Investigating the Science Process Skills in Cycle 3 National Science Textbooks in Lebanon

Samar Zeitoun^1, and Zeina Hajo¹

¹Faculty of Education, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon

Cite this paper:
Samar Zeitoun and Zeina Hajo. Investigating the Science Process Skills in Cycle 3 National Science Textbooks in Lebanon. American Journal of Educational Research. 2015; 3(3):268-275. doi: 10.12691/education-3-3-3

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the level of inclusion of basic and integrated science process skills in Lebanese national science text books for cycle 3 and to compare the basic and integrated process skills across subjects (physics, chemistry and biology) and within the same subject across the 3 years(grades 7, 8 & 9). This was to investigate the compliance between the content of the textbooks and the new evaluation system set by the Lebanese government. For instance, the study focused on the SPS that have been neglected in some textbooks as well as the maximum percentage of each skill. To that end, the researchers used the analytical descriptive method, and content analysis. The study revealed that the percentage of basic skills in the textbooks analyzed for all grades was higher than that of the integrated skills. The study revealed also that there is emphasis on some skills at the expense of the others and there is no consistency in the total number of skills across skills or subjects. Furthermore the study revealed that within the same subject, some skills disappear from one grade to another. The study ends by recommendations regarding reviewing textbooks regarding the inclusion of science process skills in a way to ensure coherence between the content of the textbooks and the new evaluation system.

Keywords:
science process skills Lebanon science books basic integrated

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