Analysis of Inscriptions Used in 8th Grade Science Textbooks

Abstract

Inscriptions can help students understand science concept easily, and arouse students' curiosity. In addition they can help remembering things more longer. The inscriptions used in the textbook are valuable material for understanding science contents and promote the learning. This study investigated the traits (function, type, and numbers) of inscriptions presented in 8th grade science textbooks developed under the 7th National Curriculum. The types of inscriptions include photograph, graph, table, cartoon, drawing, map, etc. The functions of inscriptions include decorative, explanatory, illustrative, complementary, summary, and worksheet. The results revealed that the numbers of inscriptions per pages were 2.02. The most prevalent type of the inscriptions was photograph, because the photographs showed the real phenomena. In the function of inscriptions, and complementary function was found most frequently. The use of caption and index differs according to the textbook publishers. The importance of inscriptions should be perceived, and the inscriptions should be used correctly according to the types and the functions.