This study aims to analyze the content of elementary school English textbooks and their alignment with the teaching process based on Bloom’s Taxonomy within the context of the Independent Curriculum in Indonesia. The research focuses on three main aspects: (1) evaluating textbook content using McDonough and Shaw’s evaluation framework, (2) identifying the representation of Bloom’s cognitive levels in textbook materials and learning activities, and (3) examining the alignment between textbook content and classroom teaching practices.
This research employed a qualitative descriptive design. The data sources consisted of English textbooks used in elementary schools and data from teachers through questionnaires and document analysis. The textbooks were analyzed using McDonough and Shaw’s external and internal evaluation framework, while learning activities were classified according to Bloom’s Taxonomy cognitive levels. The alignment between textbook content and teaching practices was examined by comparing textbook activities with teachers’ reported implementation in the classroom.
The findings showed that, overall, the textbooks meet most of the criteria in McDonough and Shaw’s framework in terms of objectives, content relevance, language use, visual design, and learning activities. However, the distribution of cognitive levels is uneven, with a strong dominance of lower-order thinking skills (remembering and understanding), while higher-order thinking skills (analyzing, evaluating, and creating) are less frequently represented. Furthermore, the alignment between textbook content and teaching practice is partial; although teachers attempt to implement higher-order thinking activities, the textbooks do not consistently provide sufficient tasks to support this practice.
This study concludes that while elementary English textbooks under the Independent Curriculum are generally appropriate in terms of content and structure, they still need improvement in promoting higher-order thinking skills and in supporting better alignment between textbook design and classroom implementation. The findings offer implications for teachers, textbook developers, and policymakers in improving the quality of English learning materials at the elementary level.