Iranian Journal of Educational Sociology 2645-3460 In Press 2026 09 30 Evaluating the Content of Iraqi Secondary-School Physics Textbooks Based on Total Quality Criteria: A Content Analysis and Teachers' Perspectives Evaluating the Content of Iraqi Secondary-School Physics Textbooks Based on Total Quality Criteria: A Content Analysis and Teachers' Perspectives 1 13 10.61838/mzngz367 EN Journal Article 2026 04 07 <p><strong>Purpose:</strong> This study aimed to identify the total quality criteria required for Iraqi secondary-school physics textbooks, assess the extent to which these criteria are fulfilled, examine physics teachers’ evaluations, and determine whether their perspectives differ according to gender and years of teaching experience.</p> <p><strong>Methods and Materials:</strong> This descriptive-analytical study combined quantitative content analysis with a questionnaire survey. The content-analysis population comprised all six physics textbooks approved by the Iraqi Ministry of Education for the 2025–2026 academic year, totaling 999 pages, all of which were examined through census sampling. The analysis instrument consisted of 10 main criteria and 100 sub-indicators developed based on Crosby and Baldrige quality frameworks and validated by an expert panel with an 80% agreement ratio. In the survey phase, 63 physics teachers, including 35 men and 28 women, were selected through simple random sampling from a population of 90 secondary-school physics teachers in Al-Muthanna Province. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire and analyzed using independent-samples t-tests and one-way analysis of variance.</p> <p><strong>Findings:</strong> The overall conformity of the textbooks with Ministry of Education quality criteria was 74%, exceeding the 70% benchmark established by the expert panel. Educational and experimental activities showed the lowest level of criterion fulfillment at 61.3%. Teachers rated educational objectives highest, with a mean score of 3.96 out of 5, whereas scientific content received a mean score of 3.58. Gender differences were statistically significant only for educational activities, with male teachers reporting higher evaluations. Significant differences were also observed according to teaching experience, with teachers having more than 10 years of experience providing more critical evaluations than their less-experienced counterparts.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The findings indicate that Iraqi secondary-school physics textbooks generally satisfy established total quality criteria; however, instructional and experimental activities represent a notable area of weakness. The convergence between content-analysis results and teachers’ assessments highlights the need for systematic revision of textbook content and structure, particularly through strengthening laboratory work, practical exercises, inquiry-oriented tasks, and experiential learning opportunities.</p> https://qijes.com/index.php/ijes/article/download/1576/1543