Special Issue: Research on Textbooks in Science and Mathematics Education

Editorial.

The analysis of electrolyte chemistry pictorial material in lower secondary chool chemistry textbooks in Slovenia based on developed quality criteria

The textbook as a learning tool and learning resource contributes significantly to the effectiveness of the teaching or learning process itself, while at the same time promotes and facilitates independent learning. The main purpose of this research was to develop quality criteria after which textbooks for Chemistry in lower secondary school were evaluated. This paper presents the analysis of electrolyte chemistry pictorial material presented in chemistry textbooks. When it comes to validating textbooks in Slovenia, there are no unified criteria. The development of the criteria included an overview of the objectives set in the chemistry curriculum. Criteria were made for textbooks used in 8th and 9th grade of lower secondary school (students age 13–15 years). Chemistry textbooks were validated in the school year 2018/2019. When analysing criteria related to textbook representations, the sub-microscopic representations and hybrid representations are the least common features in the textbooks.

Presentation of combinatorial concepts in mathematics textbooks and its compliance with a concept development theory

Článek analyzuje přístupy k vybraným kombinatorickým konceptům v pěti českých středoškolských učebnicích matematiky s cílem zjistit, do jaké míry tyto učebnice poskytují podporu učitelům pro výuku založenou na teorii poznávacího procesu v matematice. Analýza učebnic byla vedena na pozadí teorie generických modelů, přičemž důraz byl položen na přítomnost a kvalitu a) izolovaných modelů a nemodelů budoucího poznatku, b) výzev k zobecňování jako nutnému předpokladu tvorby generického modelu, c) grafických reprezentací jako nezbytné podpory rozvoje kombinatorického uvažování. Bylo zjištěno, že učebnice jsou si v mnoha směrech dosti podobné, ale v jistých ohledech se odlišují. V učebnicích jsme identifikovali mj. nedostatečnou motivaci pro kombinatoriku, nízký počet izolovaných modelů budoucího poznatku, absenci explicitních výzev k zobecňování a z toho plynoucí absenci významného konceptu izomorfismus. Navzdory výzkumně prokázanému pozitivnímu vlivu přítomnosti a vlastní tvorby grafických reprezentací na rozvoj žákovského kombinatorického myšlení se v učebnicích vyskytují reprezentace zřídka, a navíc s malou rozmanitostí. Autoři učebnic až na výjimky nevyzývají čtenáře k tvorbě vlastních grafických reprezentací. Od analyzovaných učebnic se odlišuje jedna, která obsahuje časté výzvy k tvorbě vlastních reprezentací, pracuje záměrně s izomorfními úlohami a vyzývá čtenáře k zobecňování konkrétních postupů.

Phylogenetic trees and other evolutionary diagrams in biology textbooks and their importance in secondary science education

Diagrams describing relationship between organisms, and their overall evolution, commonly in the form of phylogenetic trees or other evolutionary diagrams, have become a part of even lower secondary biology textbooks. These diagrams can help promote basic science literacy, yet their design may also strengthen misconceptions about evolution. Therefore, based on the content analysis of 112 Czech biology textbooks for secondary schools (ISCED levels 2 and 3), characteristics of introduced phylogenetic trees and other evolutionary diagrams were recorded and evaluated according to the cladistics to see if their construction supports the current scientific understanding of evolution. The content analysis indicates that the design of nearly half of all diagrams in current lower (ISCED 2) and upper secondary (ISCED 3) textbooks promotes ladder thinking. More than 80% of all diagrams were not accompanied by instructions on how to read them, meaning that students did not have sufficient scaffolding to understand them. Mainly ISCED 3 textbooks did not introduce additional problem tasks that would support the use of the diagrams in the lessons. Therefore, authors of textbooks should focus more on the construction quality of these diagrams while also supporting their correct application during the educational process. This is likely to prevent a further increase in student misconceptions.

use of eye-tracking in science textbook analysis: a literature review

Contemporarily available technology has provided researchers quite an accessible method to see through students’ eyes. This offers researchers the chance to re-evaluate teaching materials from their, so far hidden, potential function’s point-of view. In this study, a literature review of research on science textbooks using the eye-tracking method is presented. Relevant journal articles or conference papers indexed on the Web of Science and Scopus databases were selected. From the original 112 papers, 18 were submitted to a thorough analysis after duplicate papers and papers not conforming to the topic were excluded. The studies’ characteristics, topics (influence of textbook design on student learning, distribution of attention, textbook effect etc.) and used methods (the device and measurement, additional methods, methodological issues) are included in the review. (Novice) science education researchers, state officers responsible for textbook evaluation, textbook authors or even teachers can profit from this overview, which clearly shows the state of the art as well as potential research directions.

Role of Workbooks and Teacher’s Books in Lower-secondary Chemistry Education in Czechia

Textbooks as a prominent product of educational content’s didactical transformation are usually published as a series. Textbooks are often accompanied by workbooks and teacher’s books. These publications are designed to support teacher’s work and can have a significant impact on the teaching practice. To deepen the understanding of chemical education at lower-secondary schools, the goal was to map chemistry teachers’ use of workbooks and teacher’s books. An electronic questionnaire containing close-ended questions as well as scales was used for this purpose. Information about workbooks and teacher’s books’ use, frequency of use, perceived importance and purpose were gathered. Whereas 63% of the 387 respondents reported using workbooks they consider important for the quality of education, teacher’s books are only used by 24% of teachers, with only 4% reporting their frequent use. The results indicate that workbooks are mostly used during chemistry lessons or for student homework, however a significant share of teachers mentioned using them for lesson preparation. The absence of a teacher’s book, coupled with the teachers’ reluctance to use them even when available, also pointed to their approach to teaching preparation based on the search for educational content and specific activities rather than methodological support in a broader sense.

Genetika v učebnicích biologie a přírodopisu: historie a současnost

Genetika je ve srovnání s ostatními biologickými obory mladou vědou – její historie se datuje k přelomu 19. a 20. století. Díky tomu je možné poměrně dobře mapovat nejen její rapidní vývoj, ale i její postupné pronikání do přírodovědného vzdělávání. Svědkem tohoto vývoje jsou především tradiční výukové materiály, učebnice přírodopisua biologie. Vývoj kurikula tohoto oboru byl však odlišný v západních zemích a zemích bývalého „východního bloku, kde byly tehdejší poznatky genetiky odmítnuty díky vlivu politické ideologie na vzdělávání a vědu. Ačkoli jsou specifika výuky genetiky v českých zemích často akcentována, nebyla zatím provedena hlubší analýza toho, jak moc a jakým způsobem konkrétně byla výuka modifikována, ani jak rychle se podařilo dostat genetiku zpátky v plném rozsahu do kurikula. Z výsledků práce je zřejmé, že ačkoli se již v 80. letech 20. století podařilo úspěšně doplnit moderní poznatky genetiky do učebnic i osnov, stále se i dnes potýkáme s nedostatečností formy, jakou je genetika v učebnicích prezentována. Největší bariérou je hlavně slabá návaznost učiva v rámci ročníků a nedostatečná propojenost jednotlivých poznatků do uceleného a logického celku (především nejasný způsob vzniku znaků organismu procesem genové exprese), který by vhodně navazoval na učivo jiných témat (jako rozmnožování nebo evoluce) a integroval ho do sebe.

Types of Generalization Made by Pupils Aged 12–13 and by Their Future Mathematics Teachers

This paper seeks to establish what kind of arguments pupils (aged 12–13) use and how they make their assumptions and generalizations. Our research also explored the same phenomenon in the case of graduate mathematics teachers studying for their masters’ degrees in our faculty at that time. The main focus was on algebraic reasoning, in particular pattern exploring and expressing regularities in numbers. In this paper, we introduce the necessary concepts and notations used in the study, briefly characterize the theoretical levels of cognitive development and terms from the Theory of Didactical Situations. We set out to answer three research questions. To collect the research data, we worked with a group of 32 pupils aged 12–13 and 19 university students (all prospective mathematics teachers in the first year of their master’s). We assigned them two flexible tasks to and asked them to explain their findings/formulas. Besides that, we collected additional (supportive) data using a short questionnaire. The supporting data concerned their opinions on the tasks and the explanations. The results and limited scope of the research indicated what should be changed in preparing future mathematics teachers. These changes could positively influence the pupils’ strategies of solving not only flexible tasks but also their ability to generalize.

Hodnotenie vybraných bádateľských zručností študentov učiteľstva biológie

Vedecké bádanie je systematický spôsob získavania vedeckých poznatkov, ktorý pokrýva nie len využitie vedeckých metód a postupov, ale aj procesy spojené s rozvojom vedeckých poznatkov ako je napríklad kladenie si otázok, tvorivé riešenie problémov, štúdium rôznych informačných zdrojov, kritické myslenie, vedecké zdôvodňovanie, zdieľanie a obhajovanie záverov. Úspešná aplikácia vedeckého bádania vo vyučovaní prírodných vied si vyžaduje dostatočnú odbornú pripravenosť učiteľov. Táto skutočnosť zvyšuje nároky na pregraduálnu prípravu učiteľov biológie z hľadiska podpory rozvoja bádateľských zručností. V obsahu príspevku predstavujeme výsledky výskumu zameraného na zhodnotenie aktuálnej úrovne bádateľských zručností študentov učiteľstva v kombinácii s predmetom biológia na Prírodovedeckej fakulte UK v Bratislave. Výsledky naznačujú, že študenti učiteľstva biológie nemajú dostatočne rozvinuté bádateľské zručnosti, najmä zručnosti spojené s plánovaním a realizovaním experimentu.

The Crucial Importance of Typical Discussion Roles of Pupils for the Effective Implementation of Peer Instruction in Teaching Elemantary School Mathematics

Studies over the past decade have indicated that Czech pupils do not have an appropriate level of mathematics comprehension and their attitudes towards this subject deteriorate over time. The article deals with a possible solution to the described problem; namely the implementation of peer instruction, an active learning strategy, in elementary mathematics teaching. In order to decide whether it is possible to use peer instruction as a teaching method in an elementary school environment, action research project with the properties of a mixed empirical study was performed in one eighth grade class (thirty participants) at a Czech multi-year grammar school. The main idea was to compare the results of the class before, during, and after the implementation of peer instruction. The pupils’ level of understanding was monitored by normalized learning gains calculated on the basis of pre/post-testing design. Changes in the pupils’ attitudes towards mathematics were mapped using continuous and pre/post-test questionnaires. In the spirit of the action research, interim data and results were regularly discussed with a group of selected pupils or experts in the field. The results show that there is a strong relationship between normalized learning gain and one of four typical roles with which pupils identify during group discussions: passengers, standard discussants, advisors, and dominant speakers. The research has also indicated that peer instruction needs to be appropriately modified to increase the passengers’ activity.