ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. STEM Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1667782
Integration of the History of Science in China's Geography Textbooks: A Comparative Analysis of Current Versions of Eight Junior High School Textbooks
Provisionally accepted
- Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
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Presentation of the history of science (HOS) in textbooks is crucial for improving scientific literacy, and its selection and pedagogical implementation directly influence the quality of student learning. This study follows a revised analytical framework for the HOS consisting of four themes and ten dimensions, including thematic content, presentation modes, pedagogical activities, and value orientations, to present a comparative analysis of current versions of eight junior high school geography textbooks in China. The structural characteristics of the HOS within these textbooks are identified. (1) The overall quantity of HOS content is limited across the textbooks. Within thematic content, "significant events and expeditions" is the most prevalent category, whereas "geographers and explorers" is the least represented, with varied emphasis on the sources of HOS content. (2) With regard to presentation, HOS is predominantly delivered through text–image integration in the sections "Main Body Integration" and "Supplementary Reading", although its distribution is relatively uneven. The depth of integration is characterized by intrinsic and supplementary approaches, suggesting a degree of exploratory potential. (3) Pedagogical activities related to the HOS are predominantly optional, with significant variation in cognitive levels across textbooks. Some emphasize standard tasks, while others focus on deepening activities. The primary activity approaches are "guided reading" and "inquiry-based discussion," highlighting the lack of diversity in pedagogical methods. (4) The epistemological and cultural orientation of the HOS is relatively monolithic and emphasizes "discipline-specific knowledge" at the expense of "humanity and values" and "philosophical thinking." Furthermore, the attitudinal orientation is predominantly neutral or positive.
Keywords: science education1, history of science2, geography textbook3, textbook analysis4, China5
Received: 30 Jul 2025; Accepted: 25 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Cheng, Lu, Wang, Zhang and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shi Chen, chenshi@mail.ccnu.edu.cn
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