How Do High School Science Textbooks in Korea, Japan, and the U.S. Explain Bioaccumulation-Related Concepts?

Y

21

Foreign Countries; Secondary School Science; High Schools; Textbooks; Scientific Concepts; Textbook Content; Biology; Cross Cultural Studies; Metallurgy; Pollution; Food; Toxicology; Biochemistry; Content Analysis

Japan; South Korea; United States

2077-2327

Although bioaccumulation-related concepts are important scientific knowledge, a study on whether high school textbooks include appropriate explanations has not been conducted. The present study investigated science and biology textbooks from Korea, Japan, and the U.S., focusing on how bioaccumulation-related concepts were defined, what types of bioaccumulative substances were discussed, and the properties of these substances. The textbooks of these countries tended to focus on biomagnification. While the textbooks from Japan and the U.S. present synthetic organic compounds as examples of bioaccumulative substances, metallic substances were used as examples in all Korean textbooks. However, the discussion about the properties of bioaccumulative substances was brief in the textbooks. Moreover, the bioaccumulative properties of metals and organic compounds were not distinguished. The limited explanations in the textbooks might cause students to have misconceptions about the processes of bioaccumulation and bioaccumulative substances, and negative perceptions toward essential trace metals.

As Provided

42

2014

EJ1022328