Abstract

The present study aims at evaluating the Elementary level (Grade 1)  English Textbook of Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board Lahore in the light of the ideological, psychological and social foundations of the curriculum and the objectives stated of the said class in SNC 2020. The evaluation was done through document analysis and a rubric developed by the researchers themselves. The objective was to do the evaluation of contents of the prescribed book, its layout and design, and its alignment with the ideological, social, and psychological foundations and SLOs of grade 1 mentioned in the SNC document. The aim is to ascertain whether the textbook remained true to its learning outcomes and competencies mentioned in the Curriculum document by the Ministry of Education. The findings confirm that the book met most of the criteria set in the curriculum documents. Still, there are a few shortcomings for which the researchers have suggested certain recommendations.

Key Words

Text-book Evaluation, SNC Document, Elementary Level

Introduction

The existing literature defines evaluation as a process undertaken to examine and form a subjective judgment about a phenomenon. There are many reasons behind this venture. One of them is to find something better that would aid humanity in general. Another is to assess the significance of a program to decide whether it should be implemented, abandoned or reviewed. Coming to textbook evaluation, the same reasons hold true. Textbook evaluation is making all possible efforts to assess the significance of materials. (Tomlinson, 1998, p.3).

Arriving at an informed decision by assessing the strengths and weaknesses of a given textbook is the desirable outcome of systematic evaluation. Thus, we can safely say that a thorough textbook evaluation is an activity of immense significance. The same is affirmed by Cunnings worth (1984) when he endorses making "informed and appropriate choices when selecting course books." Grainger (2001) shares the same opinion when he recommended confirming all the required objectives of a book mentioned in its criteria checklist before enforcing it.




Types of Evaluation and its Significance

In our beloved country Pakistan, many kinds of ELT books are available in the market: some are prescribed by the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook board; some are by Oxford University Press and there are others that follow the Cambridge Curriculum while some are written by individual authors. No one can deny the significance of having a good textbook for English language learning and teaching. The public-school teachers make use of the local textbooks in their classes whereas the private school teachers can select their own textbooks. In the area of ELT, the textbooks are evaluated at three varying levels: pre-use or predictive evaluation done at the onset helps in determining which materials will benefit the learners most by fulfilling their needs (Ellis, 1997; McGrath, 2002; Tomlinson, 2003). Predictive evaluation can foretell the learning outcomes of the materials.

In-use or while-use evaluation is conducted to assess the overall satisfaction of the learners. It focuses on measuring the significance of a book while using it in the classroom. This type of evaluation is more reliable because it is more concrete and measurable, unlike pre-use which is more predictive. Post-use evaluation is carried out to determine if the textbook has achieved its objectives and will continue to be used in future. It also helps to establish if the textbooks need to be revised, discarded or improved on.

Textbooks in Pakistan are believed to be the primary source of information and guidance for teachers as well as students. In the words of Banu, 2005, they are the only legitimate source of knowledge for both. Thus, keeping in mind the pivotal importance of textbooks, it is of greater significance to find or devise meaningful ways of evaluation. Moreover, evaluation is also undertaken for various reasons. One of them is to determine if the books fulfil their SLOs mentioned in the curriculum document.

Another method is to do a need analysis of the learners and the market to judge whether the current books of English meet the mental, social and psychological needs of the students. Similarly, it can be done to explore the value of something for meaningful purposes (Anderson, 1992; Brown et al., (2002). Evaluation is a process which "involves not only assembling information for making a value judgment." (Nunan, 1992). Graves in 2000 and Bodegas in 2007 believe that the curriculum of the language and its relevant materials should be devised keeping in view the needs of the target learners.

Similarly, renowned linguists Cunnings worth (1979) and McGrath (2002) believe that "evaluation needs to be learner and context- related." So, we can say that it can be done on micro- and macro- levels both. Both micro and macro stages include a number of factors including language and the institution, interest, needs and age of the learners, the belief and experience of the teacher, demographics of the students, the medium, syllabus, the institution, SLOs devised, language policy and the role given to the target language.

Sheldon (1998: 285) criticized the entire process of book evaluation by considering it a very rigid and principally subjective, rule-of-thumb- activity where no formula works and no system has ever produced a decisive yardstick. The same concerns were voiced by McDonough and Shaw (1993) when they contend that no universal evaluation system has been devised for materials and the "evaluation standards are "very local" in nature.

Literature Review

A lot of studies and research on book evaluation have been conducted across the world in varying contexts. Different researchers like Tomlinson (2009), Cunning's worth (1995), and McDonough and Shaw (1993) have employed a wide range of techniques and methodologies to analyse the books and materials. Tomlinson believes that the textbook should contain learning materials appropriate for the needs of the students. The study of Subarea was directed to judge if the textbook "Pathway to English" was written in line with the Tomlinson theory. The study affirmed that the above book fulfilled Tomlinson's criteria of guiding students to learn on the basis of a scientific approach to the 2013 curriculum.

In Pakistan, English language learning and teaching have always been in vogue because of obvious reasons. The Constitution of Pakistan also emphasizes the need of learning the English language in order to compete with the world in the fields of science and technology, communication, commerce and economic development. A number of methods have been adopted to gain this end but the most important of them is the use of appropriate textbooks as stated by Hamza (2004, p.3) that, the primary tool for teaching, learning and imparting the knowledge of the English language in Pakistan is the textbook. 

Though the National Curriculum Document states clear sets of goals and objectives for ELT but their implementation is lacking resulting in chaos and inefficiency. The basic reason behind it is very clear: "Textbooks prescribed for the level do not include the needs of the learners.” (Shah, 2007, p.101.). The same is confirmed by the study conducted by Syed Kazim Shah teal., (2015) titled “Evaluation of Textbook as Curriculum: English for 6 and 7 Grades in Pakistan” used the textbooks implemented by Dare Arqam Schools in grades 6 and 7. The study used predictive evaluation type and criteria for the evaluation developed by the researchers themselves. The findings reveal that the syllabus paid more emphasis on learning the grammar of the English language than the speaking skill which is the main requirement. It further states that the recommended books failed to meet the needs of the learners and the institution needed to review their implementation.

Another gap found in materials evaluation is the lack of the will for further improvement as a result of poor adherence to the curriculum document. The next mentioned study done by Khalid Mahmood (2010) "Textbook Evaluation in Pakistan: Issue of Conformity to the National Curriculum Guidelines," proves the truth of the statement. The research aimed at exploring the textbook evaluation process, especially with reference to the subjects of science and mathematics, and the researchers evaluated eight textbooks to analyse if they conformed to the instructions and guidelines provided by the National Curriculum Committee.

Unfortunately, the study reveals that the textbooks were found deficient in the areas of concept building for students, content coverage as provided by the curriculum; assessment exercises given at the end of the chapters even in their layout and design

Another study "An Evaluation of Elementary Level English Textbooks of Punjab Government Schools in Pakistan" was undertaken by Ahmad Ali et al., (2015). The researchers did the content evaluation of language textbooks of grades VI, VII and VIII used in the public schools of the Punjab province. They did content and overall layout analysis of the prescribed books and also provided useful recommendations in light of the findings.

Another piece of research was conducted by Anna Ali et al., (2021) titled "An Evaluation of English Textbook at Primary Level in Punjab, Pakistan." The study also confirms the imbalance present between the needs of the learners and the books taught. The study talks about the advantages of the text's method, the challenges faced by the teachers alongside the need for analysis of the new curriculum of grade V. The researchers employed a mixed-method approach. The study confirms that the task-based language teaching (TBLT) methodology was used by the textbooks of English in Punjab, thus focusing more on developing speaking, reading and writing skills than listening skills. Despite facing many challenges, the feedback provided by the teachers was overall positive about the books. The findings recommend that more audio-video aids should be added for the knowledge of the students and the assessment system be made more language-oriented.

One of the major concerns or gaps lies in the up-gradation of textbooks. Unfortunately, the ELT books are not what they are supposed to teach. This discrepancy resulted in a deficient assessment system. Unfortunately, our examination system is meant to check the rote-learning or memorization of students, not their language skills and their development. Keeping in view the learning objectives, Arshad Mahmood et al., undertook a study namely "Textbook Evaluation: Analyzing English Textbook 1 of Federal Board at SSC Level in the Light of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives." The researchers employed a mixed-method approach to get an in-depth insight into the topic. The findings confirm the incongruity of content with reference to the order of the domains of Bloom's taxonomy. The study proposes the redesigning of the textbooks keeping in view the set criteria and stating the explicit learning objectives.

Another study that highlighted the deficiencies of our overall educational system and the Analyzing poor standards of ELT was submitted to the University of Birmingham by Asma Aftab (2011) entitled “English Language Textbook Evaluation in Pakistan.” Asma (2011) found an imbalance between the curriculum and textbook policies. Moreover, the teachers lacked ELT techniques and learning objectives and designing of the syllabus techniques. The textbooks banked on controlled and teachers- centred activities primarily.

She further recommended massive improvement in curriculum designing, teachers' training etc. In short, most of the above-stated studies confirm that though there is a considerable amount of awareness regarding the shortcomings present in our local textbooks, there's a lack of will and determination to alleviate the problems.




The Statement of the Problem

In Pakistan, educational institutions public or private use a number of instructional materials as textbooks though there is a lack of a standardized system to evaluate them.

The basic purpose of this study is to critically and thoroughly investigate to what extent the grade 1textbook of English fulfils the SLOs of this class stated in the curriculum document of the Ministry of Education through a rubric designed by the researchers.




The Significance of the Study

The current study is exploratory in nature and aims to determine and identify the conformity issues between the content of the grade 1 book of English and its recommended SLOs in the curriculum document. The researchers decided to do the content analysis of the given textbook by using a rubric designed themselves. Resultantly, the following areas are highlighted:

? The strengths and weaknesses of the said textbook

? The conformity between the textbook content and the curriculum document.

? The lack of standardization for textbook evaluation policy

? The study not only critically evaluate the current grade 1 book of English but also added further recommendations for future improvements in:

? Standardized procedures for evaluating textbooks of English

? The training of the authors involved in language book writing

Aims and Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study are

? To explore whether the prescribed textbook of English for grade I fulfils the ideological, psychological and social foundations of the SNC curriculum.

? To investigate if the prescribed textbook is based on the SLOs mentioned for the same class in the curriculum document.

? To find out the merits and demerits of the recommended textbook in the light of evaluation techniques.

? To find out whether the evaluated textbook of English is mentally and physically age-appropriate; whether the book is child-centred or knowledge-centred or teacher-oriented. And child-centred or knowledge-centred or teacher-centred?




Research Questions

The current research seeks to find the answers to the following questions

? Does the textbook fulfil the SLOs of the grade 1 class mentioned in the SNC document by the Education Ministry?

? In what ways has the curriculum been influenced by societal factors?

? Is it according to the mental growth and age-appropriate for the students?

? Does it address the future needs of society?

? Is this mostly child-centred, knowledge-centred, or teacher centred?

Method

Qualitative methodology is employed by the researchers for this study to get an insight into the problem. Basically, the researchers undertook exploratory research to investigate if the grade 1 textbook English fulfils the SLOs mentioned in the SNC document. For this very purpose, the researchers did document analysis which included the SNC English 1-5 document, National Curriculum Framework, Constitution of Pakistan and English Grade 1 by Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board, Lahore.

The current study makes use of the in-use evaluation method since the grade 1 curriculum has also been enforced in 2020. The study aims to do a more in-depth and multiple-level evaluation and analysis in order to establish the meaningfulness and merits of the textbook for the grade 1 group of learners. Thus, the criteria include both external and internal types of evaluation as described by (McDonough et al., 1993). The external evaluation includes the discussion on the layout and design of the book along with how the learning activities are presented in the book. Internal examination is a more in-depth analysis based on using a rubric constructed by the researchers themselves. Thus, the internal examination is more systematic, reliable and explicit.




Description of the Tools/ Rubrics

The researchers devised a checklist as an instrument to evaluate the textbook. The applied rubric was developed after consulting the existing checklists for the evaluation of English language books. The rubric has three sections: (a) Theoretical Level, (b) Appearance of the Textbook, (c) Learning- teaching content. Through the designed rubric, the data is thus analyzed qualitatively. In the following section, the researchers discussed the above-stated components one by one.




Statements Meet Inadequate Comments 

Psychological Factors

1. Do the contents resonate with the needs, age and level of understanding of students?

2. Does the textbook portray issues from different perspectives?

Ideological Factors

Do the materials avoid biases of the following kinds?

I. Religion 

II. National Origin 

III. Gender 

IV. Occupation 

V. Class 

VI. Any other

? The materials discussed bear relevance to the social ideology

? The content is relevant to religious ideology

? The chapters are relevant to political ideology 




Social Factors

1. Is the content culturally relevant?

2. Does the book throw light on current issues, problems and happenings?

3. Does the book present the culture of the target community?




Competencies

1. Does the content teach what it is supposed to teach in terms of skills?

2. Is the language comprehensible and easy to follow?

3. Is it students- appropriate to use it?

4. Does the content provide sufficient English language exposure and practice through a variety of text types/genres?

5. Do the tasks and activities encourage the development and application of higher-level thinking skills?




The Appearance of the Textbook

1. Is the layout attractive and clear?

2. Do the visuals and graphics properly incorporated in the texts?

3. The print of the text is readable for learners?

4. Is the title page of the book attractive and representative of the target community?

5. Are the main and sub-headings properly aligned and posited?




Content

1. Are the objectives of the textbook quite similar to those of the Curriculum?

2. Is the content aligned with the SLOs of the curriculum?

3. Is the content accurate, authentic and up to date?

4. Is there a variety of spoken and written language-based activities (both formal and informal)?

5. Does the textbook include a complete course package? (e.g., teachers’ books, students’ books, cassettes, workbooks)?

6. Do the activities provided actively engage the learners in learning through cooperative learning, group discussions, problem-solving, performance and role-playing?

7. Is the content contextually relevant?

8. Are requisite questions included in the chapter to guide students in recognizing "big ideas"?




Assessment

1. Does the teacher edition include questioning strategies and/or questions to assess the understanding and Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels?

2. Is the assessment designed to focus on learning core concepts, mastering skills, as well as evaluating?

Analysis

Theoretical level based on ideological, psychological and social foundations of the curriculum

Each lesson starts with the learning outcomes which makes the objectives of the lesson very explicit. The table of contents depicts that each lesson comprises a theme and sub-theme based on the promotion of the ideological, social and psychological aspects of the curriculum. Below is the table based on the themes and sub-themes present within the textbook:

 

Unit 1, Time to Recall:

Revision of the past concepts

Unit 2, My Family and I:

Promotion of social cohesion, peace, respect for self and others and family ties

Unit 3, Cobbler, Cobbler:

Significance of different professions, equity among a diverse group of people

Unit 4, Let’s Have Fun:

Importance of Life Skills, Dignity of Labor and Ethics and values

Unit 5, Sharing is Caring:

Peaceful Coexistence/ Peace Education and the concept of sharing and the significance of doing small chores

Unit 6, Blessings of Allah:

Health Education, Peace Education and Listening to others.

Unit 7, Classroom Manners:

Participatory Citizenship, Ethics and values, the significance of following classroom manners, and making queues

Unit 8, Nature is Beautiful:

Importance of seasons and nature

Unit 9, a Greeting Card:

Peaceful coexistence, Peace Education. Sub-themes include good habits, sharing, keeping the classroom clean and the importance of cooperation and coordination

Unit 10, the Hare and the Tortoise:

Nature and Peaceful Coexistence and the significance of making friends

Unit 11, Love Animals:

Nature and taking care of animals

By casting a glance at the table of contents and the underlying themes and sub-themes, we can safely presume that the curriculum has been primarily influenced by the psychological and social aspects more than ideological factors. Most of the units promote the concepts of peaceful coexistence and peace education. Ethics and moral values are also emphasized in some units. The SNC document also highlights the fact by stating that each unit has a combination of various themes and sub-themes for the promotion of peace and ideas of social cohesion. The basic ideological attributes of the Muslims based on Islamic and religious teachings of patience, tolerance, self-esteem, care for others, conflict resolution, equity, sharing, and national and international brotherhood are also enhanced through the Curriculum. Likewise, two key concepts of “ education for sustainable development” and “ global citizenship education” will also be included in the textbooks. The aim is to empower learners of every age and class to become proactive contributors and responsible citizens of a fair, tolerant, inclusive and sustainable world.

Another important feature is that the textbook represents and promotes the culture of the target community. It is important to understand that contextualized learning is more pertinent and effective than decontextualized material. The textbook is replete with such graphics that depict and promote the values, culture, and dress code of the Pakistani nation. The cover page with the picture of a mother clads in Pakistani dress and both mother and daughter covering their heads in the picture says it all. Moreover, the cover page also highlights the significance of getting an education for both girls and boys alike is very refreshing to watch.

The Appearance of the Textbook

The appearance and layout of the book are one of the most appealing qualities of a textbook. This is something that draws the attention of the readers first. Coming to the layout of the book, its cover page and overall layout and design is quite colourful and attractive. The cover page depicts the picture of a mother with her two kids: a son and a daughter. The image signifies gender equality and the importance of getting an education for both sons and daughters alike. Moreover, the appearance of mother and daughter wearing modest dresses clad in dupattas represents the culture of the target audience.

All the graphics and colourful images are impressive enough to grab the attention of the readers. But at times, the incorporation of graphics, the sequencing of headings and sub-headings within units, mind maps and instructional content become too jarring and hinder the focus of the learners. The material and the instruction seem to be cramped in a small space making the layout unattractive and too imposing. Overall, the images employed help learners in mind mapping certain concepts; even the readers can predict the message even by looking at the pictures provided in the unit.

The learning outcomes from the first page of each unit. The language employed for the statement of SLOs is full of jargon e.g., in Unit 1, the use of words like a rebus, and pantomime is quite tough to grasp for a simple person.

The pages used for the prescribed textbook are of reasonable quality and the print is readable and clear. The headings and sub-headings are posited appropriately with the instructions provided to teachers. Even a cursory glance at a page gives one a fair idea that the textbook is knowledgeable and teacher-centred. The reason is that there is a bombardment of knowledge and instruction within the units. Only a small portion is allocated for the text of the chapter; the rest is either instructions or relevant exercises conducted and supervised by the teacher himself.

 

Teaching- Learning Content

Correlation between Contents and the mentioned SLOs

Before delving into content analysis, let us take a look again at the SLOs for elementary level ELT mentioned in the SNC document 2021. The document mentions five competencies for ELT and learning which are embedded in the units and activities of the prescribed book.




 

Table 1.

Competencies and their standards
Competency 1	Oral Communication Skills (Listening & Speaking)	Standard 1, 2
Competency 2	Reading and Critical Thinking Skills	Standard 1,2
Competency 3	Formation and Lexical Aspects of Language	Standard 1, 2
Competency 4	Writing Skills	Standard 1
Competency 5	Appropriate Ethical and Social Development	Standard 1

 




As mentioned in the SNC document, each unit comprises different competencies including Oral Communication, Reading and Critical Thinking, Language in Focus (Lexical Items), Grammar and Writing.

The progression of these SLOs is gradual across the various lessons. Every unit has activities and tasks based on the above-stated competencies and each competency is reinforced by another e.g., writing skill is strengthened by the exercises of reading and comprehension and vice versa. Thus, we can state that these skills and competencies reinforce one another leading to the acquisition of the required skill and competency.

 

The diverse and interesting topics

Grade 1 English has a variety of topics belonging to diverse genres e.g., poetry, paragraph writing, story writing, fables and dialogue writing etc. These units pertain to different departments of life like people, occupations, life skills, sports, fun, education, religion, animals, fruits, vegetables etc. The topics Let’s Have Fun, A Greeting Card, The Hare and the Tortoise and Love Animals are particularly engaging and interesting for young learners.

 

Stating of the Instructions within Textbook

In the prescribed textbook, the instructions are given vividly before any activity or task. Sometimes, the layout of the instructions is such that it becomes quite jarring and distracting for young readers. See AppendixOrganization and Sequencing of the Contents

Overall, there are twelve units in the textbook. Unit 1 aims at revision and reinforcement of the concepts previously learnt by the students which include the identification of the nouns by looking at the pictures, reading the alphabet, tracing the given patterns, writing the capital and small letters and writing what comes before and after. Next, every two units are followed by a Review lesson. The book has 11 units and 4 Review exercises for the assessment of the required competencies learned prior to them.

Moreover, the units are arranged in a way that there is gradual progression and learning of new concepts with the reinforcement of the previous items learned. But towards the end, the exercises tend to become difficult and complex for the young readers with the introduction of more difficult Lexical and grammar items. It very much depends on the expertise of the language teachers in how they build the language base of their students, preparing them to grasp the more intricate concepts towards the end of the year. Coming to the organization of topics, there seems to be no clear structure behind them.

 

The Language Used

The language used within the text seems to be culturally appropriate and socially acceptable in most of the units because it depicts the social practices and behaviour of the target community. All the representative characters of the textbook and the pictures belong to the everyday life of the learners. Their names, dress code and demeanour reflect the social life of the representative community. Simple and readable sentence structure is used within the units.

The chosen poems i.e., Cobbler, Cobbler; Let Others Share; It’s Spring Time and My Kitty Cat are brief but here and there are certain words which are quite tough for the young readers of grade 1. The reason is that all of these poems are written by native speakers and not second language learners. Another issue is related to the jargon present in stating the Learning Outcomes given on the very first page of each unit. The language of that page is somewhat tough for an average reader.

 

The Teaching of the Four Skills

Grade 1 book of English contains activities focusing on developing the speaking, reading, and writing skills of the learners. There's a dearth of activities constructed to improve listening skills, though, we can assume that listening can come into play while teaching reading and speaking skills. But no separate activities are mentioned for it in the units. The activities on oral, written and reading, comprehension are given separately in each unit and they have a regular progression from easy to difficult. Another shortcoming regarding listening skills is the absence of audio aids and cassettes provided to the teacher.

 

Presentation of Lexical and Grammar Items

Lexicology is the study of how words giving meaning to a text. Lexical meaning is related to content words whereas grammar is the study of finding meaning through structured words. Both teachings of lexical items and grammar are given importance in the textbook equally. Activities regarding lexicology are the formation of three-letter words, identification and learning of word meanings, sight words, polite words, names of colours, shapes, fruits, vegetables, parts of the body, animals, limited needs words etc. The grammar items include nouns, pronouns, singular and plural nouns, proper and common nouns, adjectives, articles, formation of interrogative sentences etc. We also find a consistent progression and lots of information regarding lexicology and grammar of English that may become overwhelming for a young reader.

 

Instructions provided to the Teachers

Teachers are provided adequate instruction not only with the lessons but with each activity given in the text. Thus, teachers are left not on their own but are provided sufficient guidance about the methodology to be employed for each activity and task. Tasks are collaborative and individual In the English textbook of grade 1, most of the activities are individual work but there are some like Let’s Speak which encourage group and pair work.

 

Texts are teachers- cantered or learners-cantered

The prescribed book is wholly knowledge and teacher-dependent as there are hardly any self-explanatory activities which encourage autonomy among learners. The first graders certainly need the constant guidance and assistance of their teachers in order to complete the given tasks and activities.

Findings and Recommendations

After the evaluation of grade 1 English textbook in the light of the SNC document, it has been observed that the text of the prescribed book fulfils the SLOs and Competencies mentioned in the Curriculum Document by the Ministry of Education. The findings are as follows:

? The specifications of language learning are by and large fulfilled by the book, though there should be more emphasis on the listening and speaking skills of the learners. Students and teachers are provided with more opportunities and situations to develop their speaking skills. The dialogues provided for practice are too short and too structured that they will hardly be of any help in oral communication. More audio- visuals aids are to be added for the assistance of the teachers and learners.

? Another drawback noticed is the layout and sequencing of the activities. There is a bombardment of instructions and activities on a single page which can become too overwhelming and mind-boggling for young minds. There should be fewer visuals and colours on each page. Another way of doing it is to provide teachers with a separate guidebook with instructions and guidance, in this way, the layout of the book becomes less cramped and jarring.

? The third recommendation is to place the Learning Outcomes at the end, not at the beginning of each lesson. The learner opens the text with the expectation of reading the text of the lesson only to find learning outcomes given there. Secondly, the language is full of jargon which becomes difficult for an average reader. This problem can be solved by enforcing the recommendation about the addition of a teachers’ guidebook.

? The units should have more lessons based on the ideological foundations of the country. Though there are many units based on improving the psychological and social capabilities of students, the ideological foundation is somewhat ignored. There should be more lessons on introducing our national heroes, national animals, flowers, etc. The need of the hour is to introduce young minds to our religious identity, national heritage, heroes, culture etc.

? One more recommendation is the inclusion of the work of Pakistani writers and poets because it not only encourages the Pakistani nationals to be more creative and confident with the language but also makes the contents more culturally, ideologically, and socially aligned with the target population.

? The most important recommendation is to make it more learners oriented. The coming years belong to autonomous and independent learners. A more student-centred approach prepares young learners to gain mastery of the language and exploit it to the best of their knowledge and ability. Unfortunately, the current textbook does not foster the communicative competence of the learners as claimed in the SNC document.

Overall, the book meets most of the criteria mentioned in the rubrics related to psychological, social, and cultural foundations, lifelong learning, language skill development, the mentioned SLOs and competencies, contents, global citizenship, social cohesion, peaceful coexistence, respect for others etc.

Conclusion

The while-use evaluation of the chosen textbook of English shows that though the contents of the book met most of the competencies and objectives mentioned in the curriculum document by the Ministry of Education, there is still a need to add more materials to foster communicative competency of the learners. More ideological elements need to be added to make the young learners exposed to the national heroes and heritage to strengthen their national identity and instil a love for their country. Above all else, the layout and graphics need to be revised and improved.

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