Social issues in high school biology textbooks: 1963– 1983

Rosenthal, Dorothy B.

doi:10.1002/tea.3660210806

Cited by 29 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Related Literature on Textbook Analysis Concerning Coverage of STS It was reported by Rosenthal (1984) that over the period of 20 years from 1963 to 1983 (a) the emphasis on science and society in the 22 biology textbooks examined decreased; (b) three social issues (evolution, social system of science, and human health) and the historical aspect dominated; and (c) BSCS devoted a greater percentage of space to social issues than other textbooks. Among the BSCS textbooks, the Yellow Version ranked the highest over the 20-year period.…”

Section: Sts?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The inclusion of STS material in the most frequently used secondary science textbooks in the U.S.

Chiang-Soong

Yager

1993

J Res Sci Teach

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Science-technology-society (STS) has been identified by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the Departments of Education in a variety of states, and a variety of commissions and panels concerned with reform in science education as a new direction and goal for science education. Because most teachers are dependent upon textbooks for determining their cumcula and teaching approaches, an investigation of 11 of the most frequently used secondary science textbooks in the U.S. were reviewed to determine the attention given to STS topics. The framework established by the Project Synthesis research team for STS was used to define STS topics. The 11 textbooks were examined in their entirety to determine space devoted to STS. Minimum interrater reliability was established at 0.80; any deviation resulted in further analysis. Comparisons were made of STS coverage by science disciplines and across the 7-12 grade levels. Results revealed that less than 7% of the narrative space is devoted to STS topics, with a range of 11.5% to 0.5%. Further, the coverage of STS topics decreases as grade level increases. A great discrepancy, therefore, exists between goals for science education (an STS emphasis) to actual coverage in the most frequently used textbooks.

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Section: Sts?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The inclusion of STS material in the most frequently used secondary science textbooks in the U.S.

Chiang-Soong

Yager

1993

J Res Sci Teach

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“…Also useful are studies of the way evolution is presented in the American school curriculum and textbooks, such as Skoog (1984Skoog ( , 2005, Rosenthal (1985), and Swarts et al (1994). Other information on the teaching of evolution in the USA is included in studies of teachers' stance and other factors related to opposition to evolution, that is, creationism in the USA (Tatina 1989;Zimmerman 1991;Shankar and Skoog 1993;Osif 1997;Aguillard 1999;Meadows et al 2000;Rutledge and Warden 2000;Rutledge and Mitchell 2002;Moore 2004;Griffith and Brem 2004;Trani 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Conceptions do Greek School Students Form about Biological Evolution?

2008

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In Greece, since 2000, the teaching of evolutionary theory is restricted solely to lower (junior) high school and specifically to ninth grade. Even though the theory of evolution is included to the 12th grade biology textbook, it is not taught in Greek upper (senior) high schools. This study presents research conducted on the conceptions of Greek students regarding issues set out in the theory of evolution after the formal completion of the teaching of the theory. The sample comprised 411 10th grade students from 12 different schools. The research results show that the students appear to have a positive view of the idea of evolution, the evolution of man, and the common origin of organisms. However, they have retained many alternative views, or else they are completely in ignorance of basic issues in evolutionary theory regarding: what is considered evolution in biology, the main mechanism of evolutionary changes in what is considered natural selection, what the theory of evolution actually explains, and what the word theory means in science. At least in Greece, these views still prevail because the theory of evolution is marginalized in the teaching of biology in Greek schools, and biology education does not help students formulate overall conceptual structures to enable them to understand the question of biological change.

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“…Unfortunately, recent reviews published by AAAS (1985) and People for the American Way (Moyer and Mayer 1985) demonstrate that the convergence has instead been toward mediocrity; toward-pedestria--representations of biology that are guaranteed to offend no one (Rosenthal 1984); toward low-level intellectual skills; toward ever more information for its own sake; toward unquestioning adherence to questionable readability formulas (Armbruster, et al 1985); and toward content that has little relevance to individual or societal concerns (Hurd 1986). The following examples, taken from reviews of four different textbooks in the AAAS' special issue of Science Book and Films (AAAS 1985) devoted to biology textbooks, illustrate the point: This text places heavy emphasis on the vocabulary of biology, and nearly all of the review questions are written for the lowest level of thinking skills....…”

mentioning

confidence: 93%