Out of 13 revised school textbooks surveyed this year, only one was considered "necessary" for revision, according to the Consumer Council which annually surveys the textbook market for revision editions.
Based on the assessment of a panel of educational experts, revision of 5 other volumes was considered to be "somewhat necessary" and 6 others recommended for only "reprint with amendments". Overall assessment was not made of the remaining one volume.
The Council's annual survey is undertaken out of the concern that publishers may be too ready to opt for revision which, in the assessment of experts, may not fully justify as the only most suitable alternative.
A revised textbook will make the one in use obsolete necessitating the purchase of the new revised edition, adding to the parental burden of what already are heavy textbook expenditures.
The survey this year covered 5 sets of 13 volumes of senior secondary class textbooks comprising Liberal Studies, Chinese History, Chemistry, and Business, Accounting and Financial Studies.
The outcome of the latest survey is probably the lowest, in 5 years, in the proportion of revised textbooks with only one volume judged to be "necessary" for revision. The remainders were, however, not considered totally warranted in their revision.
The overall assessment according to the evaluation by the panel of subject specialists from the respective faculties of HKU, CUHK and HKUST was based on changes on the content, the sequence of the chapters, and the layout and design.
The criteria for the sample selection of the survey included: the revised edition is a prescribed textbook for a subject; the revision took place in 2014; the textbook has been chosen by three or more schools for the academic year 2014/15; it is not a "Reprint with Amendment".
The survey also covered changes in price and the number of pages. Pricewise, 10 volumes were shown to increase from 2% to 7%, 2 volumes remained unchanged, and 1 volume decreased by 9%. The change in the number of pages ranged from -17% to +23%.
In their assessment of the Chinese History revised textbook considered to be "necessary" for revision, the panel found the overall content to be more precise with a more logical sequence and more comprehensive comparison of historical persons including their contributions and limitations. The added summary comparison tables also help students grasp their common and different characteristics.
In the case of Liberal Studies revised textbooks recommended for "Reprint with Amendments", the panel considered that in general, the newly added or amended contents are largely similar to the old editions although the new sections and headings are clearer. Changes in the sequence of chapters and in layout and design coupled with the use of more current issues and statistics in mock examination exercises, though useful, were not considered necessary as to justify publishing a revised edition.
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- 2014.11.17