Energy literacy in elementary school textbooks in Mexico

Abstract

Recognizing the relevance of energy in our lives is essential for ensuring a sustainable future. The lessons offered by education systems could exert an impact throughout the lives of people. This study conducts a review of the content of elementary-level textbooks in Mexico to describe and analyze the scope of these materials and their depth from the perspective of energy literacy. Analysis considers the content of 44 textbooks published in 2014, and identifies 33 topics categorized based on the framework of energy literacy proposed by DeWaters (2011). The results show that energy-related issues were introduced to students earlier than expected by the government educational authority, energy-related contents were more extensive than expected across the textbooks, and offered a rich interdisciplinary perspective previously unrecognized by national educational guidelines. These findings suggest the need to update educational guidelines in Mexico to acknowledge the contents identified in this research, to support them with materials related to SDGs, and to understand better which energy education topics are being covered for future generations in other countries.