A comparative analysis of ecology units in the biology textbooks of secondary school programs

Abstract

The purpose of this study was analyze and compare ecology units in four Ministry of National Education (Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı, MEB) biology textbooks, International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) biology textbook and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) biology textbook in terms of content, presentation and learning. Content analysis was used as a research method and interviews were conducted with biology teachers. The analysis of the ecology-related unit content of textbooks showed that MEB textbooks cover large numbers of life connections and interdisciplinary treatments which makes MEB textbooks advantageous over the other two textbooks. From the perspective of presentation, the IGCSE textbook is the only textbook that has teachers’ resource kit. The other advantageous point is presenting bite-size information, a chunking. The IBDP textbook contains lots of links to a website that makes textbook interact with technology. Regarding learning, the ecology units of MEB textbooks rank higher hierarchy than IBDP and IGCSE textbooks. MEB textbooks present the most friendly language style. Moreover, MEB textbooks support students with activities and, variety of questions.