Content Analysis of Elementary Science Books by Using Soft Educational Technology to Teach Environmental Issues in Iran and Russia

Hard educational technologies received more attention today while soft educational technology has been considered as one of the keys and effective technologies in teaching and learning. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the use of soft educational technologies in teaching environmental issues in the first to the third grade of elementary science textbooks of Iran and Russia. This study is a descriptive analysis of the content. The statistical population of the study is all the first, second, and third-grade textbooks of sciences in Iran and the world around us in Russia. The statistical sample included environmental issues in the first, second, and third-grade elementary science textbooks of Iran and Russia. The research tool was a researcher-made checklist made by soft educational technology and an environmental health checklist from Yale University. The results showed that allegory and role-playing hadn't used at all to teach environmental issues in Iran. Questions and answers Iran 31.95, Russia 31.64)and comparisons of objects, the discovery of similarities and differences, and conclusions )Iran  20.61, Russia  17.72) have been widely used in both countries. In Iran, more emphasis has been placed on solving problems and carrying out projects(13.40), and more emphasis has been placed on the use of daily life activities(16.45) in teaching in Russia. The results also showed that the use of soft educational technology to teach environmental issues was given more significance in the third grade of an elementary school in both of the countries. Soft technology has been used less in the first grade of the elementary school of Iran but in the second grade of the elementary school of Russia.