BIODIVERSITY IN MOROCCANS TEXTBOOKS: IMPLICATIONS FOR ACTION-ORIENTED ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Abstract

The world environmental situation is likely to be further aggravated by the increasingly rapid extinction of species. This is likely to destabilize various ecosystems. This phenomenon has stimulated citizenship’s awareness to the extent that it is acknowledged that its study involves great educational value and should be present at school. Biodiversity teaching quality depends on how it is dealt with in the classroom. Given that textbooks constitute a widely used material, its content should increase the pupils' knowledge about Biodiversity and the consequencies of its loss. The present research explores the contents of school textbooks of Morocco in relation to Biodiversity topic. The research method is content analysis. The findings revealed that the majority of textbooks have integrated a number of issues that could enhance understanding about the significance of biodiversity but only one textbook dealt with consequences of its loss. The textbook analysis revealed a multiplicity of biodiversity definitions, with a strong predominance of the number of species, suggesting that many textbooks were outdated. Majority of analysed textbooks cannot expect concrete action planned and executed against loss of biodiversity. The paper calls for redressing some of the observed limitations through revision of existing content.