Analysis of arts and crafts content in the arts and physical education integrated textbook of grade 3: Amhara national regional state in focus

Abstract

This research focused on grade three Textbook of the Amara National Regional State Education Bureau, published in 2015 (2007 Eth. C) and aimed at content selection and integration with other learning. The evaluation concerns content selection in terms of dimensions of the learner (age, level of learning, and culture) and arts integration with other learning. Evaluation is made based on standards in textbook writing informed by the literature. In this study, qualitative content analysis (QCA) is adopted as a method for the subjective interpretation of the arts and crafts content of the textbook through the systematic process of classification, coding and identifying themes or patterns. The curriculum framework for KG—Grade 12, Pre- Formal Education and Caring O-Class Syllabus, the Grades 1–4 Arts and Physical Education Integrated syllabus, Arts and Physical Education Textbook for Grade 3 were selected as the major data sources using purposive sampling technique in this study. The results of qualitative content analysis indicated that there was a good alignment between the arts and crafts content with the learners’ age level and culture. However, the emphasis placed on handcrafts was found unsatisfactory. The textbook had focused on “sine-wubet” (i.e., beauty), rather than “sine-tibeb” (i.e., the arts) as intended in the syllabus. In the end, implications to future revision of the textbook are included in the study.