A Comparative Study Of Chinese And American High School Chemistry Textbooks Based On Stem Education Concepts

STEM is a new interdisciplinary education concept based on the integration of the four fields of science,technology,engineering and mathematics,emphasizing the comprehensiveness of the curriculum structure and the authenticity of the curriculum content.It aims to develop students’ problem-solving ability,innovation ability,scientific spirit and other comprehensive literacy.It is in line with the current talent training objectives,education reform trends and chemistry education concepts in China.Research on teaching materials is an important link in promoting the integration of educational concepts and disciplines.At present,the research on chemistry under the STEM education concept in China mainly focuses on theoretical exploration and curriculum development.The breadth and depth of teaching materials analysis are yet to be improved.This work intends to supplement the existing research on teaching materials based on the STEM education concept,to provide new perspectives for teachers to understand and use teaching materials,and to provide reference for the development of relevant contents of teaching materialsUnder the guidance of STEM education concept,this work selects the chapter of "Redox reactions" from the high school chemistry textbook of Luke edition and the mainstream chemistry textbook of the United States,"Chemistry: Concepts and Applications".The chapter of "Redox reactions" in the mainstream chemistry textbook "Chemistry: Concepts and Applications" was selected for this study.Based on this,we conducted the following study:(1)Based on the STEM knowledge coding table,we counted the overall number and distribution of STEM knowledge points and the number and distribution of S,T,E,and M knowledge points in the textbooks of two countries;(2)STEM content is integrated from STEM knowledge,and the statistical results are combined to make an overall comparative analysis of STEM content from three perspectives: integration,presentation and literacy value;(3)To organize the tendency of selecting STEM knowledge points in teaching materials and the integration of STEM education concepts,and to summarize the characteristics and shortcomings of teaching materials in both countries.(4)Based on the current situation of front-line teaching and make suggestions for the use and development of STEM content in teaching materials based on the findings of the study.The innovation of this study is to combine the progressive scale of STEM knowledge integration proposed by foreign scholars with the classification of integration types to design a systematic analysis framework to ensure a comprehensive comparison of STEM content integration,and this framework can also provide a reference for ideas for subsequent studies related to STEM content integration.Through comparative studies,we found that:(1)In terms of STEM knowledge points,the Luke version of the textbook has a higher knowledge density than the American textbook,and is chosen mainly to strengthen core knowledge and highlight the value of the discipline,with a strong disciplinary specialization;the American textbook focuses on the extension of STEM with chapter knowledge as the core,and realizes the overall construction of interdisciplinary knowledge by revealing the sameness of the scientific essence behind the material,with a stronger contextualization and synthesis;(2)In terms of STEM content integration,the Luke version of the textbook has a prominent position in the subject knowledge of chemistry and focuses on the auxiliary role of STEM content in the learning and construction of subject core knowledge;the American textbook pays more attention to the structure and value of STEM materials themselves,with the integration goal of achieving the overall construction of multiple knowledge;(3)In terms of the presentation of core knowledge of the subject,the knowledge construction logic of the Luke textbook is better than that of the American textbook,and the in-depth learning from the "surface to the inside" is more suitable for the development of students’ thinking,the main position of student learning is more prominent;(4)In terms of presentation,the design of STEM content in the Luke textbook is more refined,while the American textbook has a richer variety of sections;(5)In terms of literacy value,the Luke textbook uses the complete STEM activities as a platform for developing abilities.The U.S.textbook focuses on the formation of scientific awareness,thinking skills,and other disciplinary literacies by presenting comprehensive and diversified materials.The U.S.textbooks achieve the synergistic development of STEM literacy by presenting comprehensive and diversified material content,and the realization of emotional awareness is more complete.