Science Education and Textbook Science
Keywords:
science education, scientific skills, epistemology of scienceAbstract
The Science and Education Study conducted by the Science Council of Canada, 1980–84, included a descriptive analysis of 32 science textbooks from among those most widely used in Grades K–12 in Canadian schools. From this descriptive analysis some characteristics of a representation of science emerged that will be referred to as textbook science. This paper attempts to clarify the concept of textbook science, discusses the methodology used to identify it, and illustrates some of its various aspects. It is then suggested that further research be undertaken on the validity of the science represented in textbooks with regard to recent advances in disciplines such as the history and the epistemology of science.
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