HOW DO TEACHERS USE TEACHER'S BOOKS AND WORKBOOKS PUBLISHED WITHIN LOWER-SECONDARY CHEMISTRY TEXTBOOKS SERIES IN CZECHIA

Abstract

Textbook as an important product of learning content's transformation are usually published as compact projects. They are completed with workbooks, teacher's books and other materials.

These publications are supposed to support teachers' work and, in case teachers use them, can have a substantial effect on education. This contribution is a part of a broader research focused on the use of lower-secondary chemistry textbooks and related learning tools.

In this contribution a part dedicated to the use of teacher's book and workbooks is presented. A standardized questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of teachers.

The answers from 387 chemistry teachers from 370 schools suggest that a teacher's book is being used only by 24% teachers, whereas only 4% mentioned they use it often. Workbooks are being used by 63% of the respondents who consider them important for the quality of education.

Given the sample size and the respondent selection procedure, it is possible to generalize the data. These, together with information on textbook use, enable formulation of several conclusions for textbook authors and publishers, also shed light on the way textbook projects are being used on lower-secondary schools in Czechia.