The analysis of historical elements of chemistry in Slovenian primary school textbooks

In this graduation thesis, historical elements of chemistry in Slovenian primary school textbooks and the frequency of their appearance have been analyzed. The purpose of the thesis is to find out how frequently they appear in Slovenian primary school textbooks for 8th and 9th grade, both in picture and text material. Content analysis has also been made. There are some differences in the quantity of learning content in the specific textbook. The analysis showed that there are some historical elements of chemistry presented, but their extent varies, depending either on grade or on individual textbook. Most historical elements of chemistry occur in 8th grade textbooks, but a few of them also occur in 9th grade textbooks. They are presented through text as well as pictures, mostly complementing each other. Historical elements of chemistry are an important part of chemistry education; therefore, it is important that teachers use them for their work. The integration of history of chemistry elements into chemistry lessons makes it easier for students to understand the material and presents chemistry to them in a reasonable sequence, which shows them that chemistry is a science that was developed based on human discoveries and explanations of natural phenomena