Malaysian Teachers’ Evaluation of Form One (KBSM) English Textbooks: A Comparative Analysis

Research in textbook and materials evaluation which was the major focus in many ELT published articles and books in the 1980s are still lacking, even though one cannot deny its
important role when choosing an appropriate text for any particular language course. In this thesis, I will present the outcome of my attempt on using a formal evaluative checklist (based on Tucker’s (1975) and William’s (1983) textbook evaluation scheme) with the Malaysian teachers on six different Form One textbooks. The mini textbook evaluation survey aims to find out the values of the new English textbooks (which are written and published under the recently implemented KBSM curriculum) and how they compare with one another, after being used for about six years with the Form One pupils (hence, a summative evaluation). 33 teachers from 12 different schools throughout four states in Malaysia have participated
and give their full cooperation by completing a Textbook Evaluation Form-cum- Questionnaire. 35 criteria in the checklist serves as the main evaluative framework which
have been adapted to suit the Malaysian educational context. On the overall, this research has been a very rewarding experience for me, as it not only finds out how the Form One KBSM English textbooks fare with one another in the assessment, as well as shedding us with some light on the communicative potential of the books with the pupils’ needs. The research, which in a way, is an experimental application of Tucker’s evaluative scheme, has also taught me much on the development of textbook
evaluative framework and its importance to teachers, even though they may not be actively involved in the selection of their textbooks, as Malaysian teachers are.