| This study focus on the comparison of three major biology textbooks for high schoolstudents in either USA or China: Biology: The dynamics of Life (2008, USA), Biology(Standard experimental textbook for biology in senior middle school course, People’sEducation Press,2007), and Biology (Standard experimental textbook for biology insenior middle school course, China Cartographic Pressing House,2007). The objective ofthis study is to identify the differences, advantages and/or disadvantages of the threebiology textbooks with the same target-readers. The overall aim of this work is to betterunderstand the reform and development of the textbook and the course of biology in thetwo countries, to broaden our horizons, and to provide reference for the course reform ofthe biology in China.The major methods used in this study are literature study and comparison study.Both overall impressions and details are compared. Macroscopically, the design of tableof contents, the selection of contents, and the layout of contents are compared. Imagesand tables are commonly used to clarify the features of the textbooks respectively. Alsothe study of the differences of the layout of contents may help to understand therelationship between the habit of mind and the layout of contents of the students in thetwo countries. On the other hand, microcosmically, the design of columns, experiments,exercises, and figures are compared. Specifically, from the names, distribution, to featureof the columns; from the number, and the example exhibition of the experiments to thetraining targeting on different skills of the students; from the type, and degree ofdifficulty of exercises, to the type of quiz; from the rigor, visual effect, to the function ofthe figures, all of these above are compared and evaluated in this study.The comparison suggests advantages in many aspects such as the design of table ofcontents, columns, and figures of American textbook compared with Chinese textbooks.However, the current Chinese textbooks have shown great improvement compared withthe old versions. Both Chinese textbooks are aiming on motivating the students,increasing the study skills and developing the students’ emotional attitude and values.Although crude in several aspects, the exploration activities in the textbook from People’sEducation Press, nevertheless, are quite impressive.To link theory with practice, some of the source materials of American textbook areclassified, which could be use by biology teacher in class to enrich the course, or be usedin the development of the school textbook, to enrich the sources for biology club. Alsothey are expected to be used as references for editorial board to modify the Chinesetextbooks. |
