Evaluation of High School English Textbooks: “English for Afghanistan” based on McDonough and Shaw’s (2003) Model

Abstract

The textbook is an integral component of the ELT classroom. They need to be evaluated periodically, as the needs of learners change according to time, context, and approaches to identify their strengths and weakness. The aim of this research is to evaluate High School English textbooks at schools in Afghanistan. The textbooks include ELT books: ‘English for Afghanistan: for grades 10-12’ designed by the Ministry of Education of Afghanistan. For this purpose, the researcher used McDonough Shaw’s (2003) model. Both the external and the internal evaluation criteria are applied to the textbooks. The findings indicate that the textbooks are designed for local purposes, which reflect Afghan religious and cultural values. The study also indicated that the textbooks are based on communicative language teaching which includes different situations for teaching the topics. However, the textbooks also had some drawbacks. The listening skill, which is the main component of the CLT approach, is completely neglected; the grammar activities are brought in the deductive approach, and the textbooks are gender-biased. Overall, the textbooks are up to date and meet the learners’ needs and wants, and can achieve the objectives made for each unit. However, the findings of the research can be more useful for teachers, syllabus designers, materials developers, methodology experts, and test designers in revising the textbooks.