ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL SCIENCE TEXTBOOKS AND QUESTION PAPERS

TCP PRESENTO 2020, THIGARAJAR COLLEGE OF PRECEPTORS, MADURAI.

CONTENT
 Analysis of textbook
 What is Textbook?
 Purpose of textbook
 Criteria of a good social science textbook
 Function of a social science textbook
 Advantages and Disadvantages
 Analysis of class-8social science geography
textbook (NCERT)
 Analysis of social science question paper
 Introduction
 What is a Question paper?
 The weightage given to different content in
question paper
 Findings after the analysis of question paper
 Suggestions
 References

Analysis of Social Science Textbook

What is a Textbook?
• A textbook is a manual of instruction or a standard book using in
education.
• Textbook is a teaching tool or material which defines the subject
matter defined by the curriculum.
• A text book differs from an ordinary book mainly on the basis that it
is basically student friendly and also reflects the anticipated
instructional goals, teaching learning techniques etc.
• Textbook play a more important role in high school instruction than
in the elementary grades.

Purpose of textbook
◦ A textbook is a book used for the study of a subject. People use a textbook to
learn facts and methods about a certain subject.
◦ Textbooks sometimes have questions to test the knowledge and understanding
of the learner.
◦ A textbook is usually lent to students by a school to accompany a course the
school is teaching.

The following are the major
purposes served by text books:
1. To help the teachers:- It provides useful guidelines for day to day
teaching, suggestions for and serve as a reference book for the
teachers time companion.
2. To help the pupil:-For pupil, textbooks are must accessible guide,
reference books and all time companion.
3. To help in self teaching: The efficacy of the textbook lies in
making self teaching a possible proposition through printed
materials.

Criteria for a good social science
textbook
– Textbook should help in achieving the purpose of learning social
science
– It should be child-centered.
– It should contain fluent narration.
– Textbook should have a clear and self explanatory arrangement.
– The language of the text book should be suitable for the “reading
age” of the pupils.
Cont..TCP PRESENTO 2020, THIGARAJAR COLLEGE OF PRECEPTORS, MADURAI.

Cont..
– It should be simple, interesting and attractive enough to take the form of a
self study material.
– It should provide proper and adequate exercises and suggestions for
activities at
the end of each chapter.
– It must be up-to- date.
– It should also cater to the needs of backward people
– It should contain a subject index at the end.

Functions of social science text
book
– In the primary classes, it can be relied up on the essential information, so
organized as to show order and continuity and so presented as to be lucid,
interesting and attractive.
– In the secondary classes, it should contain well-arranged comprehensive
knowledge required to enable them prepare for their successful adult life. The text
book should expand its scope and size to meet the changing conception of what is
considered educationally sound and desirable.

Advantages of text book
◦ Text book can be grate planning of courses, units and lessons.
◦ They provide an organization or structure for the course.
◦ They provide selection of content that can be used as a basis for selecting
course content and determining emphasis.
◦ They provide a certain number of activities and suggestions for training
strategies and tactics.

Disadvantages of textbook
• They are usually dull.
• They tend to discourage real reading and studying.
• They are liable to be superficial, because authors try to include
something about everything and so say too little about too much.
• They do not provide for differences in pupil ability or interest.

Analysis of class 8th social
science
(geography)textbook(NCERT)
About the book
– The book has a semi-hard cover or paperback cover.
– The cover has colorful picture over it to make it attractive.
– The size of the paper of the books is 80GSM with NCERT
watermark on it.
– It has an acknowledgement page, textbook development committee
details page, forward page followed by the content page and The
Preamble.

Subject matter of the book
– The book has 6 chapters altogether.
– Each chapter has different and various pictures and clipart.
– The important words and the topics are being highlighted very well
with different ink to make it eye catchy.
– It has glossary in every page.
– It had a number of activities in middle of the chapter.
– It also contains “do you know” and “let’s do” column.
Cont..

Cont..
– It has sufficient numbers of figures and maps to explain any topic
wherever needed.
– The language of the book is easy and understandable to students.
– It has an exercise for testing the students knowledge after reading
the chapter.
– Some chapters also contains “interesting facts” in it.
– The size of the letters are properly visible and is readable.

ANALYSIS OF QUESTION PAPER

Introduction
– The National policy on Education – 1986 and its programme of
Action – 1992 recommended an improvement in the programme of
assessment to make it powerful tool to check quality of the
teaching-learning process in schools.
– The National Curriculum Framework (NCF, 2005) has also
emphasized on the quality of questions used for evaluation of
performance.
– They influence the teaching-learning process in schools.
– Teachers teach only what is being tested and similarly, students
adjust their studies according to the examination.

What is a Question Paper?
• A question paper tests how well a student can demonstrate that
they acquired the knowledge, understanding and skills set out
it the specification.
• It is put together by an exam committee which mainly consist
of teachers, who have developed assessment expertise as a
result of working as examiners.

Objectives of Question paper
1. Are the question papers in every subject valid in terms of –
(a) coverage of course content.
(b) coverage of instructional objectives.
2. Do the question papers have appropriate difficulty level to
complete the needs of different kind of students.
3. Whether the questions papers have appropriate questions in terms
of form, language and scope. So, study tried to find out whether
questions papers fulfill the criterion of balanced papers and what
are their weaknesses and strengths.

The weightage given to different
content in a question paper
– The basis of analysis was actual question papers of school. They
were used to find out :
i) Mental processes involved.
ii) Content area tested.
iii) Type of questions.
iv) Marks allotted.
v) Difficulty level estimated.
vi) Time allotted.

Subject Content Subject-wise
marks
Social
science
History 18
Civics 24
Geography 29
Economics 09
Value and
questions
10
Total marks 90
1. Weightage given to content or sections as per analysis
Subject Instructional Objectives
TotalSocial science Knowledge Understanding Application skill
Actual
weightage
after analysis
28 30 21 11 90
2. Weightage given to Instructional objectives as per analysis
History , 18
Civics , 24Geography , 29
Economics , 9
Value and
questions, 10
Knowledge
28%
Understanding
30%
Application
21%
skill
11%

Subject Forms of Questions
Social
science
Long
answer
type
Short
answer
type
Very short
answer
type
Objective
type
40 39 8 3
Subject Difficult
(A)
Average
(B)
Easy (C)
Social
science
30 40 20
3. Weightage given to forms of questions
4. Difficulty Level of Questions
Long answer
type, 40
Short answer
type, 39
Very short
answer
type, 8
Objective
type, 3
Difficult (A),
30
Average (B),
40
Easy (C), 20

Findings after the analysis of question
paper
• The questions paper in social science covered the contents of History,
civics, environmental studies, economics and value based.
• In it more emphases was on long and short answer type questions.
• All questions are traditional and there is no or little chance of testing
higher order thinking of children.
• Most of the questions were taken from text book exercise.

Summary
 A properly evaluated, a wisely selected and correctly prescribed
text book is an asset- both for the students and teachers.
 Teachers use a basic text book as a general guide but supplement
various chapters of the text with other reading materials and
Audio visual aids.
 Textbook in many cases is always for the students not for the
teacher.
 The analysis of question paper showed that there was a number of
scope for improving the question papers.
 The language of questions should not be defective and the use of
appropriate directional words is necessary.
 Performance's assessment is an essential part of the teaching
learning process as examinations play an important role in the
Indian system of education.

REFERENCES-
1. Kaur, D. R. (March 2018,). A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF QUESTION
PAPERS IN DIFFERENT SCHOOL SUBJECTS AT CLASS IX LEVEL.
International Journal of Research in Social Sciences, 868-880.
2. https://www.slideshare.net/vineethamolr/vineetha-1-38608437
3. “The teaching of Social Studies”- H.S. Sidhu, Tandon Publications, Ludhiana

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ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL SCIENCE TEXTBOOKS AND QUESTION PAPERS

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