Punjab Textbook Board Research Articles

Pragmatic Analysis of Textbooks on the Basis of Speech Acts

This study investigatesfive speech acts of declaratives ,expressives, representatives, directives and commisives in three English textbooks at the level of III, IV and V published by Punjab Text Book Board Lahore in order to show whether theyareappropriate on pragmatic level for EFL learners or not. The results of the study reveal that thedistribution of all the speech acts is not equal both within each textbook andamong textbooks at all three levels. Among five speech acts, representative speech act occursthe most frequently in all textbooks while commissiveis the least used speech act. None of the books uses any speech act of declarative. This study implies that EFL teachers and materials designers shouldconsider pragmaticaspectsto improve the quality of both learning and instruction.

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF IDEOLOGICAL CONSTRUCTIONS EMBEDDED IN ENGLISH TEXTBOOKS: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE PERSPECTIVE

Purpose of the study: The subject study aims at investigating the construction of diverse ideologies embedded within English textbooks used in Pakistani settings at the elementary level. The entire study is based on a comparative analysis of English textbooks of Punjab Textbook Board (PTB) and Oxford University Press (OUP) and employs a critical discourse lens for a comprehensive analysis.
 Methodology: Based on purposeful sampling, the study hinges on insights of Critical Discourse Studies. Out of various models available in CDA, the study employs Fairclough's Three-Dimensional Model for an extensive qualitative analysis of the selected texts as it is more suited to the dynamics of the subject study. Both micro and macro dimensions of the model were employed for an enriched analysis.
 Main Findings: Both textbooks aimed at infusing different cultural and ideological constructions within students. Exercise of power supplemented by a specific religious perspective was also witnessed in constructions of diverse ideologies. The current study hinted at a deliberate effort on the part of the government to preserve religious, national, political, and societal ideologies through PTB English textbooks. On the other hand, OUP English textbooks created consent among the students to accept a specific culture and its embedded ideologies.
 Applications of this study: The study can be a useful resource for researchers investigating multiple ideologies in textbooks. Critical discourse examination of both textbooks entails ample advice for textbook developers, authors, and syllabus designers to consider the ideological impacts of the textbooks while devising an all-encompassing and comprehensive curriculum to avoid any conflict at later stages.
 Novelty/Originality of this study: Diverse dimensions of textbook analysis have already been conducted, but examination of textbooks through a critical discourse lens is indeed a novel dimension that will not only facilitate the reader but also open up new avenues of research for textbook developers and curriculum designers. Examination of diverse ideological construction is indeed an interesting inquiry.

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

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.

CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF POSITIVESELF AND NEGATIVE-OTHER REPRESENTATIONS THROUGH ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEXTBOOKS IN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN


 
 The present research is a critical discourse analysis of the contents related to positive-self representation and negative-other representation projected through Punjab Textbook Board’s (PTB) School English textbooks which are taught in government and non-elite English medium schools at the secondary level (Grades 9 & 10). The present research aims at finding out the ideologies of positive-self representation and negative-other representation in the discourses of PTB School English textbooks. It employs Van Dijk’s (2005) analytical framework of critical discourse analysis to explore the ideologies of positive-self representation and negative-other representation in the discourses of School English textbooks. The findings show that PTB School English Textbooks are replete with the ideologies of positive-self representation and negative-other representation. The said textbooks are more religious, nationalistic, anti-Israel, anti-Hindus, and anti-Christians. The findings of the study can be useful in a number of ways. They can be useful in developing new curricula and teaching materials including textbooks with less nationalistic, religious and cultural biases. They can be helpful for policy makers and textbook authors to realize the politics of language textbooks to establish a symmetrical educational system.
 
 
 
 

The Study of English Curriculum at Secondary Level for Developing Critical Thinking

The original input of this study involves in creating a critical thinking structure that can be used to explore the elements of critical thinking in the textbooks. The teachers, who are concerned with the improvement of students’ critical thinking skills, can also use this structure as a guideline. This study attempts to find out the extent to which critical thinking has been manifested in the two selected English textbooks, Punjab Textbook Board (PTB) and Oxford Progressive English (OPE) taught at secondary level in different Pakistani schools. It is the text that determines how effectively the critical thinking and knowledge is being developed in the learners. Both critical thinking and knowledge are the need of students at secondary level and these skills are essential for the English Language classrooms. These skills enable the students to learn concepts more thoroughly and without this learning outcome cannot be achieved. The questions given at the end of chapters of English textbooks (PTB) and (OPE) have been qualitatively analyzed. The proposed model of critical thinking used by Janpha Thadphoothon (2005) has been employed in this study. The findings of the content revealed that both text books contained the elements of critical thinking helpful in enhancing the knowledge of the students. The PTB textbook covers 25.37% and OPE covers 43.18% of critical thinking content for the secondary students. The findings revealed that the textbook published by OPE is playing a more significant role in developing critical thinking and enhancing knowledge in the students as compared to the PTB textbook.

Development of Oral Communicative Competence: A Teachers’ Perspective

This study was an attempt to determine the point to which the English language textbook, “English for Class 8” prescribed by the Punjab Textbook Board fulfills the learners ‘language learning needs of English as foreign language in Pakistan. The study aimed to explore as to what degree the suggested textbook increases the likelihood of learning the language and the diligent effort to development oral communicative competence (OCC) among the target learners. A quantitative approach enabled the researcher to comprehensively answer the research question. The results indicate that the relevant course book fails to facilitate the target learners to acquire English as foreign language to enable them to use the language for communicative purposes. The tasks presented in the textbook, do not focus on sociolinguistic and extended verbal expression in speech of the target language. By including tasks that challenge the learners to engage themselves in producing meaningful utterances, the present English language textbook can become even better a tool to develop speech proficiency.

Critical Thinking Skills in a Secondary School Pakistan Studies Textbook: A Qualitative Content Analysis

The purpose of this study was to examine the critical thinking skills incorporated in text-based questions and tasks in the Pakistan Studies textbooks of secondary level. The Pakistan Studies textbook produced by the Punjab Textbook Board for ninth was analyzed using qualitative content analysis based on cognitive domains derived from six levels of revised Bloom's taxonomy. Moreover, the text-based questions were then analyzed by categorizing them under the nine pre-determined analytic categories of Socratic taxonomy. These categories depicted the questions that challenge the critical thinking skills of learners. The findings revealed that the text-based question incorporated in the selected textbook of Pakistan Studies was not conducive to developing critical thinking skills among students. Except for one question, none of the questions fell under higher-order thinking levels of revised Bloom's taxonomy. Furthermore, based on analytic categories, text-based questions showed a little inclination towards the questions of clarification, whereas none represented other categories. Therefore, textbook developers need to focus on the induction of critical thinking skills in the text-based questions and tasks of textbooks.

Global Citizenship Education and Gender Depiction in Textbooks: The Case of Punjab Textbook Board’s Pakistan Studies and Urdu Textbooks

This research is focused on the case of gender depiction in textbooks of Punjab Textbook Board's Pakistan Studies and Urdu at Secondary and Higher Secondary School Level. A content analysis was done of Pakistan Studies and Urdu textbooks while keeping in view UNESCO's Global Citizenship Education (GCED) targets being given under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target 4.7. The theme has been operationalized concerning learning objectives of "Education for Sustainable Development" (UNESCO, 2017) that centers around empowered and motivated learners being capable of critical thinking and to contribute towards a sustainable future. The findings of this research work highlighted the need for a clear focus on the content regarding women in textbooks.

EFFECTS OF ACTIVITY-BASED TEACHING AND TRADITIONAL METHOD OF TEACHING MATHEMATICS IN THE AREA OF KNOWLEDGE AT ELEMENTARY LEVEL

The aim of this research was to find out the effects of activity-based teaching and traditional method of teaching Mathematics in the area of Knowledge at Elementary Level. The research was experimental based on pre-test, post-test control group design. Two units of geometry were selected from seventh class Mathematics for this research. Population of the research study was all students of seventh class from GGHS Bhedian Pattoki, District Kasur, Punjab (Pakistan). For selection of sample a pre-test was administered to all (84) students of class seventh in Govt. Girls High School Bhedian Pattoki District Kasur except twenty students. Thirty students (each) were assigned randomly to experimental and control group on the basis of pre-test matching scores. Both tests were developed from the seventh class Mathematics Book for the compilation of data. Tests were administered keeping the domain of knowledge in view. Selected unit 10 and unit 12 from seventh class Mathematics Book prescribed by Punjab Text Book Board were taught to both groups (experimental and control) for the time of eight weeks. Activities were used for experimental group only and other group was taught traditionally. Time for the teaching Mathematics was 40 minutes daily to each group. Independent sample t-test was applied on the pre-test and post-test scores to check whether there is difference in the performances of two groups in the domain of knowledge. It was concluded that there was significant difference in mean achievement scores in the area of knowledge taught by activity-based teaching. Activity based teaching was recommended for other areas of cognitive domain. It was recommended that activities may be used for each subject and for every class up to elementary level.

Tracing the Standards of Peace Education: Reflections from English language Curriculum

Contemporary world, is facing serious issues of peace e.g. social injustice, gender discrimination and violation of human rights, narrow-mindedness towards other’s cultures, religious conflicts, suppressing the women, inhumane handling of minorities and lake of interest in environmental sustainability. Consistency in this situation arises the need to address these issues through education to move forward towards peace and stability. This research analyzed the curriculum and textbooks of English of Punjab Textbook Board to determine whether this curriculum impending the standards of peace education or not. This qualitative study followed the curriculum analysis framework suggested by Levander & Mikkola, in 2009. The analysis of English language curriculum was conducted in two stages. First stage that is called Concept Map Framework (CFM) was performed to enlist features of peace education found in the objectives and textbooks of English curriculum. The second stage of analysis; Dimensional Description Framework (DDF) was conducted to determine the depth or quality of description that was enlisted at first stage. The findings of the study highlights that the objectives of curriculum of English give sufficient coverage to the features of peace. Text books of English for elementary grades elaborates some features of peace education i.e. “love for humanity, tolerance, brotherhood, human values, justice, gender equality”. The depth or quality of description remained brief for most of features of peace education. This situation is not presenting a satisfactory picture of existence of features of peace education in the textbooks of English language. Curriculum of English language needs to incorporate all features of peace education in balance form at all grades of elementary.

Unveiling Aural/Oral Skills in Grade VIII English Textbook

The present study aims to examine the incorporation of aural/oral skills in the Grade VIII English textbook prescribed by the Punjab textbook board (PTBB). The study was conducted in the light of a checklist based on the competencies and students' learning outcomes given in the National Curriculum for English (2006), Pakistan. The competencies intended to enable learners to become fluent in their speech. The study was qualitative, and a thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the data. The findings of the research revealed that contradictory scenario. The textbook understudy does not allow learners to improve their aural/oral skills. The aural/oral competency was seen in some proportion. Still, reiteration was seen in the practice parts in which only dialogues were given repeatedly at the end of each unit of the textbook.

Evaluation of English Textbook Exercises of Punjab Textbook Board for Grade 10 in the Light of Revised Bloom's Taxonomy of 2001

This research study discusses and records the analysis of the exercises of English Book 10 of the Punjab Textbook Board by the application of Revised Bloom's Taxonomy by Anderson and Krathwohl for Teaching,Learning, and Assessment. The nature of the study is analytical, and it critiques the concerned textbook to evaluate the conformity of its exercises of the book given at the end of each chapter against the various sub-domains of the Cognitive domain of the revised taxonomy. This research study also sheds light on the importance of evaluation,textbooks in the Pakistani context, and an overall view of the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy (RBT) with reference to the textbook exercises. On the whole, the research has presented a variety of practicable outcomes for carrying out further study/studies.

Semiotic analysis of English books of Punjab Textbook Board (Pakistan) with Gender Lens: Exploring the gender sensitization level of Punjab Textbook Board officers

Semiotics is visual literacy which is an important aspect of learning process involving various social aspects of a society. Visuals are used dominantly in all books of early learners because it is considered the most efficient way of learning and teaching. Representation of gender through visual literacy is the most current and debatable social issue in the contemporary world. Though in Punjab Textbook Board, the text books of almost all subjects including English textbooks of all classes are supplemented with visuals. English is made a compulsory subject from class 1 till 10 and are always in lime light at international level. But unfortunately this aspect of gender is being neglected in the English textbooks of Punjab, Pakistan. Interviews were conducted from the officers of textbook board to explore the level of sensitization regarding gender and its representation. These interviews revealed that they are unable to understand the true concept of gender due to which male and female are still presented in stereotypical ways. Through interviews it was seen that this inability of true understanding and representation of gender is due to the officials’ unawareness, cost constraints of management and social norms.

A study on the Satisfaction Level of Secondary school Teachers for Religious Education

Religious education is the term given to the kind of education which is concerned with spiritual mindedness and religious conscience. This study aimed to investigate the level of satisfaction of teachers about religious education at secondary level. The study shows that the foundation of education in Islam is guided by the principles of Quran and Hadith (the saying and deeds of Prophet Muhammad) (PBUH). Thepresent study was descriptive in nature; cross-sectional survey method was used to collect data from participants through questionnaire. The sample comprised of three hundred teachers from secondary schools selected through non-proportionate stratified random sampling technique. Questionnaire was developed by the researchers. Validity of the tool was assured from the experts and the Cronbach’s alpha was 0.87. For the purpose of analysis descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were applied. It was found that teachers were satisfied from the curriculum of religious education. According to the respondents curriculum of religious education is old and same topics with similar description are repeating every year. There is not interesting and innovative style to teach. It is depicted that there was no significant difference between male and female secondary school teachers’ level of satisfaction regarding religious education at secondary level. It is suggested that curriculum should be revised and more information about religion should be added in the textbooks issued by Punjab Textbook Board.

Critical Thinking Perspective in ESL New English Textbooks: A Case Study of Pakistan

This study examines ESL textbooks of English language of grade 9th and 10th of Punjab model schools in Pakistan. In order to achieve the goals of research, the qualitative method was used and applied Paul Elder’s Critical Thinking Model (2008) on the text books of grades 9 and 10. The collected data was analyzed qualitatively. Activities mentioned in the textbooks of grades 9 and 10 of Punjab textbook board were extracted and analyzed in the light of Paul and Elder’s CT model. ESL teachers’ interviews regarding the said textbooks serve as an insight into the role of critical thinking among learners. Mention the period of analysis. There relevance exists between the exercises given in English textbooks with the model of critical thinking prosed by Paul and Elder. However, the teachers of Government schools are unaware of the critical thinking perspective and some sessions of critical thinking training need to be offered to the English school teachers of Government schools. The results of the study have significant implications for material developers. The study recommends that the Government of Punjab may provide a training program to the teachers who may get some sort of training and implement on the students the best of teaching practices in Pakistan. In the same context, the analysis of interviews shows that teachers have been playing a passive role in the promotion of CT in the teaching process. Hence, there is a need to organize some training sessions to make them aware of the basic concept and importance of CT in Pakistan.

Comparative Study of Socio-Ideological Practices in English Textbooks in Pakistani Context

The present study is an effort to examine and compare the way socio-ideological practices are projected in the Oxford English Textbook Grade 5 and the English Textbook 5 published by the Punjab (Pakistan) Textbook Board (PTB) prescribed for the government, semi-government and private schools of the Punjab province. The content analysis was employed to find out the percentages of categories and subcategories of reading passages and exercises of the prescribed English textbooks. Socio-Ideological statements were analyzed through the representation of patriotic values and gender roles in the context of local and foreign EFL textbooks. The research findings and results make it visible from the current instructional materials or prescribed English textbooks that the Oxford English textbook is superficial and shallow with respect to its treatment of the target (Pakistani) culture. The textbook is therefore inadequate to the task of teaching and transmitting socio-ideological practices in the deeper sense. Contrary to it, the PTB English textbook offers a limited ground for learning English at length.

An Analysis of the Competency Reading and Thinking Skills in Grade VIII English Textbook

This research aimed at analysing the Grade VIII English textbook of Punjab Textbook Board against one of the five competencies, the Reading and Thinking skills and identifying the satisfaction level of Grade 8 students with their textbook for the fulfilment of this competency. The main parameters of the content analysis were Competency (C), Standards (S), Benchmarks (B) and SLOs. The data was collected through content analysis (of the textbook) and survey questionnaire. The student satisfaction level was measured with the help of an instrument comprising 10 statements on a 5-point Likert scale. The questionnaire respondents were 1440 students of Grade VIII studying in public schools of Lahore. The results of content analysis and student survey showed that the textbook partly meets the requirements related to the selected competency. It is therefore recommended that the English textbook of grade VIII should be updated in congruence with the SLOs of the selected competency.

Gender Exclusion in Textbooks: A Comparative Study of Female Representation in Provincial ELT Textbooks of Pakistan

The focus of this study was female gender representation in secondary level ELT textbooks published by four different textbook boards of Pakistan, namely Baluchistan Textbook Board, Sindh Textbook Board, Khyber Pakhtunkhwah Textbook Board and Punjab Textbook Board. It targeted a comprehensive comparison between the female gender images as represented in four sets of textbooks and gender conceptions of their respective female readers. To achieve the objectives, the study was divided into two parts: In part 1, the textbooks by four state-run textbook boards were analyzed and in part 2, their respective female readers’ gender conceptions were collected and analyzed. The study employed multi-dimensional analytical tools like manifest, latent analysis and Fairclough (2001) CDA model for interpretation and explanation of textbook discourse. The study revealed a low representation share of female gender in four sets of textbooks. It brought out that female readership had stereotype conceptions regarding the attributes, professions and activities as appropriate for the female gender. It was also found that Sindh and Punjab Textbook Boards had improved female gender representation than other provincial textbook boards. The quantitative findings of part 2 proposed that textbooks could play a vital part in modeling gender conceptions of readership as Sindh and Punjab Textbook Boards’ female readership showed better gender conceptions. The study recommended a gender-based test of the textbooks at national level prior to publication to ensure gender equality as directed in National Curriculum.

Gender Discourse of ‘Equal Opportunity’ for Male and Female in Pakistani English Textbooks: A Critical Discourse Analysis Study

The aim of the present article is to investigate the representation of male and female within the gender discourse of ‘equal opportunity’ in Pakistani English textbooks. The present study has focused on if the gender discourse of ‘equal opportunity’ resisted or supported in Pakistani English textbooks at varied educational levels and in what ways such discourse manifests gender notions in Pakistani society. The paradigm of this research is descriptive and qualitative. The corpus of the study is collected from the English textbooks of 5th, 6th and 8th classes of the Punjab Textbook Board Lahore through purposive sampling. The theoretical framework of the research is based on Critical Discourse Analysis approach. Within the paradigm of CDA, Van Leeuwen’s (2008) “Social Actor Network” model has been applied to analyze the gender representation in the text and the visuals. The results have shown that the discourse of ‘equal opportunity’ has been resisted in these textbooks as females have not been given the equal and fair representation. The findings are a vital source for the policy makers and the textbooks designers to improve the mistreated areas in future and keep in accordance with the policy of Education for All in real sense. This research is limited to the school textbooks of three levels only so further research can be done on other textbooks in future.

Educational Planning and Human Resource Management: A Study of Public and Private Schools in Pakistan

Planning and management of curriculum and human resources in schools is precisely liable and precarious in nature. The present study addressed the matter while exploring the practices of educational planning and human resource management in public and private primary level schools in Punjab, Pakistan. The case studies of two public and private schools in Rawalpindi District of Punjab Province were conducted by interviewing the mangers and principles of private and public school respectively. The participant observations were also taken to substantiate the information provided by the respondents. The schools were selected on the basis of their reputation and high enrollment of the students. The findings of the study elaborated the differences in public and private schools with respect to educational planning and managing human resource. The public schools followed the standard curriculum designed by the Punjab text book board which is universal for all the public schools. The teachers are mostly on permanent position and experienced. Whereas in the private schools, international level curriculum is followed this differs from school to school. Every private school has their own curriculum which they followed according to the standard of the school. The manager of the school generally decides the nature of the curriculum and recruitment of the teacher on its own will and interests. The medium of instruction is English in private schools, while public school used both national and international language. As far as teacher competence is concern, the public school teachers are more experienced as compare to private schools as they are working at the same school for a longer time period due to which better able to manage various task in the school and also take part in educational planning. On the other hand, in private school, fresh and most of the time untrained young females are hired. For these employees, professional development and retention is very important for the managers. Selecting and recruiting new teacher is very tedious job as well as it also affects the student’s performances and achievements. It is indicated that the owner of the private school was in continues struggle and in apprehension of hiring, and retaining their staff by providing them extra bonuses and facilities at school, such as leaves, time flexibility, and reward etc.