Secondary School Textbooks Research Articles

Evaluating The Turkish Textbooks In Terms Of Sufficiency Of Disaster Education

This study evaluated the appropriateness of disaster-themed texts and activities in Turkish textbooks for disaster education competence. The evaluation was based on the criteria established by the United Nations International Strategy for Risk Reduction (UNISDR) for the education curricula of developing countries. The method used for the study was document analysis, with content analysis used to analyze the data. The sample of the study consists of Turkish textbooks. Expert opinion was sought for validity, while inter-rater agreement was determined for reliability (Reliability = 90%). The study revealed that the texts and activities in Turkish secondary school textbooks are inadequate in reflecting regional and local hazards, vulnerabilities, and the possible effects of disasters in terms of disaster education competence. Particularly, texts at the 6th-grade level are unsatisfactory in creating the desired behavior due to the type of text used. Furthermore, disaster risk reduction is not discussed in most of the texts, highlighting the insufficiency of Turkish textbooks. Even though disaster-themed texts are included in Turkish textbooks, they fail to create a holistic consciousness for disaster education that covers the before, during, and after aspects of disasters. As a result, it can be concluded that Turkish textbooks are inadequate in terms of disaster risk reduction and disaster education in general

Digitalization of a textbook on Russian as a foreign language: the experience of Slovak Russianists

The focus of the study is the new format of Russian as a foreign language textbook - digital, or digitalized. The relevance of the research is determined by the need to create such textbooks due to the changed audience for which they are intended - the generations of so-called millennials and postmillennials, who acquire new information through imagery, speed, technical capabilities. The aim of the research is to analyze a digitalized Russian language textbook for a Slovak secondary school (gymnasium) from the point of view of its conceptual framework, technical features, and design. On the material of the Russian language textbook for Slovak secondary schools “Meetings with Russia. Today” (E. Kollárová et al.) where new technologies are used, the authors analyze a nationally oriented digital textbook, which is an element of Russian-language education in Slovakia. The methods of research include the analysis of theoretical and educational literature, the method of linguodidactic analysis, comparative and descriptive methods. The authors argue that the conceptual foundations of digital textbooks - cognitivism, constructivism, and behaviorism - are aimed at the rational selection of culturally relevant educational content and the construction of a communicatively directed methodological component. Modern technical capabilities allow to include in these textbooks a variety of video, audio, television, and other authentic materials, creating a sense of “living” reality. It is concluded that the main advantages of the new form of the textbook are not only its technical capabilities, but also more effective implementation of its cultural and communicative orientation, as well as eduction (education combined with upbringing,). The problem points of the textbook are the lack of linguistic (lexical, grammatical, phonetic) exercises, as well as the lack of the minimal vocabulary. The effective interaction of the three components - digitalization, edutainment, and cultural orientation - while relying on the language system - determine the prospects of digital textbooks.

미술교육에서 수준에 따른 재료와 기법, 지도 방법

In a dynamically evolving educational landscape, art education has emerged as a pivotal area that goes beyond the acquisition of knowledge and skills to foster creativity, critical thinking, and social-emotional development. In art education, materials and techniques are the most fundamental and important elements to fulfill the purpose and role of art education. This study aims to shed light on the multifaceted aspects of materials, techniques, and instructional methods in art education to access the essence of art education and address its direction in building an inclusive learning environment for all learners. This study analyzes the characteristics of various art materials and the current status of art material presentation in elementary and secondary school textbooks, and proposes teaching methods of art materials and techniques according to students' levels, considering traditional materials utilized for two-dimensional and three-dimensional representation and new digital technologies such as virtual reality and digital illustration. Relying solely on art textbooks in art classes is not enough for students to gain sufficient knowledge of materials and techniques, so teachers need to complement them to provide students with specific and practical knowledge of how to utilize art materials at the right time. By imparting specific methods and strategies for using different art materials and techniques to students, teachers can help them develop their artistic expression, enabling them to make intentional and creative visual expressions.

Formation of mediation competence among secondary school students while teaching French

Mediative competence defines the relevant skills of interaction, mediation and cooperation, which is important in the modern world due to international integration and globalization. However, insufficient attention is paid to it in the Russian methodology and the education system as a whole. There are no tasks for the development of mediation competence in French textbooks for secondary schools. The article examines the essence of the concept of «mediative competence», as well as the pecularities of its development while teaching schoolchildren. The article presents the author's set of mediative exercises. The methodological basis of the experimental research was the theoretical provisions of the development of mediative competence through interactive technologies. The study was conducted from November 2022 to January 2023 in the form of experimental lessons/parts of French lessons in the 8th grade of Petrozavodsk gimnasium № 17. 20 students took part in the experiment. The results of the study demonstrate the presence of positive dynamics in the development of mediative competence of students of the experimental group. According to the results of the study, it can be concluded that little attention is paid to the development of mediative competence in Russian schools. It is necessary to introduce more tasks for the formation of mediative competence into the learning process and ensure that they are performed on a regular basis.

Religion, church, national identity, and the solidarity movement in school history textbooks in Poland

ABSTRACT This paper analyses the Solidarity movement narratives, focusing on church representatives, religious issues, and symbols in the Polish history textbooks for upper secondary schools between 1991 and 2018. The analysed textbooks prove to reinforce Poland’s national and religious identities, with John Paul II and the priest Popiełuszko being the primary national heroes of the Solidarity movement. The Catholic Church is presented as a protector of national values during the Solidarity period. The study also reveals the gradual reduction and simplification of the textbooks’ content. This tendency is a trigger for the polarisation of the historical discourse, posing a weapon for secular policies to misuse the ideological and symbolic roles of the Church in reproducing the Pole-Catholic pattern in history textbooks.

Ongoing History Writing in History Textbooks

Abstract This article addresses the ways in which Swedish history textbooks for upper secondary schools published between 1994 and 2011 deal with the most recent past. The textbooks are chronologically organized and follow history into the textbook authors’ time, and each new edition of the textbooks includes the latest developments. The article inquires as to whether this gradual addition of events is to be regarded as historiography at all, or what the possible difference is between contemporary commentary and historiography. It examines which events and developments are selected, how they are presented, and how they can be interpreted with regard to periodization and the use of history.

Models and modelling in secondary technology and engineering education

The common purpose of models is to provide simplified representations of other phenomena. Depending on type, they are suitable for communication, documentation, prognostication, problem solving, and more. Various types of models, such as drawings, mock-ups, flow charts, and mathematical formulae, are important tools in engineering work. An introduction to the area of technological modelling is therefore an essential component in secondary technology and engineering education, both to prepare for future studies and work, and to instil a general technological literacy. Models in the form of technical drawings and physical models are mentioned in several international curricula and standards for secondary education, but the nature of models or the modelling process are seldom elaborated upon. The purpose of this article is to investigate the ‘why?’, the ‘what?’, and the ‘how?’ of teaching and learning about models and modelling in secondary technology and engineering education. We discuss the roles of models and modelling and suggest a modelling framework for technology and engineering education consisting of a six-step modelling process that can be used in education with increasing level of complexity: identification, isolation, simplification, validation, verification, and presentation. Examples from Swedish curricula and secondary school textbooks are used to highlight the progress (or lack thereof) concerning model creation and model use. It was found that especially validation and verification are downplayed or missing in these accounts. Special attention needs to be given to the simplification step, where the balance between simplicity and realism often leads to difficult decisions in the modelling process.

Global Burden of Hypertension and Strategic Approach to Overcome It

Globally an estimated 1.28 billion people have hypertension, most (two thirds) living in low and middle income countries. It is the leading cause of preventable death and is responsible for 10-20% of all death worldwide. Moreover, untreated hypertension can lead to a number of serious health consequences like stroke, heart disease, renal failure, dementia, vision loss etc. Antihypertensive treatment substantially reduces incidence of stroke (35-40%), myocardial infarction (20-25%) and heart failure (>50%). But hypertension remains undiagnosed in about 46% cases and only about 21% hypertensive individuals have adequately controlled blood pressure. There are several misconceptions regarding hypertension among people that hinders diagnosis or leads to false diagnosis and impair proper management of hypertension. In attempt to reduce burden of hypertension awareness generation is the first necessary step. To create awareness among people several seminar, free blood pressure check-up campaigns etc can be conducted, billboard placement and leaflet distribution can be done in different public gathering sites like bazaar, fairs, mosques, school, college, hospital etc, and necessary knowledge on hypertension can be circulated through primary or secondary school textbooks and printing and electronic media. The next essential step is to provide quality service for hypertensive patients at an affordable cost through dedicated hypertension centers or hypertension corners. These centers should be designed to provide proper training for the stuff and proper education or counseling for patients and to perform necessary research works. Government initiatives to distribute free antihypertensive drugs should be enhanced and non-government aids can be added to it. National policy to control price of antihypertensive medications is also necessary. Finally, regular follow-up is necessary to ensure regular intake of medications, adherence to lifestyle advices, adequate titration of medications and early detection and treatment of any target organ damage. Proper counseling at each visit and reminder through phone calls or mobile SMS can improve follow-up tendency. Bangladesh J Medicine 2023; Vol. 34, No. 2(1) Supplement: 185

Construction of Gender in Linguistic Signs in Selected Kenyan Secondary School English Textbooks

In countries such as Kenya, where textbooks are a core component of classroom experience, the materials have the potential to shape socially enacted identities. Gender representation via linguistic signs in textbooks can have a substantial impact on how students perceive men and women in society. In order to achieve equity in education, which is a key mandate of both the Education for All (EFA) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), gender bias in textbooks must be addressed. The National Policy on Gender and Development (NPGAD) in Kenya sought to enhance equal participation among men, women, girls and boys in education and other thematic areas. This paper contributes to the discourse on gender representation in textbooks by examining gender portrayal in linguistic signs found in selected English secondary school textbooks using Halliday’s (1985, 2014) systemic functional grammar approach. The study applied the explanatory sequential research design (Creswell Plano Clark, 2011). A document analysis guide derived from the model for analyzing linguistic signs by Halliday (1985, 2014) was employed in the analysis of quantitative data from the linguistic signs in four English textbooks. Results showed that in the selected textbooks, masculine representations were more prevalent than those of females. The study also revealed that males were more involved in all the three mood types namely; declarative, interrogative and imperative. Again, more males than females appeared as theme and rheme of clauses. Additionally, it emerged that males engaged more in verbal processes than females did. The study concludes that men are either implicitly or explicitly portrayed as being superior to women in the linguistic signs in the analysed textbooks. The study recommends that Ministry of Education in Kenya initiates measures to alleviate gender disparity by focusing on the issue of gender representation in textbooks. On the other hand, the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) may find these results useful in improving the textbooks evaluation based on gender equality prototypes. Improved evaluation, could be used as a basis to revise textbooks currently in use and guide in the development of new ones.

A Comparative Analysis of Lower Secondary Chemistry Textbook Components: A Study Involving the Chinese Communities of China and Malaysia

Chemistry textbooks serve as the primary reference for teachers and students during teaching and learning. The textbook details the learning content and knowledge covered within a particular subject. Chemistry is more effective in raising awareness of people’s behavior and its impact on the surrounding environment, so it receives more research attention. This study investigates the chemistry content covered in Malaysian Independent Chinese Secondary School and lower secondary science textbooks published by Chinese People’s Education Press. The comparative method, which includes description, interpretation, juxtaposition, and comparison, was employed in this study. The authors compared lower secondary science textbooks used in most regions of China and Malaysian Chinese schools. Results showed some similarities in the chemistry contents; for instance, they are arranged from fundamental concepts to a broader perspective. However, differences were found in the sequence in which the chemistry concepts and their application to Nature were introduced in both textbook versions used in this study. It was discovered that the organization of chemistry textbooks used in most regions of China was more scientific than the book used in Malaysia. It was relatively basic in comparison and only presented the concepts required for secondary school subjects. The findings of this study suggest that it might be appropriate for 21st-century chemistry concepts to be integrated into the curriculum to address the need for education in environmental and sustainability issues from the perspective of education in chemistry.

Examination of Secondary School Mathematics Curriculum in Terms of 21st Century Skills

Abstract
 The curriculum is the whole system that enables them to develop and renew their school education system. With the transition to the constructivism model in the schools of the world countries, many countries have revised their curricula according to this model. The mathematics curriculum taught in secondary education in Turkey was first revised by the Ministry of National Education in 2005 and then renewed in 2018. The aim of this research is to examine the secondary school mathematics curriculum in 2018 (achievements and activities) within the context of 21st century skills. Achievements and activities determined will be evaluated and examined in terms of learning and renewal skills. In line with this purpose, the research analyzed how much 21st century skills were included in the learning outcomes of the 2018 secondary school mathematics curriculum and its effects in the textbooks In addition, in the research, it was analyzed how much problem solving, critical thinking, creative thinking and communication skills of the P21 framework learning and innovation skills were included in the 2018 secondary school mathematics curriculum achievements and textbooks. The research model was conducted with document analysis, one of the qualitative research methods. In the document analysis, 21st century skills were selected by taking into account the P21 framework for 21st century skills. These skills are grouped in three areas: learning and innovation, information, media and technology, and life and professional skills. At the end of the research, it was determined that, due to the nature of the mathematics course, problem solving skills are included in almost all achievements and activities, while skills other than problem solving skills are not included in the achievements, these skills are included in the coursebook activities.
 Keywords: 21st century skills, Secondary school mathematics curriculum, Mathematics curriculum, P21

Analysis of Students’ Online Learning Engagement during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of a SPOC-Based Geography Education Undergraduate Course

With the long-lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning has gradually become one of the mainstream learning methods in Chinese universities. The effectiveness of online learning is significantly influenced by learning engagement, and studies into this topic can help learners by providing them with process-based learning support and focused teaching interventions. Based on the online learning environment, this research constructs an online learning engagement analysis model. Additionally, this study explores the relationship between students’ online learning engagement and their online learning performance by taking the Secondary School Geography Curriculum Standards and Textbooks Research, a small-scale private online course (SPOC) of the geography education undergraduate course at Nanjing Normal University, as an example. The findings are as follows: In the cognitive engagement dimension, only “analyze” is significantly positively correlated with learning performance; in the behavioral engagement dimension, the “number of question and answer (Q&A) topic posts,” the “replies to others,” and the “teachers’ replies” are all significantly positively correlated with learning performance. In terms of the emotional engagement dimension, “curiosity” and “pleasure” are positively correlated with learning performance; as for the social engagement dimension, “point centrality” and “intermediary centrality” are positively correlated with learning performance. The findings of this case study reveal that the student’s engagement in higher-order cognitive learning is obviously insufficient. Students’ online learning performance can be enhanced both by behavioral engagement in knowledge reprocessing and positive emotional engagement. Further research should be focused on finding ways to increase students’ enthusiasm for social engagement.

A Social Semiotic Analysis of Gender Representations in Biology Textbooks for Upper Secondary Schools in China

The gender gap remains an issue in the biological education community. This study explores the extent to which an egalitarian gender ideology, encapsulated in five biological science textbooks for upper secondary schools in China, manifests through representational, interactive and compositional meanings of social semiotic theory. The findings reveal that females in the textbooks tend to be depicted as passive and inferior to males. More males are represented as playing pioneering and leading roles, as opposed to females, who are cast in assistant and subordinate roles in professional activities. The gendered messages delivered have the potential to disempower female students’ career aspirations and adversely regulate their perceptions and projections of gender identities in biological science.

Misconception on the Yellow Sea Warm Current in Secondary-School Textbooks and Development of Teaching Materials for Ocean Current Data Visualization

Misconception on the Yellow Sea Warm Current in Secondary-School Textbooks and Development of Teaching Materials for Ocean Current Data Visualization

The impacts of animal farming: a critical review of secondary and high school textbooks

The impacts of animal farming: a critical review of secondary and high school textbooks

The early modern age in secondary education textbooks in Spain: An analysis of activities

The objective of this study is to analyse how the Early Modern Age is taught in secondary school textbooks in Spain. To do so, the study is focused on the analysis of the historical contents of this period, in relation to the topics proposed by historiographical trends. In addition, the textbook activities has been analised according to their type, cognitive level and the historical skills required of secondary students. The sample consists of a total of 770 activities. A mixed methodology has been used, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques. The results obtained indicate that the textbooks have improved in the type of activities and in the cognitive level required, but continue to dominate the contents of concepts, facts and concrete data (related to political and cultural history). On the other hand, the textbooks present a discourse which does not debate or reflect in the development of many of the historiographical stereotypes of the nation, neither does it examine in depth the social problems of the Early Modern Age.

Physics curriculum in upper secondary schools: What leading physicists want

This paper explores the views of leading Czech physicists regarding a physics curriculum for upper secondary schools. This paper presents the first part of an effort to define starting points for a new physics curriculum in Czechia (subsequent phases would analyze the opinions of other scientists, education experts, and physics teachers regarding the physicists' ideas) and create a new physics textbook for upper secondary schools. The methodology was inspired especially by the objectivist grounded theory. We conducted in-depth interviews about the upper secondary physics curriculum with 29 leading Czech physicists and identified 56 ideas (categories) that they agreed on (according to the interview analysis). Subsequently, a questionnaire was created based on these 56 ideas. Two years later, the same group of physicists were asked to express their opinions on the ideas on a 7-point Likert scale. The new survey sought to clarify the relevance and permanence of the ideas, and the physicists' willingness to collaborate on constructing a physics curriculum for upper secondary schools. Four core categories—students, physics, context, and math—were identified through a comparison of the relevance of the ideas. Additionally, we compared the questionnaire answers of a physicist with their opinions during the interview and identified 43 ideas as permanent (in the 2-year interval). Surprisingly, 26 of the 29 researchers in the initial study completed the subsequent questionnaire survey and 13 among these expressed their willingness to contribute to the development of a physics textbook for upper secondary schools.

Rodno osetljiv jezik u udžbenicima - primeri dobre prakse

Since the first national strategy (2009) aimed at eliminating discrimination against women in all areas in the domain of public institutions, including education, publishing houses which publish school textbooks have started to implement gendersensitive language into their materials. Today, more than ten years later, gender-sensitive language practice has already been introduced into many textbooks for elementary and secondary schools. However, it still has not been approved by the Board for Standardization of the Serbian Language. This paper presents examples of the use of gender-sensitive language collected from 13 elementary school textbooks published in the period 2019-2022 and appproved by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development. Based on those examples, which largely implemented the first proposals for the use of gender-sensitive language formulated by Svenka Savić (Savić et al, 2010), it is possible to create new recommendations for a more consistent use of language that would correspond to the requirements of legal regulations in the field of gender equality as well as to the language norm.

The Concept of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Historical Politics of the Republic of Belarus: Stages of Formation and Current State

The article considers the formation of the concept of the history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the post-Soviet Belarusian historiography. The author singles out the main stages of this process, shows the evolution of scientific comprehension of the place of the Belarusian people in this state formation. A special attention is paid to the mechanisms of translating conceptual provisions of the history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the society, in particular, through the system of state education. The peculiarities of interpretation of the process of formation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in Belarusian, Polish and Lithuanian historiography, the role of the Belarusian ethnos and its culture in the textbooks for secondary and higher schools of 1990—2020s are analyzed. The author came to the conclusion that Belarusian historiography by now has formed the position about the leading role of Belarusian lands in the economic and cultural development of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the second half of the 13th — early 17th centuries.

“Telling China’s story”: innovations in school history education in PRC in 2010–2020s.

Innovations in school historical education allow not only to track changes in the educational and academic environment, but also to record new trends in the ideological and political sphere. The aim of the proposed article is to identify the main trends in school history teaching in China in 2010–2020s. This goal is specified in several tasks: to consider organizational and content innovations in the teaching of history in secondary schools, as well as to identify the specifics of these innovations in the context of the main trends in the political and academic life of the PRC in the 2010–2020s. The results of the study presented in the article were obtained by analyzing the original texts of history textbooks for junior and senior secondary schools, as well as educational standards in history. In addition, the texts of relevant speeches of Chinese leaders were involved. The leading trend in 2010–2020s. was the strengthening of ideological control and state regulation in the development and approval of teaching materials. The introduced conceptual innovations reflect the dynamics of ideological changes in modern Chinese society. The new ideological task set before the school history course was the dissemination of new ideologems by Xi Jinping, in particular, “confidence in culture” and “three leaps” in the history of the Chinese nation and the Sinification of Marxism. The reform of historical education undertaken by Xi Jinping is part of a large-scale ideological project initiated by him, aimed at strengthening China’s “discourse power’. Its core is an original vision of China’s own history, within which new dates and evaluations of historical events are introduced, and a new terminological apparatus is gradually introduced to describe them. And it is this renewed vision of its history that China is disseminating to its domestic audience through its education system.