The »Environmental studies« subject in first grade covers some sociological topics that can help pupils socialize. Different study materials have to follow the subject goals in the Environmental studies curriculum (2011) in discussing sociological topics. The Council of Experts of the Republic of Slovenia for General Education only approves the textbooks which comply with certain guidelines; this, however, does not apply to activity textbooks and workbooks, which do not need to be approved. There is a variety of study materials for environmental studies used in our schools in first grade, both single-subject and cross-curricular. I explored in my master's thesis how certain sociological topics are discussed in both types of study materials. In the theoretical part, I showed, with the help of literature and some research findings, the importance of sociological education at an early stage of schooling, the characteristics of a good didactic concept of textbooks, well-designed activities of sociological topics and cross-curricular integration. In the empirical part, I researched how specific sociological thematic set (I, Relationships, Communities) are discussed in single-subject textbook sets (Dotik okolja 1 ter Okolje in jaz 1) and in cross-curricular textbooks sets for Environmental studies (Mlinček 1, Lili in Bine 1), whether there are differences betweens sets, and what they are in terms of didactic design, teaching contents and teaching activities. Using qualitative and quantitative approaches I analyzed the purposive sample described above, and compared and searched for reasons for any eventual deviations. The research will help raise awareness on the significance of well-designed textbook material, the importance of suitable contents of illustrative material and activities, both in the single-subject and cross-curricular textbook sets, and in certain sociological thematic sets of the Environmental studies subject in the first grade of the elementary school.
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