A Comparative Study Of Two Series Of Middle School Physics Textbooks From China And The United States

In 2011,Ministry of Education of China established Physics Curriculum Standards of Compulsory Education.It indicated new textbooks would be coming soon.Short after that,People's Education Press,the biggest textbook press of basic education in China,published a three-book series of Physics Textbooks of Compulsory Education.Meanwhile,Pearson Education Limited,a famous worldwide known press,published the 3~rdd edition Science Explorer,a series of science education textbooks.The authors of the books were from different background:professors,engineers,teachers,etc.The series of Science Explorer were widely used in the US,being the mainstream textbooks of America.Aiming to know American education efforts,widen our horizon of subject education,as well as bring in excellent educational resources,the thesis does a comparative study of these two representative series of middle school physics textbooks from China and the US.Taking the theory of physics teaching psychology,Theory of Cognitive Development by Piaget,educational communication theories as the theory base,chapter 1 is an introduction of research materials and research methods of the thesis.Chapter 2 is a study between curriculum standards of China and the US,focusing on the history and changes of them.Suggestions are given to the reform of curriculum standards of China:clearing the structure of subject knowledge,doing more research on Core Ideas;Bringing in various practical activities,assessment standards on practical ability should be made;Assessment Standards should be more specific and normative.Chapter 3 is about the study of the content structure and the presentation of the two series.Main content is almost the same.American textbooks add or deepen some content on waves,electronics,and acceleration,etc.And they are also more modern,scientific,normative than Chinese textbooks on presentation.Especially in reading materials,American textbooks adopt entirely different presentation to the main body,which makes new meanings and easily arouses reading interest of students.At the beginning of each American textbook,Science Career section deepens students'knowing about science related professions,and lessen the mystery of them.Chapter 4 is a study on concept structure and law structure of the two series,mainly adopting quantity research method,gets visual achievements in tables and maps.At the end,the thesis provides a prospect of the reform of middle school physics textbooks.The textbooks will pay more attention to practical ability.The knowledge will be modern,comprehensive and have a hierarchy.The thesis hopes to make a contribution to deepen the basic educational textbooks reform of China and improve the quality of education.