Secondary School Textbooks Research Articles

ESL Materials and Gender Representation: A Corpus-Based Study of Secondary School Textbooks in Punjab, Pakistan

ESL Materials and Gender Representation: A Corpus-Based Study of Secondary School Textbooks in Punjab, Pakistan

Impact of Textbook Reform on the Formation of Chinese National Identity

Introduction. A search for effective educational strategies that can form and maintain Chinese national identity is a highly relevant task for the Chinese academic community. Secondary school textbooks’ content revision has become one of the ways to solve the problem. The purpose of the article is to analyze the complex of educational and methodological materials within the framework of school education, aimed at influencing the formation of national identity in China. Materials and Methods. To study the problem, we conducted a survey, in which schoolteachers and parents of schoolchildren from the city of Lanzhou (PRC) took part. In order to identify the views of these two communities regarding the impact of the updated textbook content on the emerging identity of schoolchildren, we analyzed the personal data, and to understand the learning outcomes, we examined in detail the content and structure of new textual narratives, comparing them with previous educational materials. This helped us to identify a mechanism for developing lessons using the corpus of cultural and historical heritage, which was the essence of the reform aimed at shaping national priorities in the identity of the younger generation. Owing to the chosen methods, we were able to better understand and comprehend the role that ideological education is designed to play in the conditions of modern China. Results. The analysis showed that the updated textbooks reflect the main discourses of Confucian philosophy, fostering cultural and political identity in students. The survey showed that the increased national discourse in the content-factual part of textbooks facilitated the fostering of national identity among schoolchildren. Discussion and Conclusion. The materials of this article can be used for further research of the educational process and its influence on the development of civil society cohesion. This can be useful for polyethnic states in terms of strategic planning and development of mechanisms of construction and maintenance of national identity when drawing up educational textbooks. The results of this study may also be of interest to researchers dealing with educational problems and considering education as one of the elements that play an important role in the formation of national identity, as well as for teachers and students.

Cross- perspective Evaluation of The Culture Component of Algerian Secondary School English Textbooks: Critical pedagogy and English as a Lingua Franca


 This study aimed at evaluating the culture component of the Algerian secondary school textbooks, from two imbricated theoretical perspectives: critical pedagogy and the modern orientation of teaching English as a lingua franca . .More specifically, it aimed at finding out whether the culture component of the Algerian secondary school textbooks, on one hand, equip learners with an adequate level of critical awareness that would enable them to develop as whole citizens capable of challenging the status quo and acting positively upon their social reality to improve it. On the other hand, it aimed at finding out whether the same component of the same textbooks foster in learners an adequate level of cross-cultural awareness that would enable them to develop as multicultural individuals capable of mediating between their mother tongue culture and other cultures. A checklist-based analysis of the three textbooks currently in use was cross-compared to a student and a teacher questionnaires . The students’ questionnaire was designed and implemented to thirty six first year university students of English at Mohammed Seddik Benyahia University, Jijel who recived a secondary school education based on the textbooks in question. As for the teachers’ questionnaire, it was s designed and administered to 78 secondary school teachers in the province of Jijel, Algeria. The checklist-evaluation has shown that the culture component of these textbooks lacks the potential to foster in learners a critical awareness about their social reality and is too poor to develop a relevant cross-cultural awareness.However, a cross-comparisson of these results with teachers’ and students’ responses found that the two aspects in question enjoyed a relatively high level of satisfaction among the respondents.This is most probably due to the influence of the discourse on the competency-based approach, especially in the case of the teachers, and the ignorance of the real scope of the critical approach to intercultural competence, especially in the case of the students.

Hearing health information in Malaysian public schools: a step towards addressing a public health concern

Objective This study aimed to examine hearing-related information in public school textbooks in Malaysia to gain insight into the country’s hearing health education. Design Qualitative content analysis on all textbooks used in Malaysian public schools in the year 2019 were conducted to identify the content and structure of information delivery through 11 years of formal education. Information related to hearing health was extracted and categorised according to the themes that emerged. Further analysis was done to characterise the usefulness of the information in promoting active hearing care based on the type of information delivered. Study Sample A total of 148 elementary and secondary school textbooks were reviewed. Results Fourteen textbooks (4 elementary and 10 secondary levels) were found to have relevant hearing health information covering topics of sound, ear and hearing, noise and hearing loss. The contents were mostly theoretical and lacked information about noise-induced hearing loss and proper hearing care. Conclusion Minimal hearing health information was present in the Malaysian school curriculum. The content was inadequate for teaching students about hearing loss prevention. Areas of improvement and research are recommended to improve school-based hearing health education in Malaysia.

Readability of basic science textbooks for junior secondary schools in Enugu state, Nigeria

Introduction: Textbooks are essential component of the educational system that were heavily utilized by teachers and learners. Basic Science textbook authors should review the language structure and terminologies to enhance the readability of Basic Science textbooks. Purpose: The study aimed at analyzing the adequacy in the readability level of the recommended Basic Science textbooks in use junior secondary schools Enugu State, Nigeria. Methodology: An evaluation research design was adopted for this study. The population consisted of all the 60 recommended Basic Science that were approved for teaching of Basic Science in Junior Secondary Schools in Enugu state, Nigeria. The sample size of this study comprised of 33 recommended Basic Science textbook. Purposive sampling technique was used to draw eleven (11) recommended Basic Science textbooks each from JSS1, JSS 2 and JSS 3. The readability of the textbook was determined using Flesch-Kincaid Readability Formula. The researchers subjected the instrument to content validation by three experts, with internal consistency reliability estimate of 0.92. Microsoft office word 2010 was used to assess the readability. The mean of the readability scores for each Basic science textbooks was determined and interpreted using the Flesh’s interpretation readability scores relative to Nigerian schools. Results: The findings of this study revealed that almost all the Basic Science textbooks are adequate and can easily be understood by the students. Recommendations: The researchers recommended that the recommendation of Basic Science textbooks should not be based on the reputation of the publishers and the lobbying abilities but should be based on more objective criteria that relate to the textbook quality with the students as the principal focus.

Methodological analysis of speaking activities in secondary school textbooks

Today, in a competitive world knowing foreign languages is becoming more and more important. Due to lack of communication skills, learners of today are facing numerous problems in expressing their thoughts and ideas properly in English even if they know and express the same in their mother tongue. Now the responsibility mainly is on the shoulders of the English language teachers to train the EFL/ESL learners properly and systematically in applying these skills for their bright career by adopting innovative and novel techniques and strategies in the classroom. This article aims to analyze various types of activities and techniques in textbooks at secondary schools.

Contested memory of Okinawa’s colonial and war past: history teaching in and beyond formal education

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the different ways in which the Battle of Okinawa in World War II is presented in and beyond formal education, using narratives and photos in Japan’s state-authorized history textbooks and at a local museum. Specifically, this study examines 15 upper secondary school textbooks issued by six publishing companies from across the political spectrum and analyzes the narratives and photos used in these textbooks to depict and explain the Battle of Okinawa, together with the digital archives and official guidebook of the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum (OPPMM). The arguments and findings are three-fold. First, despite the line-by-line scrutiny of textbook contents by the state, individual textbooks show different narratives of the battle, and the monolithic view regarding the “Japanese textbook” is not sustained. Second, there are general differences of the battle’s presentations between the school textbooks as a group and the OPPMM. Third, a crucial gap between them in presenting the Battle of Okinawa and World War II is in the perception of the “enemy”. This gap needs to be understood, as the museum’s presentation implies, with a prolonged relationship of contestation between Okinawa and “mainland Japan”, dating back to the late 19th century.

СОЦИОКУЛЬТУРНОЕ СОДЕРЖАНИЕ СОВРЕМЕННЫХ УЧЕБНИКОВ РУССКОГО ЯЗЫКА ДЛЯ ШКОЛ И ВУЗОВ СЛОВАКИИ

The article describes the process and results of the study of the socio-cultural content of modern Russian language textbooks for secondary schools and universities in Slovakia. The aim of the study is to find answers to the following questions: what kind of socio-cultural material is presented in these textbooks, does it create the preconditions for intercultural communication, what image of Russia is formed among Slovak students when they study Russian using these textbooks? The research material includes 13 textbooks used in teaching the Russian language in secondary schools and universities in Slovakia. The research methods comprise the following: content-analysis of curricula and textbooks, questioning, interviewing. The study showed that modern Russian language textbooks used in secondary schools and universities in Slovakia contain rich socio-cultural material. It contains facts of artistic culture and scientific achievements of Russia, provides information about events, personalities and situations of modern everyday communication. The realities of Russian life are reflected in textbooks scantily but rether benevolently. It creates a basis for intercultural communication and contributes to the formation of a positive image of Russia and the Russian people. The results of this study may be useful for many specialists (psychologists, political scientists, sociologists, historians, etc.), but are of primary significance for authors and reviewers of Russian language textbooks, as well as for teachers looking for a textbook for practical teaching.

SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTENT OF MODERN RUSSIAN LANGUAGE TEXTBOOKS FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES IN SLOVAKIA

The article describes the process and results of the study of the socio-cultural content of modern Russian language textbooks for secondary schools and universities in Slovakia. The aim of the study is to find answers to the following questions: what kind of socio-cultural material is presented in these textbooks, does it create the preconditions for intercultural communication, what image of Russia is formed among Slovak students when they study Russian using these textbooks? The research material includes 13 textbooks used in teaching the Russian language in secondary schools and universities in Slovakia. The research methods comprise the following: content-analysis of curricula and textbooks, questioning, interviewing. The study showed that modern Russian language textbooks used in secondary schools and universities in Slovakia contain rich socio-cultural material. It contains facts of artistic culture and scientific achievements of Russia, provides information about events, personalities and situations of modern everyday communication. The realities of Russian life are reflected in textbooks scantily but rether benevolently. It creates a basis for intercultural communication and contributes to the formation of a positive image of Russia and the Russian people. The results of this study may be useful for many specialists (psychologists, political scientists, sociologists, historians, etc.), but are of primary significance for authors and reviewers of Russian language textbooks, as well as for teachers looking for a textbook for practical teaching.

The effect of expository text structure on text-based interest: Problem-based exposition (the linguistic aspect)

The article presents a linguistic approach to the study of the emotiogenicity of expository texts. The purpose of the work is to identify linguistic resources that contribute to readers’ interest in expository texts with problem-based exposition. Expository texts from Russian textbooks for secondary schools are used as material for the study. The problem-based exposition is a pattern of text structure organized as “problem and solution”. It consists of two parts: the first part (“problem statement”) describes a problematic situation associated with a lack of students’ knowledge; the second part (“solution”) presents a way to solve it. Since the problem situation is a part of educational communication, the problem-based exposition involves the contextualization of textual content. For this, expository questions and authorization tools are often used because they allow for expressing the problem situation and the mental activity of an addressee. The emotiogenicity of expository texts with problem-based exposition primarily depends on the degree of contextualization. The contextualization makes it possible to present the textual content as being personally significant for the reader, to arouse the reader’s desire to find out something new about an object of interest, and to engage them in the cognitive process. At the same time, the emotiogenic potential of the problem-based exposition depends on the content characteristics (constraints, engaging themes), as well as on the addressee’s factor, in particular their genre expectations.

Epidemie i pandemie w wybranych polskich podręcznikach szkolnych historii dla szkół średnich po 1989 r.

Epidemics and pandemics in selected Polish school history textbooks for secondary schools after 1989 The paper presents an analysis of the presentation of major epidemics (pandemics) in the history of mankind in Polish history textbooks for secondary schools published between 1989 and 2020. A qualitative study was carried out on a sample of forty-four textbooks and concerned issues such as: epidemics in antiquity, the so-called “Black Death’ from 1346 to 1353, epidemics in the New World during the period known as the Age of Discovery, and the Spanish flu (the Great Influenza Epidemic) of 1918–1920. This analysis made it possible to formulate conclusions: 1) the medieval “Black Death” epidemic of the XIVth century was presented most fully, both in terms of content and diversity of coverage. This is understandable because of the scale, significance, geographical proximity, and strong roots of this phenomenon in history-teaching literature. “The Black Death” was shown with a broad consideration of the genesis of the phenomenon and its multidirectional demographic, social and economic consequences; 2) the epidemics that took place in the period of antiquity were only to a small extent reflected in the textbooks analyzed. The exception are textbooks by Marek Ziółkowski (editions 1999 and 2002), in which epidemics from the times of the Roman Empire are described in greater detail; 3) in the case of the XVIth-century epidemics from the New World, as well as the Spanish flu, the school reader received what was definitely elementary information, which was not always accurate and precise, without references to the latest scholarly findings; 4) elements of teaching support (maps, tables, illustrations) appeared mainly in the contents dedicated to the “Black Death” and, to a lesser extent, to the XVIth-century epidemics on the American continent; 5) in the textbooks analyzed, there was no clear variation in the way the above-mentioned phenomena were presented in the course of the period discussed.

Unity in Diversity?: The Representation of Ethnic Diversity in Pakistani Textbooks and through Teacher and Student Perspectives

Ethnic diversity in Pakistan encompasses linguistic, religious, tribal, and regional differences. This article examines some of the narratives around ethnic diversity in upper secondary school textbooks, the challenges of providing inclusive opportunities for diverse groups within Pakistan faced by citizenship educators and learners’ perceptions of the representation of ethnic diversity. The article draws on Civics and Pakistan Studies textbooks, focus group interviews with sixteen students and semi-structured interviews with sixteen teachers from eight schools and colleges in Punjab, Pakistan. Both the textbooks and the interviews are analyzed through the lens of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Key messages about citizenship from Pakistani textbooks are brought into dialogue with data gathered from interviews with Pakistani teachers and students to illuminate contrasting perspectives on the representation of Pakistani ethnic diversity. Findings indicate that the textbooks used in schools represent a view of Pakistan as a homogeneous country united by its distinctive Islamic foundation and its national language. They also project an image of Pakistan attempting to offer an inclusive embrace to those of other languages and religions within the borders of the Pakistani nation. The article concludes with some reflections on the challenges of developing students’ civic knowledge and understanding about multidimensional identity in Pakistan, given the limited and idealized treatment of ethnic diversity in the analyzed texts.

Silenced and Invisible Historical Figures in Zambia: An Analysis of the Visual Portrayal of Women in Senior Secondary School History Textbooks

ABSTRACT Despite their significant contribution to the country's historical development, women's influence is commonly underestimated and ignored in Zambian history literature. Subsequently, their role remains undocumented in secondary school textbooks to the extent that the sex blindness of traditional historiography, which sustains male dominance in history, remains unchallenged in the books. Through a qualitative approach and purposive sampling of two Zambian secondary school Grade 12 learners' history textbooks, the study examined the portrayal of women. Located within the decoloniality paradigm, it counters the coloniality of power manifested through the insularity of dominant patriarchal historical narratives entrenched in the secondary school history curriculum, largely reflecting the remnants of colonial epistemologies and historiographical traditions. The findings in both textbooks reveal that the female characters are silenced and invisible compared to their male counterparts, reflecting the patriarchy hegemony in the secondary school Zambian history curriculum. In decolonising colonial power manifested in the curriculum, the study recommends mainstreaming gender equality in the history curricula and teaching and learning materials, mainly the learners' textbooks, to reflect women's achievements. Keywords: Decoloniality; Visual images; Gender; History textbooks; Secondary school; Women; Zambia.

EFFICIENCY OF NATIVE LANGUAGE EDUCATION IN THE TRANSCARPATHIA BASED ON A REPEATED QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY (2008–2018)

During our research, we wish to find out whether the native language education reform of 2005 brought any positive changes in teaching the common language norm in the Hungarian schools in Transcarpathia. The research conducted last year (20 schools, 280 students) proved that additional native language education has a spectacular result: young people have a far more positive, objective attitude towards non-common language versions. By all means it is also worth to know whether any such changes can be discovered concerning the use of language phenomena observed with the help of the three task types. Based on an earlier survey it was proven that changes can actually be observed concerning the opinion about lan- guage dialects since the Hungarian language curriculum of 2005 became effective. This change is clearly positive. Students showed benevolence concerning language dialects, dialect speakers in far larger proportion than earlier. And it is not only present in the field of numbers. Their explained opinion also shows a more objective, rational view. Whether we look at the approach to, perspectives of the concept of language dialects, or the reasoning of their answers based on emotional attitude (e.g. Would you feel sorry if dialects died out?). It is clearly an efficient change compared to the earlier data that while in the course of the previous survey the situation of the minorities, borrowed elements were not mentioned concerning the local language variants (or if they were, then in a negative context). These changes are clearly due to the additive attitude and the secondary school textbooks prepared in this view.Such clear changes cannot be observed concerning tasks about common language norm awareness. Small differences can be seen concerning a few phenomena in the percentage of standard answers: in the case of using -nák, the future tense of the predicate kell. Studying the adverb of place suffix -nál/-nél used instead of -hoz/-hez/-höz and -tól/-től in a comparative function only shows an increase in percentage in the case of sentence correction tasks. This indicates that in the past 10 years representatives of the studies age group became somewhat more aware.The changed attitude that can be found in the Hungarian language curriculum in Transcarpathia and in the Hungarian language textbooks is by no means favorable for this positive change.

Study on the consciousness of university students of the Russian Federation about your understanding of the Republic of Korea

The purpose of this study is to investigate the opinions of Russian university students on the understanding of Korea, to find out the degrees and errors of understanding Korea, and to derive the contents and methods for notifying Korea immediately to Russia. Accordingly, this paper surveyed the opinions of Korean geographic knowledge, Korean cultural and economic situation knowledge by surveying “consciousness about the understanding of Korea” of Korean learners and non-Korean learners of Kazan Federal University in Russia. Through this, Korean governments, institutions, and social organizations must teach Russian university students general knowledge about geography, history, economy, and society of Korea. It is necessary to promote Korea's accurate situation through the media. Active and continuous efforts to enhance the image of Korea are needed. It is necessary to expand the contents of Russian secondary school textbooks about Korea and to train teachers.

Who is Australian? National belonging and exclusion in Australian history textbooks

Although multiculturalism replaced the White Australia Policy in the 1970s, the Australian nation continues to be imagined predominantly as a White space from which Aborigines, Torres Strait Islanders and peoples of non‐White immigrant heritage are excluded. Whereas White people's positioning as Australian is secure and taken for granted, non‐White people’s Australianness is fraught and tentative. In this article, I employ critical whiteness studies to explore the reproduction of racialised categories of national belonging and exclusion. Using textbooks as records of dominant narratives, I examine how Australian history narratives in secondary school textbooks produce and maintain the White solipsism which enables the nation to be imagined as White. From a sample of 16 texts released this century by a leading Australian publisher of secondary school textbooks, I excluded 10 which duplicated the content of other texts or did not cover my chosen focus: narratives of the Australia gold rushes and national identity. I conducted iterative critical discourse analysis on the remaining six texts. My analysis shows that, despite explicit attempts to improve textbook content, implicitly White solipsism is reinforced rather than disrupted. This functions to uphold constructions of the nation as White, excluding Aborigines, Torres Strait Islanders and peoples of non‐White immigrant heritage from national belonging. Further work is needed to ensure history narratives interrupt and contest White solipsism and its attendant privileging of White Australians. Educators raised in White societies need to recognise their likely enculturation in White solipsism and learn to avoid unintentionally reinscribing categories of national belonging and exclusion.

Учебные руководства по отечественной истории для средних учебных заведений в каталогах Министерства народного просвещения (1860-е – 1916 гг.)

Учебные руководства по отечественной истории для средних учебных заведений в каталогах Министерства народного просвещения (1860-е – 1916 гг.)

The edge and the middle ground of authenticity. Notes on textual criticism of F. Dostoevsky’s works

The article considers the practicality and prospects of using obsolete spelling and punctuation contemporaneous with the period when the literary work was created in scholarly editions of Russian classics, for maximum conformity of the published text to the author’s intentions. In this regard, Barsht analyzes compatibility of such experimentations with the norms of contemporary Russian grammar with 19th-c. orthographic standards. The author examines the cultural role of scholarly editions, which supply authoritative versions of texts for reprints, translations, and textbooks for secondary schools and institutions of higher education. Another topic is the pragmatic function of punctuation marks, whose purpose changed dramatically in the early 20th c. From the viewpoint of textual criticism, the article also discusses the need for such a translation of a literary classic into the modern Russian language that is accurate and precise, and avoids violation of the author’s intentions. The questions are raised in response to the publication of vol. 8 of the Complete works by F. M. Dostoevsky in 35 vols. (The Idiot [Idiot]).

Anti-Blackness and Orientalism in Quebec and Manitoba Ancient History Curricula

Although Canada is often portrayed as a multicultural, benevolent, liberal society, the experiences of Black peoples, Indigenous peoples and Peoples of Colour living in Canada point to the problematic of ongoing anti-Black racism, Indigenous erasures and anti-immigrant sentiments, while perpetuating White Eurocentric dominance. Research demonstrates that schools and school curricula play an important role in perpetuating these problems (e.g., Abdou, 2017; Calderon, 2014; Poole, 2012). But how might curricula and available teaching resources specifically be contributing to Canada’s underlying narratives of White Eurocentric dominance? There is a growing body of literature that demonstrates problematic discourses in the curriculum for Indigenous peoples (e.g., Battiste, 2013; Calderon, 2014; Tuck & Gaztambide-Fernández, 2013). In this paper, we specifically interrogate anti-Blackness and Orientalism. We outline the various findings of critical discourse analyses that we conducted on secondary school textbooks used in Quebec and Manitoba to teach world history and ancient civilizations. By comparing these two contexts, we offer new perspectives on the ways that Canadian curricula are constructed as dominant White-centric narratives by depending on the logics of Orientalism and anti-Blackness. Building on previous textbook analyses, we attempt to bring critical perspectives to problematize dominant norms that contribute to the oppressions of Black peoples and Peoples of Colour in the Canadian context and to provide insights on a potential way forward for more inclusive and balanced representations. While our textual analyses do not directly address representations of Indigenous peoples in curricula, we hope this contribution will help draw attention to some common exclusionary approaches and representations that need to be questioned and challenged.

Conducting Content Analysis for Chemistry Safety Education Terms and Topics in Chinese Secondary School Curriculum Standards, Textbooks, and Lesson Plans Shows Increased Safety Awareness

The topic of chemistry safety was included at the margins of traditional chemistry education in China. In order to understand the concerns of the safety issues based on the new chemistry curriculum...