Environmental content as a part of science-oriented sustainable development goals in grades 6 and 7 of Slovenian primary school : an analysis of science textbooks

Vošnjak, Matej (author), Rebolj, Neva (author), Devetak, Iztok (author)

Slovenian science education in Grades 6 and 7 (11- and 12-year-old students) of primary school focuses on the integration of various science subjects. According to the current Slovenian science curriculum, environmental concepts, as a part of science oriented sustainable development goals, are an integral part of the subject of science. In 2026, a new science curriculum will be introduced in the education system to provide students and teachers with competences for sustainable development. Consequently, the aim of this study is 1) to analyse old (valid prior to the 2010/2011 school year) and current 6th and 7th-grade Slovenian science curriculum for primary school from an environmental and sustainability perspective, and 2) to investigate textual and pictorial material of four 6th grade and four 7th grade textbooks available for students in the current school year (2023/24) of primary school, that relate to environmental content, as well as their overall structure. The analysis of the textbooks showed that all textbooks explain some environmental topics recommended by the national curriculum. The text is supported by pictorial elements that present phenomena with realistic pictures on the macrolevel. The present study suggests that some environmental content is present in 6th- and 7th-grade science textbooks that are consistent with the learning goals of the curriculum but that a significant amount of sustainability content is missing. For this reason, the curriculum reform currently underway in Slovenia should more clearly include the implementation and thoroughly consider the integration of science-oriented sustainable development goals into the science curriculum in Grades 6 and 7.

• Language: English
• Keywords: science curriculum, environmental competences, primary school, science education, sustainable development, textbook analysis
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 247-276
• Numbering: Vol. 15, no. 4
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-177960
• UDC: 373.32.016:50
• ISSN on article: 2232-2647
• DOI: 10.26529/cepsj.1792
• COBISS.SI-ID: 189970179

Copyright

Podatek o licenci CC-BY 4.0 je naveden na spletni strani revije (https://ojs.cepsj.si/index.php/cepsj/about). (Datum opombe 14. 1. 2026)

• Publication date in RUL: 14.01.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: CEPS Journal: Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal = revija Centra za študij edukacijskih strategij
• Publisher: Pedagoška fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2232-2647
• COBISS.SI-ID: 254029824

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Okoljske vsebine kot del naravoslovnih ciljev trajnostnega razvoja v 6. in 7. razredu osnovne šole v Sloveniji : analiza naravoslovnih učbenikov

Abstract

Naravoslovno izobraževanje v 6. in 7. razredu (učenci v starosti 11 in 12 let) osnovne šole v Sloveniji se osredinja na povezovanje različnih naravoslovnih predmetov. Po veljavnem učnem načrtu za naravoslovje so okoljski pojmi kot del naravoslovnih ciljev trajnostnega razvoja sestavni del predmeta naravoslovje. Leta 2026 bo v slovenski izobraževalni sistem uveden nov učni načrt za naravoslovje, ki bo vseboval tudi kompetence za trajnostni razvoj. Cilja raziskave sta: 1) analizirati stari (veljaven pred šolskim letom 2010/2011) in trenutni slovenski učni načrt za naravoslovje za 6. in 7. razred osnovne šole z okoljskega in s trajnostnega vidika; 2) raziskati besedilno in slikovno gradivo štirih učbenikov za 6. razred in štirih učbenikov za 7. razred osnovne šole, ki so na voljo učencem v tekočem šolskem letu (2023/24) in se nanašajo na okoljske vsebine, ter njihovo celotno strukturo. Analiza učbenikov je pokazala, da vsi učbeniki pojasnjujejo nekatere okoljske teme, ki jih priporoča trenutno veljavni učni načrt. Besedila v učbenikih so podprta s slikovnimi elementi, ki pojave prikazujejo z realističnimi fotografijami na makro ravni. Raziskava nakazuje, da je nekaj okoljskih vsebin zajetih v naravoslovnih učbenikih za 6. in 7. razred osnovne šole, ki so skladni z učnimi cilji trenutno veljavnega učnega načrta, vendar manjka precejšnji del vsebin, ki se nanašajo na trajnostni razvoj. Načrtovana reforma učnih načrtov, ki trenutno poteka v Sloveniji, bi morala jasneje implementirati naravoslovne cilje trajnostnega razvoja v učni načrt za naravoslovje v 6. in 7. razredu osnovne šole ter podati smernice, kako te cilje realizirati pri pouku tega predmeta.

• Keywords: učni načrt za naravoslovje, okoljske kompetence, osnovna šola, naravoslovno izobraževanje, trajnostni razvoj, analiza učbenikov, osnovnošolsko izobraževanje