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In the physics classroom and outside, physics textbooks are important for teaching and learning physics. Regarding the content and form of physics textbooks, different people have different expectations. However, there is no systematic overview of expectations held by these people, ranging from curriculum-makers, publishers and authors to teachers, students, and education researchers. Therefore, this chapter provides a literature review of research papers about physics textbook expectations. All relevant sections of these papers are analyzed with a system of deductive categories, and the results of the analysis are generalized in inductive categories. Regarding content, textbooks are expected to be course-matching, nature-of-science-oriented, competence-oriented, stereotype-free, curriculum-aligned, interdisciplinary, student-oriented, teacher-oriented, context-based, and error-free. Regarding form, textbooks are expected to be multi-representational, content-method-aligned, clearly laid-out, fulfilling external criteria, fully digital, and research-based. Regarding actions around the textbook, teachers are expected to choose a suitable textbook and encourage textbook use, students are expected to supplement the textbook and read it critically, and education researchers are expected to analyze textbooks and evaluate their effects on students’ learning. Overall, expectation holders are expected to interact more. The expectations stated in the papers are mostly normative or literature-based, but rarely empirical. Moreover, there is almost no relationship between the papers. Therefore, physics textbooks expectations research is not a research field of its own, yet. Creators and users of textbooks should learn from each other more so that the textbooks can be improved.
In the physics classroom and outside, physics textbooks are important for teaching and learning physics. Regarding the content and form of physics textbooks, different people have different expectations. However, there is no systematic overview of expectations held by these people, ranging from curriculum-makers, publishers and authors to teachers, students, and education researchers. Therefore, this chapter provides a literature review of research papers about physics textbook expectations. All relevant sections of these papers are analyzed with a system of deductive categories, and the results of the analysis are generalized in inductive categories. Regarding content, textbooks are expected to be course-matching, nature-of-science-oriented, competence-oriented, stereotype-free, curriculum-aligned, interdisciplinary, student-oriented, teacher-oriented, context-based, and error-free. Regarding form, textbooks are expected to be multi-representational, content-method-aligned, clearly laid-out, fulfilling external criteria, fully digital, and research-based. Regarding actions around the textbook, teachers are expected to choose a suitable textbook and encourage textbook use, students are expected to supplement the textbook and read it critically, and education researchers are expected to analyze textbooks and evaluate their effects on students’ learning. Overall, expectation holders are expected to interact more. The expectations stated in the papers are mostly normative or literature-based, but rarely empirical. Moreover, there is almost no relationship between the papers. Therefore, physics textbooks expectations research is not a research field of its own, yet. Creators and users of textbooks should learn from each other more so that the textbooks can be improved.
There has been a steady decline of student take-up of physics as a Leaving Certificate subject, from 19% in 1991 to 13.6% in 2021. This comes in the backdrop of a projected increase in the international demand for STEM workers, which makes STEM education the bedrock for securing Ireland’s economic future. The gender bias in science textbooks is well documented and enduring. The lack of female representation in science textbooks’ images is exacerbated by the scarcity of female figures that would be broadly accepted as role models. This paper examines the gender balance of a science textbook used widely in the Irish junior cycle. For this purpose, the Gender Bias 14 Tool was chosen as the data collection instrument, which was developed by Parkin and Mackenzie. A clear majority of the 38 chapters of the book contain more images/illustrations with male than female figures, more images/illustrations that improve the image of men and more images/illustrations of male role models. Potential interventions are outlined including working closely with publishers to include more women in the textbook’s images, especially important and influential female figures, and working with teachers to help them enhance teaching with supplementary material that include more female representation through images.
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