The nature of science in Chinese senior secondary geography textbooks under the context of sustainable development: Identifying the gaps and seeking reform.

Abstract

Within the context of sustainable development, UNESCO has recognized geography as a core discipline for advancing education for sustainable development. Addressing complex sustainability issues calls for geography education to make visible how geographical knowledge is produced, justified, communicated, and situated in social contexts, alongside the presentation of established scientific conclusions. Guided by the Family Resemblance Approach (FRA), this study uses Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA) to examine and visualize representations of the Nature of Science (NOS) in selected Chinese senior secondary geography textbooks. Across the corpus, Scientific Knowledge and Scientific Practice account for much of the frequency profile, and ENA identifies a recurrent C.A.V-C.SP-C.SK core structure. Social values are most evident where geographical knowledge is linked to practical applications, whereas professional activities, scientific norms, organizational interaction, and power-related dimensions are less consistently connected with these knowledge-practice relations. Viewed in relation to the disciplinary character of geography, the findings inform textbook development and curriculum reform by drawing attention to the representation of relationships among geographical knowledge, evidence, methods, values, institutions, and sustainability-oriented decision-making.