| The history of science was included in the first nationwide content standards document for K--12 school science, Benchmarks for Science Literacy (AAAS, 1993). Other national standards in science education, including the National Science Education Standards also state that students should know the history of science (NRC, 1996).;This study was intended to investigate both the extent and manner in which the history of science is included in current secondary school physics textbooks. Four secondary school physics textbooks were analyzed in this study. Three research tools were produced during the process of analysis: (a) a History of Science Unit Code Book, (b) a History of Science Conceptual Framework, (c) a History of Science Analytic Rubric for Textbooks.;The findings of this study are: First, the foci of the history of science passages (HOS Units) included in the textbooks were found to be aligned with the foci of the standards documents. Standards descriptions were found to emphasize students' mastery of scientific concepts. A significant number of HOS units focused on developing Conceptual Understanding. Second, the Conceptual Understanding in science required "depth" rather than "breadth." Most history of science examples in the textbooks were superficial and lacked in-depth elaboration. Third, the textbooks examples concerning the Procedural of Science (the process of thinking, investigation, and application) made little use of the historical approach to science education. Fourth, the history of science depicted by the standards documents is an ideal tool for helping students recognize their cultural heritage. However, limiting the content of history of science to a western view of science is insufficient to meet the goal of global science education.;The chief implication of this study is: Current science textbooks need major "surgery" to keep only the essential content for effective science instruction and learning. The reconstruction of science textbooks needs to be guided by clear vision of science literacy. The history of science shall be used to present the science, society, and technology in an integrated fashion for effective learning and understanding. |
