ABSTRACT
Linguistic content and cultural components are two fundamental elements for curriculum design. Textbooks should be designed for the purpose of introducing a foreign or second language to non-native speakers with the inclusion of these two dimensions: linguistic content and culture. Therefore, the main aim of language textbooks cannot just be to develop their target students’ linguistic competence, as it is equally necessary to engage students directly or indirectly with the culture related to the language they study. This research aims at evaluating Alif Baa, an introductory textbook that is primarily used to teach the alphabet and basic words/phrases to beginner Arabic learners. This research analyzes to what extent Alif Baa meets some Arabic textbook evaluation criteria for non-native speakers. Data were obtained via two main instruments: content analysis of Alif Baa in light of cultural aspects and linguistic content and an evaluation checklist designed by the researcher to measure the availability of both cultural aspects and linguistic elements embedded in this textbook. The checklist was provided to a group of teachers who use Alif Baa in their curriculum. The findings of this study offer suggestions.
