Assessment of high school textbooks addressing radiations

Abstract

Exposure to different types of radiation is an integral part of everyday life (e.g. cosmic radiation, radon, medical applications, cell phones, etc.). Therefore, the general public should adequately be informed on the issue from an early age in order to develop a realistic understanding of the associated risks and the necessary safety culture. In this respect, the quality of the related information provided in the school textbooks is of great importance. The present work demonstrates a quantified assessment of high school textbooks regarding the information on different radiation-related topics provided to students. The assessment was carried out based on an anonymous online survey with the participation of a total of 347 high school teachers. According to the results of the survey, the high school textbooks address radiation issues in a sparse, occasional, and fragmentary manner. Moreover, the results indicate that the quality of information they provide was judged as unsatisfactory in terms of scientific correctness, completeness, clarity-comprehensiveness and objectivity. Radiation protection and applications of non-ionizing radiation are the topics that are covered to a lesser extent in the textbooks and curricula evaluated.