Analysis of Presentation of Phrasal verbs in Iranian Secondary School ELT textbooks

Phrasal verbs (PVs) are essential to communicate with native speakers as they are frequently used in writing as well as speaking. However, they present a substantial challenge to both teachers and learners. The aim of this study was to examine how phrasal verbs were used in locally-produced English textbooks used in secondary schools in Iran. Phrasal verbs were manually extracted from textbooks. Two hundred and forty-nine occurrences of phrasal verbs were found in the mentioned ELT textbooks. To analyze the data, the subsequent analyses were performed in three stages. The first stage of analysis dealt with the frequency of PVs. The second stage was concerned with where phrasal verbs appeared in the textbooks. The final layer of analysis focused on the function of phrasal verbs in the samples. It was evident from the results that PVs were substantially covered in the sample textbooks, and the higher the level, the more phrasal verbs were used. Therefore, it will be worth trying to scatter them all over the textbook and add a larger variety of exercises by allowing students to figure out some patterns by themselves instead of purely presenting them in grammar boxes. As a result, proper teaching approaches and material development need to be applied to reduce learners' frustration and to improve their understanding and use of phrasal verbs.