This research study has attempted to provide a suggestive textbook evaluation framework on how textbook’s pedagogical fitness with the NSS curriculum can be evaluated. Two research questions were established in order to find out 1) how well the framework works as an effective evaluation tool? 2) how the evaluation framework can be further improved?
The first research question seeks to provide a textbook evaluation framework based on which a textbook evaluation checklist was first constructed. The checklist has been subsequently empirically trailed to evaluate one current NSS textbook “Theme Book” of the Longman ELECT series to examine the validity and practicability of the evaluation criteria used in the checklist. The trialing of the checklist has proved the evaluation framework is an effective evaluation device capable of eliciting systematically the strengths and weakness of the target textbook.
The second research question seeks to investigate whether the self-constructed checklist needs to be further improved by inviting in-service teachers to provide feedback on the strength and weaknesses of the checklist. The teacher have generally been given a very positive response to the design of the checklist. The teacher suggested that it is a rightful decision to have constructed the evaluation criteria on the instruction part of the curriculum as it is most relevant, detailing how the NSS teaching objective can be achieve in daily teaching.
The checklist has done a good job in materializing abstract curriculum concept for ease of reference. The checklist is also very user friendly as it allows for expression of opinion on the five point Likert-scale and that evaluation criteria are grouped under a different section, allowing for a principled and concise team textbook evaluation procedure. The teachers have also suggested that the evaluation framework is useful invention as it can be used as a tool to familiarize new teachers with the requirements of the new curriculum.