Science textbooks have to provide scientific reasons for various themes, but in some cases this is not properly emphasized. Using a document analysis method for classifying sentences and paragraphs, a sixth grade textbook on electricity that is used in Toronto is analyzed. Student writing responses are also analyzed to explore students' reflections to indicate their ways of explaining the concepts of electricity. The document analysis indicates lack of sentences to provide reasons. Although some everyday aspects of electricity are found in the textbook, the links between electricity and electrons are not clearly demonstrated in the document analysis and student responses. This finding can help to incorporate learning reasons in scientific processes through teaching and textbook designing.
explanatory sentences; explanatory understanding; document analysis; textbook analysis; lexical conceptual profile; paragraph analysis; science concepts; science curriculum
