An Evaluative Study for First Year Primary School Textbook

The present study aimed to investigate the appropriateness of Egyptian primary schools textbook "Connect 1" from teachers’ perspectives. For this purpose, 30 male and female experienced English language teachers were randomly selected from different primary schools in Beni Suef, Egypt. They were chosen based on the availability sampling method. The evaluation of the textbook was conducted quantitatively through a 4-point Likert scale questionnaire which was developed by the researcher. The textbook evaluation scheme contained 27 items which relied upon seven main criteria namely a) layout and design, b) subject and content, c) vocabulary, d) grammar, e) phonetics, f) activities, and g) skills. The results indicated that there was an incongruity between the presumed educational purposes , the teachers and learners' needs. It is believed that the results of the study could provide intriguing hints for the curriculum designers and material' developers to think of adapting the available materials or adopting an alternative textbook which contains an organized layout, useful and real-life subjects and contents, contains relevant and appropriate vocabulary, grammar and phonetics, covers relevant skills and activities, and corresponds to teachers’ and learners' emerging needs.