Establishing the Validity and Reliability of the Malaysian English Language Textbook Evaluation Checklist (MELTEC) Using Rasch Measurement Model (RRM)

A textbook is an important teaching and learning material. Evaluating a textbook is essential to ensure educational goals are met. In the present study, the Malaysian English Language Textbook Evaluation Checklist (MELTEC) is developed for the purpose of materials adaptation. The lack of validity and reliability of previous textbook evaluation checklists reported by researchers in the field of ELT textbook evaluation has resulted in the need to establish the validity and reliability of the checklist developed in this study using the Rasch Measurement Model (RRM). One hundred and ten ESL secondary school teachers from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, had participated in this study. Rasch analysis was used to examine the item fit, polarity, reliability, separation index, and unidimensionality of the checklist. As a result, the finalised version of MELTEC comprises of 78 items. A total of 63 items were dropped as these items were not deemed to be suitable. The analysis performed using Rasch Measurement Model proved that the checklist has high validity and reliability. The checklist is found to be suitable to evaluate ELT secondary school textbooks in Malaysia. On that account, future researchers can consider using Rasch Measurement Model to establish the validity and reliability of the instruments developed to ensure their integrity and quality.