Textbooks: A tool to support geosciences learning

Abstract

Textbooks are a tool to support learning in most disciplines. Its supremacy is unquestionable in the school environment, compared to other means of spreading knowledge. This function is especially important in preuniversity levels of any educational system; here it probably constitutes the main teaching tool in the classroom. The main aim of this chapter is to make an initial diagnosis of the geological contents of textbooks in compulsory education. Firstly, we will analyze textbooks for Earth Science education; then, we will study the geological contents in textbooks, examining in depth the amount and quality of the information given to students, with particular consideration of the contents of textbooks in Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Brazil. Finally, recommendations are provided based on solving FAQs on geoscience textbooks. The literature review, the research we have carried out, and the results obtained through this investigation turn this study, so we believe, into a sound contribution to the field of Earth Science didactics. It underlines the need to produce official curriculum documents and Science textbooks with adequate geoscientific contents to help develop the geoscience culture of students.