Systematic literature review on evaluation of English language textbooks: a decade of research

Textbooks, essential for teaching and learning, have become a burgeoning research subject in education. However, textbook evaluation has not garnered adequate attention in the context of English Language Teaching (ELT). This hinders the identification of key characteristics, focused learning themes, and gaps encountered within the EFL/ESL educational landscape. This systematic literature review, employing the ROSES framework, explores key characteristics and learning themes within English language textbook evaluation in the ELT context, identifying suggestions for future evaluations. The review involves searching, screening, evaluating, and synthesizing pertinent articles published in the last decade, from 2014 to 2023, across Scopus and Web of Science databases. Out of 2304 articles identified through a search of keywords including “textbook” and “evaluation” alongside their synonyms, 30 studies meeting the inclusion criteria are shortlisted after the quality appraisal using MMAT. The review finds that questionnaires, surveys and checklists were the most common methods used for ELT textbooks. Based on the findings from the review, this paper discusses a wide range of indicators or criteria involved in evaluating ELT textbooks, particularly in the evaluation of culture and pragmatics. Our research has revealed a need for in-depth exploration using qualitative and mixed-methods approaches, emphasizing the necessity for broader comparative studies and a more diverse range of perspectives in educational assessments to bridge knowledge gaps. This study suggests that further research on textbook evaluation in the ELT context is still necessary.

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