In Pursuit of Teachers’ Views on the Use of Textbooks in Their Classroom Practice

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the views of the teachers on the use of
primary history textbooks in their history classroom lessons in Brunei Darussalam, and
whether their views were aligned with the aims and objectives of history education at the
primary levels. Interviews with five teachers were conducted and the interview data were
categorised into five broad conceptual themes related to the use of textbooks; priorities of the
use in the classroom, perceptions in the use for lesson preparation, interpretations of the
history curriculum in the classroom, relationship with the use and aligning it with the aims
and objectives of the curriculum, and finally, the views about textbook content. The findings
revealed that there exists an apparent lack of knowledge of the sample interviewed in
interpreting the aims and objectives of the history curriculum in their classroom practice.
There may be implications on the quality of students’ learning of history at the primary level
if teachers do not have sufficient understanding on the needs of the curriculum.