“My Book of English” Textbook of Fourth Year Primary Schooling Scrutiny and Evaluation

Abstract

The textbook is considered a key tool in teaching English as a foreign language. However, despite its designers’ efforts, it might be stained with some noticeable deficiencies. Thus, an accurate exploring scrutiny and objective evaluation can set up efficiently such shortcomings. This study endures the responsibility to do so with “My Book of English” of 4 P S. It aims at checking out its appropriateness and suitability to Algerian young learners referring to defined set of criteria, namely: physical characteristics, content, methodology, skills and culture and student background. So as to explore the hypothesis that arrogates its partly inappropriateness and unsuitability, the evaluative quantitative approach is applied. The latter requires administering a questionnaire based on an evaluative checklist to a purposive non-random sample of eighteen English language teachers at middle and secondary schools of Ghardaia state, Algeria. The obtained results show that the examined textbook, on one hand, can be considered of good at both physical and content levels. On the other hand, it missed significant and crucial features at all of the methodology used, the skills introduced and the target culture insights. Accordingly, teachers of English at primary schools must be aware enough about that so as to adopt carefully and adapt responsibly when using such textbook.