Evaluating Junior Secondary Science Textbook Usage in Australian Schools

Abstract

A large body of research has drawn attention to the importance of providing engaging learning experiences in junior secondary science classes, in an attempt to attract more students into post-compulsory science courses. The reality of time and resource constraints, and the high proportion of non-specialist science teachers teaching science, has resulted in an overreliance on more transmissive pedagogical tools, such as textbooks. This study sought to evaluate the usage of junior secondary science textbooks in Australian schools. Data were collected via surveys from 486 schools teaching junior secondary (years 7-10), representing all Australian states and territories. Results indicated that most Australian schools use a science textbook in the junior secondary years, and textbooks are used in the majority of science lessons. The most highly cited reason influencing choice of textbook was layout/ colour/illustrations, and electronic technologies were found to be the dominant curricula material utilised, in addition to textbooks, in junior secondary science classes. Interestingly, the majority of respondents expressed high levels of satisfaction with their textbooks, although many were keen to stress the subsidiary role of textbooks in the classroom, emphasising the textbook was 'one' component of their teaching repertoire. Importantly, respondents were also keen to stress the benefits of textbooks in supporting substitute teachers, beginning teachers, and non-specialist science teachers; in addition to facilitating continuity of programming and staff support in schools with high staff turnover. Implications from this study highlight the need for high quality textbooks to support teaching and learning in Australian junior secondary science classes.

Secondary Biology Textbooks and National Standards for English Learners

“…In contrast to these reports, other research suggests textbooks, particularly at the secondary level, continue to exert an influential role in both the planning and implementation of instruction in many science classrooms in developed countries (Gericke, Hagberg, & Jorde, 2013;McDonald, 2015). For example, in a national survey of 364 secondary U.S. science and mathematics teachers, 50% reported the textbook designated for the class, typically adopted at the district level, determined both the selection of topics and the progression of instruction in their courses, whereas 70% suggested it influenced their choice of instructional strategies (Weiss, Pasley, Smith, Banilower, & Heck, 2003).…”

“…Participants in this study explained that “relying on the textbook made their work simpler, and gave them and their students a point of focus for the lesson” (p. 13). Similarly, secondary Australian teachers expressed high levels of satisfaction with their textbooks and stressed “the benefits of textbooks in supporting substitute teachers, beginning teachers, and non‐specialist science teachers; in addition to facilitating continuity of programming and staff support in schools with high staff turnover” (McDonald, , p. 1). In short, for many students, particularly in classrooms of beginning teachers or those teaching out‐of‐field, both common in schools with high concentrations of EL students (Peske & Haycock, ), textbooks serve as a major source for the science content they are taught and how they receive their science instruction.…”

EvoSketch: Simple simulations for learning random and probabilistic processes in evolution, and effects of instructional support on learners’ conceptual knowledge

“…Textbooks are still a central teaching resource in science education, and thus, learning is often organized around text-based instructions (McDonald 2016). Learners of this intervention group worked with a worksheet (including the two introductory EvoSketch Worksheet texts mentioned above) and a Powerpoint presentation on the roles of randomness (specifically, mutation) and probability (specifically, selection) in evolution.…”

Metaphors describing energy transfer through ecosystems: Helpful or misleading?

“…To examine the metaphors’ educationally intended use, we analyze current biology textbooks. Textbooks are central instructional tools in science teaching, they are frequently used in schools (e.g., McDonald, ), and are assumed to heavily influence teaching and learning in school science classrooms (Abd‐El‐Khalick et al., ).…”