Att beskriva det osynliga – en analys av hur fotosyntes framställs i mellanstadiets läromedel

Sammanfattning

The aim of this study is to develop and apply a research-based analytical framework to examine how photosynthesis is presented in science textbooks for grades 4–6. The study focuses particularly on which curriculum emphases dominate the presentation, how the relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration is represented in text and visual representations, which levels of biological organization are addressed, and how common misconceptions are treated. The study is based on a qualitative content analysis of six printed science textbook series for grades 4–6. The analysis includes 49 pages and is conducted using two analytical tools: one focusing on knowledge emphases and one focusing on multimodal representations, levels of organization, and misconceptions. The results show that knowledge emphasis A, the correct explanation, dominates in all analyzed textbooks, while knowledge emphasis B, the scientific method, is entirely absent. The remaining knowledge emphases appear to varying degrees as secondary emphases. The study also shows that the textbooks differ in how clearly the relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration is presented, how levels of biological organization are connected, and to what extent misconceptions are addressed. Overall, the study indicates that photosynthesis is mainly presented as established factual knowledge, while the support for understanding relationships between processes, levels of organization, and common misconceptions varies between textbooks.