What are the Qualities of Good Textbook ?

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As the textbook is, so will be the teaching and learning.”

Before discussing the qualities of  a good textbook, let’s discuss what is textbook ?

What is Textbook?

A textbook is a book which contains enormous amounts of information and in which the content is organised in a systematic manner. It is an important tool for both teachers and students. 

Definitions of Textbook

According to Bacon,”Textbook is a book design for classroom use, carefully prepared by experts in the field and equipped with teaching aids.

According to Cambridge dictionary, “Textbook is a book that contains detailed information about a subject for people who are struggling that subject”. 

What are the qualities of good textbook ? | Characteristics of Good Textbook 

Textbooks play an important role in the teaching- learning process. According to kating, “Textbook is half of the apparatus of teaching”. So it is necessary to know the qualities of good textbook. There are many qualities that make a textbook good. These are: content, relevancy, accuracy, paper quality, printing quality etc. These qualities can be categorised as: external qualities (Physical appearance) and internal Qualities. Let’s discuss in detail:

External qualities of textbook (Physical Appearance):

Size: Textbook should not be too bulky or too small. It should be handy. So that it can be easily carried out from one place to another. In other words, size of a textbook should not be a burden on students.

Book Cover: Cover page of the textbook should be attractive. Also, it should be thicker to provide durability to the textbook. It should contains pictures, diagrams graphs or some illustrations related to the textbook material. It should be seen like that which encourage students to read the book. Students of primary classes always attracted towards books having beautiful coloured cover page.

Paper Quality:  The paper used in the textbook should be of good quality. A paper should not be of dull quality and too glossy. Generally, uncoated cream white paper is used in good quality textbooks. It should not be too thick otherwise it will increase the weight of the textbook.

Textbook binding: The binding of the textbook should be good. Instead of paperback, hardcover binding should be preferred. Papers should be properly glued together so that they don’t start to dis attach.

Printing: Textbooks should be printed by good textbook printing services. There should not be any printing mistake. It should be free from grammar and spelling errors. Textbook publishers should employ good copy editors to avoid any type of printing mistake. Also, the font size should be between 10 to 14 points.

Cost effective : A textbook should cost less. The price of the textbook should not be too high; otherwise, it will create hurdles for the students to buy the textbook.

Qualified Author: It should be written by a qualified and experienced author. The author should have done extensive research in order to provide accurate and up-to-date content. For example, an English literature textbook should be written by an author who is well qualified in English and has some years of experience in writing.

Internal qualities of textbook:

Based on Psychological principles : It should be written by keeping in mind the psychological principles. It should be according to mental level, age level and interests of students.

Content and material: The content and material of the textbook should be properly organized. It should be presented in a lucid manner and must follow the curriculum. Different types of activities and project work should be included in the textbook. A good and concise summary should be given at the end of every chapter. A sufficient number of practice problems should also be given at the end of every chapter.

Illustrations and diagrams: Each topic should be presented with illustrations and diagrams. It helps to make the topic more understandable. If necessary, a flow chart can be given. The illustrations and diagrams should be clear and appropriate.

vocabulary : The vocabulary of the textbook should be easy. It should be according to the age level of students so that they can’t have any difficulty in understanding the concept.

Some other qualities: Good quality textbooks contain  proper index, appendices, bibliography and source of reference material.

Conclusion

So these are some internal and external qualities of a textbook. Authors and publishers should keep these point in mind while writing or publishing the book. At the end it is up to the students how they want to utilise the information given in the textbook.