Analysis of the Evaluation Questions in Arabic and Mathematics Textbooks for Sixth Grade Students in the Kingdom of Bahrain

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the evaluation questions in the Arabic and Mathematics textbooks for sixth grade students in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in order to reveal the extent to which these questions represent the desired learning competencies and the thinking skills that are targeted in the Code of Educational Evaluation in Basic Education. To achieve that, an evaluative form for analyzing the textbook items was designed by the author based on the following criteria: item validity; item type and level; and item wording. The form was adequately validated and used to analyze the targeted textbooks. The results of study indicate that textbook questions in Arabic and mathematics subjects for the sixth grade do not entirely cover the learning competencies, concentrate mainly on low order thinking skills and do not fully observe the rules for constructing good items. Implications of these findings for textbook authors and teachers are discussed.