Analysis of Greek Middle-school Science Textbooks about Forces and Motion from the Perspective of Three-dimensional Learning

Abstract

According to the Next Generation Science Standards, science instructional materials can be efficient as long as they integrate three dimensions: science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts and disciplinary core ideas. However, research investigating the integration of these three dimensions in the content of school science textbooks is particularly limited. The present study aims to propose a framework of analysis and investigate the integration of these three dimensions, in the content of Greek middle-school science textbooks about forces and motion. A total of 61 reports and activities included in these textbooks were analyzed. A framework of analysis called Three-Dimensional Learning Analysis Inventory (3DLAI), which assesses the integration of the three dimensions in the content of school textbooks, was developed. Data analysis showed that only some science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts and disciplinary core ideas are integrated to a limited extent in the reports and activities of Greek middle-school science textbooks, while their coexistence in them is limited as well.