A Study of Content on the Environmental Protection for Junior High School Science and Living Technology Textbooks

• Main Authors: Chiung-Hui Chen, 陳瓊惠
• Other Authors: Yu Ging-Chi
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/06418109551870138518

碩士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 工業科技教育學系 === 99 === Since 2004, a continuous curriculum applied to Grad 1-9 has been practiced, in which environmental protection has been a focal point to teach in science and technology subject. However, thorough studies of the content about environmental protection in junior high school’s science and technology textbooks remain rare both in Taiwan and abroad. In response to this, this paper explores the content about environmental protection in junior high school’s science and technology textbooks. First, it conducts a content analysis to conceptualize environmental protection in the field of science and technology in junior high school, in order to classify main categories and minor categories of the content. Subsequently, the method of content analysis is applied to discuss how science and technology textbooks of Junior High School, published by different educational publishing companies (inclusive of Nani, Kang Hsuan, and Han Lin) address the issue of environmental protection. Moreover, via detailed interviews with instructors teaching science and technology in junior high school, current trend about educating environmental protection is thus revealed. This study draws these conclusions on current textbooks of science and technology in junior high school: 1.Content of environmental protection is mainly composed of Pollution Prevention, Nature Conservation, and Resource Recycling. 2.In the distribution of content about environmental protection, Han Lin version has highest ratio of chapters and paragraphs addressing the issue, and its content appears with good distribution. Other versions refer to the issue primarily in the third-year textbook (volume six), and the content distribution does not seem to have a system. 3.In places where environmental protection is mentioned, number of the articles under the main category of Pollution Prevention is the highest, in which articles under the sub-category of air pollution prevention is the biggest part; while numbers of articles under the sub-categories of noise prevention and resource conservation are the lowest. Contents of each categories is lacking of fair distribution and systematic design. 4. Among different versions of science and technology textbooks of Junior High School, 63% of the Curriculum Competence Indicators for environmental protection does not meet the criteria. Han Lin textbook has the highest number of paragraphs that fulfill the criteria. 5.Here is a comparison of content about environmental protection in textbooks of different versions:(1)In the sub-category of air pollution prevention, the content is composed of transportation, energy technology, human beings and nature. In the sub-category of water pollution prevention, human beings and nature is the primary subject. In noise pollution prevention, there are primarily chapters introducing wave and sound. In waste pollution prevention, content is primary made up with these three subjects, human beings and environment, production technology, and residential environment and equipment. In natural environment, the content circles around technology and life, human beings and environment.(2) In ecology conservation, human beings and environment, biological organisms and environment, the impacts of technology fully contribute to this sub-category.(3) Among different versions of textbooks, a chi-square cross-analysis and comparison indicates that numbers of chapters dealing with pollution prevention differ visibly (p<.05). In Han Lin textbooks, number of paragraphs dealing with pollution prevention is noticeably more than the other 2 version. 6.Current trend of teaching environmental protection in the field of science and technology in junior high school:(1)The curriculum of the main category of pollution prevention focuses on air pollution prevention and water pollution prevention.(2)The curriculum of nature conservation focuses on teaching ecological conservation.(3)The curriculum of resource recycling focuses on teaching recycling and reusing resource. At last, this study gives a few points, which are expected to be useful suggestion for related educational institutions, textbook writers and editors, instructors teaching science and technology in junior high school, and future studies.