. The teachers engaged in reflecting on and evaluating their own practices. They also actively involved their students in the learning process by having them participate in self-directed work and peer assessment.

There is unevenness across the chapters in Exploring change in English language teaching in terms of the treatment of the issues. While some chapters in the collection provide extensive descriptions of particular innovations and incorporate far more by way of theoretical perspectives, others give fewer theoretical perspectives and deal more with the practical aspects of the innovation projects. Christine Goh's (pp. 5–18) and David Kennedy's (pp. 29–37) chapters are obvious examples of the former, and Patricio Bracamonte's (pp. 86–81) and Pirjo Pollari's (pp. 105–112) chapters are clear examples of the latter.

Evaluating change in English language teaching is divided into three parts. Part 1, ‘Defining change’, introduces the principles and strategies of change, and provides various definitions of educational change and the factors affecting it. Part II, ‘Implementing change’, examines innovation implementation and dissemination strategies, and models of curriculum implementation and change. Part III, ‘Measuring change’, highlights three case studies of how change can be evaluated in specific contexts. All three cases involve participants on in-service education and training (INSET) programmes. The participants are experienced and practising teachers of English from a variety of countries who are on a master's programme in the teaching of English as a foreign or second language (MA TEFL/TESL), Chinese lecturers and professors of English taking part in a one-month overseas intensive teacher training programme, and Japanese teachers of English participating in a one-year overseas in-service training programme.

The book's organisational structure takes on a more conventional approach, that is, the terms are defined first, followed by examples of the concepts. It would seem that readers are expected to read the book from the beginning in order to follow the development in the author's ideas. This approach makes the book appear more academic in nature and presents itself as a reference text rather than one with practical ideas which teachers could dip into. The appendices are a good source of reference for readers interested in specific details about the three case studies. In appendix 1, readers can examine the questions in the questionnaire that was administered to the participants in the MA TEFL/TESL programme and analyse the participants’ responses. Appendices 2–4 provide readers with background information relevant to the three case studies.

In the final chapter, the volume's editor presents eight principles of change and ten recommendations for the successful management of change, based on the ideas introduced earlier in this volume as well as from other literature on change.

The fourth volume, Planning change, changing plans, is a collection of twelve case studies contributed by teachers, researchers, education administrators and consultants from eleven countries (Hong Kong, Germany, Ukraine, Thailand, Singapore, USA, Egypt, UK, Canada, Australia, and Italy). With a common focus on managing change, the accounts demonstrate that change can result in unexpected outcomes because the various stakeholders in the change process can resist, interpret and adapt change based on their own beliefs, attitudes and experiences, and that, therefore, planning change typically involves changing plans (hence, the title of the book).

Planning change, changing plans has two parts. The first, titled ‘Changing curriculum’, provides examples of curriculum reforms from around the world that illustrate a top–down approach to reform, the reformulation of reforms by stakeholders, and the effects of national reforms. The second part, ‘Changing teachers', focuses mainly on the effects of change on teachers, for example, the problems of developing national assessment programmes, teacher development, and the influence of one's own expectations, beliefs and culture on the change process. Although each chapter is self-contained, there are sufficient common issues across the chapters to allow ample opportunities for readers to make comparisons and generalisations. A unique aspect of this book is the tasks that are found at the end of each chapter. They encourage readers to reflect on and discuss issues and themes in the chapter. The book could be used by a wide variety of language teaching professionals ranging from administrators, researchers, curriculum developers and teacher-trainers to teachers and teacher-trainees. Like Exploring change in English language teaching, the chapter layout is user-friendly as there are headings to clearly delineate the sub-sections in each case study.

As in the other edited collection described above, Exploring change in English language teaching, the chapters in Planning change, changing plans are uneven in the breadth and depth of their content. Specifically, the amount of detail present in each chapter and across the chapters in terms of the quantitative and qualitative data, innovation theories and principles, and practical perspectives is not always consistent and balanced. A case in point is the difference between chapter 2, ‘English language teaching in Hong Kong primary schools: Innovation and resistance’ (pp. 11–25), by Bob Adamson & Chris Davison and chapter 6, ‘Implementing the English language syllabus 2001 in Singapore schools: Interpretations and re-interpretations’ (pp. 85–107), by Christine Goh & Tay May Yin. Both chapters are about national curriculum renewal but the amount of detail given in each differs. While chapter 6 provides quantitative data in terms of figures and percentages to inform readers of the results of the study presented, chapter 2 presents the results more generally, by way of description.

Of the four books, the volumes by Markee and Lamie delve into the theoretical aspects of change more extensively than those by Murray and Kennedy et al. The former dedicate full chapters to discussing the definitions of innovation and educational change, the principles of change, the implementation strategies and models for effecting change, and the factors that affect educational change. Both Markee and Lamie live up to the promise they make in their synopses to provide and examine both the theory and practice of change. They aim at a balanced treatment of the theoretical and practical issues relating to change, and have done so successfully. However, of the two, the theoretical aspects covered in Markee make more specific reference to language education than those in the Lamie volume, where more attention is given to the general literature on change and change in education as a whole. There is a section in the latter work, entitled ‘Factors affecting curriculum change in English language teaching’ (pp. 51–56), which follows a review of the literature on change in education but there is a lack of a clear link between the general factors affecting change (pp. 23–32) and those specific to ELT.

In Managing curricular innovation, the theoretical and practical issues are woven together quite seamlessly even though the theory and practice of change are dealt with in separate chapters. For example, theoretical issues are also integrated into the detailed description of the CATI project and its lessons. In Evaluating change in English language teaching, there are separate chapters devoted to the discussion of theoretical perspectives and to practical examples, but the connection between theory and practice does not appear to be as clear as in Managing curricular innovation. There is an attempt in the conclusion, through the summary and the recommendations, to link the earlier parts of the book on theoretical perspectives with Part III which gives the practical examples in the three case studies. However, the onus is still on readers to reflect and make their own links between the parts on theory and practice. If the book aims to effectively reach out to teacher-trainers and teachers as it professes to do, more explicit links should have been made between the theoretical and practical issues so that teachers can relate to them better.

On the other hand, some of the contributors to Exploring change in English language teaching and Planning change, changing plans have skilfully integrated the theoretical issues into their reports of case studies, thus making the link between theory and practice transparent. The examples in Exploring change in English language teaching include David Kennedy's chapter ‘The foreign trainer as change agent and implications for teacher education programmes in China’ and Paul Doyle's chapter ‘Changing course: The lexical syllabus and the politics of the staffroom’. In Planning change, changing plans, the examples include Bob Adamson's & Chris Davison's chapter ‘English language teaching in Hong Kong primary schools: Innovation and resistance’, and the chapter ‘Teacher development in Thailand: Differing perspectives’ by Jennifer Godfrey, Denise E. Murray, Suchada Nimmannit & Marnie Wirth. In so doing, the link between theory and practice becomes immediately apparent. In such instances, the theoretical perspectives are used to support the descriptions and discussions of curricular change. This enables teachers and other practitioners to bridge theory and practice without too much difficulty.

Analysis and evaluation

In this section of the review, I will analyse the change issues in ELT raised in the four books and show the extent to which they have developed from 1997 to 2008, the period during which the books were written and published.

A review of the four books shows that the same issues pertaining to the management of change have dominated ELT in the past decade. They include debates about the definitions of innovation and change, explanations of the models and strategies of change and reactions towards change in the form of support, resistance, re-interpretations, modifications and adaptations. Similarly, there are concerns expressed about how to manage, sustain and evaluate change effectively and about the need for strong leadership and conducive conditions for change to take place. They are significant issues that confront as well as interest language teaching professionals who have personal encounters with change and those who seek ways to overcome the challenges faced in managing change. All four books deal with such issues either explicitly or indirectly through the case studies. It shows that in the span of over a decade, the issue of how to manage change effectively continues to be a common area of interest for language teaching professionals.

I will now examine the value of the case studies contained in the four books and how they address the five aspects of change identified at the beginning of this review.

(i) Why and how change takes place at the national, institutional/school and classroom levels, and in various socio-cultural and political contexts. The authors of the case studies in all four books give useful insights into the reasons and ways in which change takes place at the national, institutional/school and classroom levels in a wide variety of situations. All refer frequently to the variety of socio-cultural, economic and political factors that influence change thus highlighting Fullan's point that innovations are initiated from many different sources and for different reasons (Fullan Reference Fullan2007: 69).

In Exploring change in English language teaching and Planning change, changing plans, the contributors from the Asian countries in particular relate similar first-hand experiences of a top–down government-initiated approach to curriculum innovation. Centrally-planned policies instituted by their respective governments were prompted by a host of factors such as globalisation, economic development, advancements in scientific and information technology, and a desire to make improvements to the education system in general and enhancements to language teaching in particular. For example, in Exploring change in English language teaching, Goh (pp. 5–18) discusses national curriculum reform in Malaysia, and David R. Carless (pp. 19–28) writes about large-scale curriculum change in Hong Kong. In Planning change, changing plans, Bob Adamson & Chris Davison describe the challenges encountered in the implementation of task-based learning in Hong Kong Primary schools (pp. 11–25), and Jennifer Godfrey, Denise E. Murray, Suchada Nimmannit & Marnie Wirth examine teacher development in Thailand (pp. 138–154).

Case studies on change conducted at the institutional/school level are featured in all four books and they reflect similar issues found in national-level top–down change where there is typically someone or a group of people directing the implementation of the change. The difference, however, is that in institutional- and school-level change, teachers would tend to have greater opportunities for active involvement and offering feedback. Notably, Exploring change in English language teaching is the only book which has two case studies of teacher-initiated change. They are chapter 9, by Rachael Roberts, on an exploratory programme of teacher-initiated research (pp. 94–104) and chapter 10, by Pirjo Pollari, on a portfolio experiment in the teaching of EFL in two Finnish upper-secondary schools (pp. 105–112). Since teachers can benefit from understanding and identifying with the experiences of fellow practitioners, and perhaps adapt the principles and strategies to their own contexts, future publications on change in ELT could feature far more case studies on change at the classroom level.

(ii) The impact of change on the various stakeholders, and the concomitant problems and challenges it poses. In all four volumes, the authors of the case studies generally give detailed accounts of both the positive and the negative impact of reforms on stakeholders. They turn the shortcomings of their experiences with change into important learning opportunities by suggesting how the negative impact of implementation can be minimised for the stakeholders. What is common across all the case studies which deal with the top–down approach is the observation that the intended or planned curriculum often results in resistance, poor reception and/or the unexpected. The intentions of policy planners and curriculum developers are almost always reinterpreted and reconceptualised by the other stakeholders, such as school leaders, teachers, textbook writers, parents, publishers and external organisations, based on their own beliefs, attitudes, motivation, standard practices, knowledge, skills, or even the level of support and resources they have. The most clear-cut illustrations of the above situation are given in Lamie's second case study on ‘Evaluating change with Chinese lecturers of English’ (pp. 117–154) and the case study by Goh & Tay in the Murray volume (pp. 85–107) on implementing the ELT syllabus in Singapore schools.

(iii) Ways to effectively manage and sustain change. All the authors share the concern about managing and sustaining change because the process of change is complex and ‘even apparent successes have fundamental flaws’ (Fullan Reference Fullan2007: 18). A substantial proportion of the ELT innovation efforts discussed in the case studies, apart from Markee's CATI project, achieved either unsatisfactory outcomes or limited success. To ensure that innovation efforts are effectively managed and sustained, the key recommendations common to most of the case studies include the need to:

1. 1. be cognisant of the crucial role that change agents such as school principals, heads of department, programme/course coordinators and teachers play (see, for example, recommendations made by Paul Doyle (pp. 54–65) and Simon Sergeant (pp. 75–85) in Exploring change in English language teaching, and Goh & Tay (pp. 85–107) and Juliet Langman (pp. 108–121) in Planning change, changing plans).

2. 2. take into account the socio-cultural, economic, political and personal contexts in which the change is taking place (see Markee on the CATI project; pp. 171–180).

3. 3. consider the appropriate dissemination and implementation strategies to adopt so that the change can successfully permeate from the national level to the school level and ultimately down to the classroom level (see discussion of the implementation of the English language syllabus in Malaysia by Goh (pp. 5–18) in Exploring change in English language teaching, in which Goh discusses the method of diffusion and adoption called the Package System that was intended to reduce the risk of dilution and distortion of information, and the description of the implementation of the ELT Syllabus 2001 in Singapore schools by Goh & Tay (pp. 85–107) in Planning change, changing plans, in which the EL Syllabus 2001 was communicated to teachers as a syllabus that contained several features of continuity from the previous syllabus so that teachers would feel less insecure about change and their good teaching practices could be sustained).

4. 4. provide the necessary support in terms of time, manpower, resources, and teacher training, and conditions of work. This would help teachers feel less burdened and more accepting about implementing change for a continuous period of time. Lamie's third case study on evaluating change with Japanese teachers of English (pp. 155–205) points to the fact that in-service courses have the capacity to facilitate change. Jill Burton, Yoopayao Daroon, Ada Raimaturapong & Sutida Siripong in Planning change, changing plans also underscore the importance of appropriate professional support for educational reforms to be meaningful and for teachers to be committed to implementing them for a sustained period of time (pp. 62–84).

5. 5. ensure that the implementers develop ownership of the innovation they are implementing so that there would be long lasting impact of the change. Pinar, in Exploring change in English language teaching, reports on an attempt to change the course materials used in a school in Saudi Arabia and emphasises the importance of establishing ownership of an innovation, without which that innovation has no chance of continuing (pp. 66–74), while Carless, in Planning change, changing plans, is critical about the ownership that the teachers in Hong Kong had in the implementation of a Target-Oriented Curriculum (TOC) in the 1990s (pp. 19–28).

(iv) The theories that are used to explain curriculum change. In Managing curricular innovation and Evaluating change in English language teaching, there are detailed explanations given of curriculum implementation models such as the research, development and diffusion/dissemination model, the social interaction model, the problem solving model, the centre–periphery model and the linkage model. Strategies for implementing change, such as the power–coercive strategy, the rational–empirical strategy, the normative–re-educative strategy, and the top–down and bottom–up strategies for effecting change are also elaborated on. The principles of change that are common to both books include change involving a variety of actors; change being part of a personal context, evoking a variety of emotions and involving attitudes and beliefs; and change being a process and involving training, practice and time.

Both Markee and Lamie apply the theories on curriculum change that they refer to in their earlier chapters to the case studies that they present. Thus, when Markee presents the CATI project, he explains the top–down and bottom–up strategies of change that are employed. Similarly, Lamie mentions the strategies for effecting change in all the three case studies found in her book.

Markee and Lamie also offer their own models of change, each with a different focus. Markee's systemic model of organisation development (p. 112) is an interpretation – specific to language teaching – of a model of organisation development proposed by Everard & Morris (Reference Everard and Morris1990) (cited in Markee, p. 111). He uses his model to explain the issues pertaining to the management of the CATI project. Lamie's model attempts to represent the multi-dimensional nature of change by featuring the impact areas that affect teachers' practice, attitudes and methodology. However, Lamie does not make any explicit reference to her model in the three case studies she presents.

On the other hand, the case studies in Exploring change in English language teaching and Planning change, changing plans, refer to models and strategies relevant to the issues at hand. The treatment of the theoretical concepts in some chapters, however, lacks depth and more could have been done by way of explanation. One example is the case study by Langman in Planning change, changing plans (pp. 108 – 121), who writes at length about the school context, the principal, and the students’ successes but discusses only cursorily the theoretical aspect of the role of leadership in change. Another example is the case study by Lucilla Lopriore (pp. 212–242), who gives extensive information about an Italian research project that aims to develop a national foreign language curriculum based on the findings of foreign language teachers' inquiry into their own classes and the results of language tests. However, Lopriore fails to exploit the opportunity to discuss the project in relation to the theory of a bottom–up approach to change.

Some chapters could also have done with an explicit incorporation of the relevant theories. Two examples are the contributions by Bracamonte (pp. 86–81) and Pollari (pp. 105–112) in Exploring change in English language teaching, who focus more on their own personal experiences in the classroom than on explaining their experiences in relation to theories about change. As for Planning change, changing plans, the majority of the case studies in the collection do not adequately and appropriately link practice to the ideas and concepts from innovation theory, either within and/or outside ELT. For the case studies to strike a chord with language teaching professionals, a much tighter link needs to be made between the theory and practice of change in language teaching.

(v) The means by which change is evaluated. Markee devotes an entire chapter (pp. 135–168) to detailing the issues in the evaluation and maintenance of the CATI project, the kinds of data that can be gathered and the means to gather such data. This is useful for language teaching professionals who may be involved in similar innovation projects and who can derive useful lessons that may be applied to their own contexts. The three case studies in Lamie's volume also provide specific information on how change is evaluated in the three new programmes cited by identifying the data collection procedure, the data collection tools, the programme participants and the research findings.

However, the accounts contained in Exploring change in English language teaching and Planning change, changing plans differ vastly in this area from the publications by Markee and Lamie. While the case studies pay considerable attention to areas such as why and how change takes place, the impact of change and the problems and challenges it poses, there is far less coverage of the evaluation of change. If this could have been addressed by the case studies which managed to successfully implement innovation and change, even if it were for a short period, they could have given readers a wider perspective of managing change. For example, in her case study on curriculum innovation at the national level in Malaysia in Exploring change in English language teaching (pp. 5–18), Goh describes how she managed the implementation of the new English syllabus by setting up a professional support system for the English teachers in her department. She mentions that the first in-house workshop ‘was a success’, ‘the response to the peer observation was very positive’, and the subsequent ‘meetings were a success’ (pp. 14–15), but her case study falls short on providing details of how she had evaluated the management of change. Similarly, in Planning change, changing plans, the case study by Marguerite Ann Snow & Anne M. Katz focuses extensively on the process of developing and implementing standards in Egyptian schools (pp. 122–137). The various phases for the standards project were described at great length but the ongoing processes to evaluate change such as ‘the field discussions’ (p. 128) and the collection of ‘feedback from surveys and workshops’ which are referred to in the case study are not substantially investigated.

Furthermore, evaluation is a vital component of any curriculum implementation process but it tends to be neglected by teachers. This is a view expressed also by McCormick & James (Reference McCormick and James1983), who say that ‘formal curriculum evaluation is surely a long way from being perceived as crucial to effective practice; indeed it is still a marginal activity. . . . The constraints imposed simply by lack of time are sufficient to constitute a serious obstacle’ (p. 313) for teachers to undertake evaluation. Teachers would indeed benefit from knowing about the range of techniques that can be used to evaluate change.

Each of the four books under review in this paper has made an important contribution to the literature on change in ELT. Although the editors and authors of the books and the contributors of the case studies come from diverse backgrounds, contexts and circumstances, and there is the span of over a decade in which the books and personal accounts have been written and published, they all have issues in common to share about the change process in ELT. Each provides a somewhat different approach to, and treatment of, the issues of innovation and change in ELT. Yet, together, the four books provide valuable, practical and constructive ideas and learning points that will be instructive for novice as well as experienced researchers and language teaching professionals who are already involved in or are likely to participate in the process of change.