A study on textbook use and its effects on students’ academic performance

Abstract Curriculum education reforms are being carried out in various countries, in which great research interest has been generated in the use of textbooks and the effectiveness of their use. In this study, the focus is on the actual use of textbooks by the first students to use the 2019 edition of general high school chemistry textbooks (students graduating in summer 2022 and summer 2023) and its relationship with students’ interest and attitudes, and their academic achievements in chemistry. In this study, two questionnaires and one test with a standardized reliability and validity were developed. A quantitative analysis method was used to determine how the students ( N = 2874) used the new textbooks. Correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between the use of new textbooks and students’ interest, attitudes, and academic achievements among students ( N = 250). The results show that students rate the new textbooks highly, but there is still much room for improvement in the functional value of the new textbooks. Correlation analysis and regression analyse showed that there was a significant correlation between students’ use of chemistry textbooks and their interest and attitudes, but the correlation between them and their academic achievements in chemistry was not directly significant. At the same time, the use of the new textbooks revealed a different dynamic and atmosphere in the chemistry classroom, with more classroom student activities taking place and students being able to participate more deeply and actively in them. This contributed more to students’ interest and attitudes, and improved their performance in chemistry. In this study, we strongly argue for the importance and value of textbook use for student learning on the one hand and for the enrichment of student-centred textbook use research on the other.