Dawit, Mekonnen

Images of Global Issues in Secondary School Biology Textbooks of Ethiopia

By Zerihun, Takele

This study examines how secondary school biology textbooks in Ethiopia represented images of global issues and to what extent the textbooks’ activities enable students to explore alternative solutions to global problems. The study used content analysis methods, and all pages in the textbooks were used as units of analysis. The results showed that the textbooks represented two images of global issues. On the one hand, the textbooks emphasized a techno-utopian image such as biotechnology and genetic engineering as one of the means of solving the world’s major problems. However, they did not portray the downsides of technological progress. On the other hand, the textbooks represented a catastrophic world and portrayed the world as a place where problems of rapid population growth, environmental degradation, global warming, and climate change are affecting life on Earth. The textbooks did not incorporate sufficient open-ended and future-focused learning activities that could allow students to explore alternative future solutions to global problems. Lessons for science curriculum development are drawn. © 2024 Tamkang University, All rights reserved.