Learning about the changing properties of matter in science and technology textbooks in grade 4 of primary school

The teacher plays the key role in imparting knowledge in the school environment. However, he/she is not the only source of knowledge. Textbooks and workbooks are also important sources, as the compulsory learning content can be found there. Science and technology subject is based on observation, prediction, and analysis. Students are expected to work individually. This gives them the opportunity to acquire new knowledge while learning new skills and strategies. Since lack of time is often the reason for not learning in nature, even though subject Science and technology can be taught and learned in this way, this fact is even more important. Experimentation is often seen as a means of acquiring all the skills of individual work and is the basis of many scientific discoveries. The acquisition of knowledge based on the individual work of students often depends on learning materials, which must be of high quality and suitable for work at school as well as at home. The textbook is one of these materials. This master thesis presents Science and technology textbooks and workbooks used in the fourth grade of primary schools in Slovenia. The textbooks are expected to anticipate and plan the individual work of the students through which they acquire the knowledge. The research includes four textbooks, workbooks and textbook sets approved by the relevant professional council. The analysis of the research sample focuses on the theme of changing material properties. The topic defines properties such as hardness, strength, density, plasticity, flexibility, and the separation and mixing of substances. Due to the strongly experimental nature of the content, we decided to use it for research. The research is based on identification of differences in the selected learning materials in terms of the overall structure of the learning content, the structure of the text, the linguistic expression, the writing style, the visuals and the graphic representations. The obtained data are analysed descriptively based on the adopted indicators of the learning materials. Analysing the results, we found that there are differences in the treatment of the learning content in the materials. These were most evident in the amount and clarity of content, in the introduction of introductions and summaries of content, in the planning of experimental tasks, and in the relevance and quantity of visual material. The results will help teachers critically evaluate textbook sets before using them in the classroom and help future textbook authors design them appropriately