A Content Analysis of English Textbook of Punjab Textbook Board of Grade 8 in Pakistan

Abstract

The present study analyzes the English textbook of Grade 8 published by Punjab Textbook Board in Pakistan in the light of student learning outcomes (SLOs) of four competencies: reading and thinking skills, writing skills, oral communication skills, and formal and lexical aspects of language of the latest English curriculum in Pakistan. Competency (C), standards (S), benchmarks (B), and SLOs are the parameters given in the National Curriculum. A semi-structured checklist was developed by the researchers, validated by three experts from the relevant field, and improved in the light of experts’ opinion and pilot study findings. To evaluate the textbook competencies and their SLOs, the evidence was sought from the textbook, and remarks were given in the last column (remarks/analysis) of the checklist. The results revealed that the textbook understudy focuses on reading comprehension only. There is thus a dire need to incorporate thinking skills, writing skills, oral/aural communication skills, and formal and lexical aspects of language in the textbook.