The Investigation of the Historical Content in Turkish Middle School Science Textbooks
Bartın Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, cilt.2026, sa.4, ss.1-25, 2026 (TRDizin)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 2026 Sayı: 4
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Dergi Adı: Bartın Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-25
- Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Eight Turkish middle school science textbooks were analyzed for their historical content. Document analysis was conducted using the analytical framework developed by Leitte (2002) with seven dimensions. Deductive coding was performed using the framework's dimensions and sub-dimensions. Results showed that the number of scientists in the textbooks needed to be increased. Regarding the gender of scientists, it is notable that only three of the 110 scientists mentioned in eight science textbooks are women. Notably, although all eight textbooks mentioned individual scientists responsible for scientific evolution, none mentioned the scientific communities that contributed to this evolution. The most preferred material was pictures of scientists. The machines or laboratory equipment used by scientists were rarely utilized to present historical data. None of the eight science textbooks contains any learning activities related to the history of science (HOS). Additionally, seven textbooks included the HOS content in a heterogeneous manner. Based on the findings, the scientific content in textbooks should be structured to emphasize the HOS, with anecdotes from scientists, their discoveries, experiment details, and activities, presented homogeneously in different contexts, including political and religious ones.