شبكة المعلومات العربية التربوية

This study aims at determining whether teaching life and earth sciences using textbooks guarantees acceptable environmental education about pollution. For this purpose, the chapters developed in the two textbooks, used to teach biology and geology to students at all levels of the middle schools were compared and analyzed. The study shows that: 1) Teaching environmental pollution is interrupted in the second year. 2) Chapters concerning the pollution subject are less developed in the third year in comparison to the first year of the middle schools. 3) Examples used in the courses speak mainly about pollution in the region and unintentionally neglect the pollution in the rest of the globe. 4) Strong lack of emphasis on educating students on the ways to minimize environmental pollution and increasing their awareness about their responsibility to protect the environment. Taken together, this study allows drawing conclusions on the education status of middle school students on the matter of the pollution of the environment. The current textbooks used to teach life and earth sciences in middle schools do not meet the expectations to provide students with a comprehensive education on environmental pollution and which should include chapters on the pollution types and its consequences on human and wild life in other regions of the world as well as a continuous emphasis on increasing students awareness about the dangers of pollution and educating them about the ways to protect the environment. (Published Abstract)