Literature Review

Textbooks are the frontier to disseminate the raw concept of how the content should be taught.
A textbook is not merely a book. It is an idea, a concept, a tool and most importantly a
mechanism to allow all stakeholders to have a view of what the education has to offer. This is
supported by Mohammad and Heidar (2014) stating that a textbook presence can set up the
right teaching and learning environment. It should align with the national aspiration as well as
should be able to steer the nation towards its vision, based on its economic planning and
strategic investment. This is further supported by Gul, Syed and Humail (2015) emphasizing
that the level of difficulty of a textbook is also very crucial in ensuring the education happened at
the right notch. If the textbook is too difficult for the level of the pupils, the textbook would not be
able to serve its purpose as a tool but would be a setback towards the decline of the education
of the nation. A newly introduced textbook must be allowed to be scrutinized by the
stakeholders. Different points and ideas from a variety of stakeholders are necessary to gather
data that would be useful to plan the next step of action towards the acceptance of the newly
released material into the circle. The presence of stakeholders is important to elevate the quality
of education, especially when we are talking about a new concept or material. According to
Gladys (2015), the involvement of multiple stakeholders in a school environment could help to
lift up and improve the learning environment which contributes positively to the academic
achievement to a large extent. However, involvement of stakeholders must be treaded carefully
as they might have contrasting opinions based on their beliefs and own gains (Oliver, 2009). A
textbook should also be culturally balanced to be adapted into the curriculum. According to
Naser and Hussein (2016), a highlight of the superiority of English while undermining the local
cultures or pushing aside their culture causes a feeling of biasness among textbook users. This
may affect their emotional wellbeing towards learning although the content of the book might be
useful and beneficial. This is further supported by Patrik Aguirre Quiroga (2016) stating that
there is more to learn rather than putting in the content of the different culture. Emphasis should
also be given to the source and whether or not the content undermines other culture. The
content should also be acceptable by all the readers who consist of multiracial readers as
Malaysia is a multiracial country with different beliefs.
References

Gladys Wairimu Gichohi ( 2015). Stakeholder involvement in Schools in 21st Century for
Academic Excellence. International Journal of Education and Research,3 (2).

Gul Fatima, Syed Kazim Shah & Humail Sultan (2015). Textbook Analysis and Evaluation of 7th
and 8th grade in Pakistani Context. International Journal of English Language Teaching, 4 (3).

Mohammad Mohammadi & Heidar Abdi (2014). Textbook Evaluation: A Case Study. Procedia -
Social and Behavioral Sciences 98, 1148 – 1155

Oliver, A. (2009). Clash of World Views: A Textbook Controversy. Journal of Research of

Christian Education, 6,2.

Patrik Aguirre Quiroga (2016). Cultural Content in EFL Textbooks. Retrieved from
https://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/2077/56294/1/gupea_2077_56294_1.pdf