| Quantification is the process of quantifying the composition,properties,structure and changes of substances using mathematics as a tool.Quantitative chemistry competence is an inevitable product of the development of qualitative competence to a certain stage,and it has a pivotal position in the competence of chemistry subjects.Textbooks are an important medium for spreading quantitative ideas in chemistry.This study took 10 mainstream chemistry textbooks from the late Qing and early Republican periods as the research objects,constructed a framework of quantitative competence,a framework of content analysis,and a framework of integration,extracted quantitative content coding analysis from textbooks,focused on the development of quantitative content in textbooks a century ago,and used history as a reference to inspire the future development of chemistry education.The quantitative competencies examined in textbooks were divided into 3dimensions of quantitative chemical concepts: quantitative relational rules,and comprehensive quantitative calculations.And then combined with the presentation of quantitative content and specific incorporation methods,the quantitative content of chemistry textbooks in the late Qing and early Ming dynasties was comprehensively analyzed based on the coding results and specific cases,and the following research conclusions were drawn.(1)The quantitative ability dimensions examined in the late Qing and early Republican chemistry textbooks were reasonably distributed,with an overall bias toward the elaboration of quantitative concepts and basic mathematical calculations at a low to medium level.(2)The quantitative content of chemistry textbooks in the late Qing and early Republic of China varied greatly,and the distribution of topics varied,with an overall focus on quantitative description of changes in substances.(3)Chemistry textbooks of the late Qing and early Republic of China had more diverse contexts and presentation forms when incorporating quantitative content,and there was a lack of column settings and testing of learning outcomes.(4)The local textbooks of the late Qing and early Republic of China had a wide range of knowledge in the selection of quantitative contents,focusing on the connection with the practical life and light industry,and the early quantitative ideas were prominently reflected in the local experimental textbooks.The results of the study provided advice that can be applied to today’s textbooks:the textbook writing process should focus on the educational and practical functions of quantitative content within them;at the same time,excellent traditional culture with Chinese characteristics can be appropriately integrated into textbooks;and finally,special attention needs to be paid to curriculum guidance documents to balance the breadth and depth of textbook knowledge. |
