This paper presents findings from an analysis of 4th grade science textbooks used in the United
Arab Emirates schools, using an analytical descriptive approach to examine their content in light
of the sustainable development goals. The results reveal that the environmental dimension of
sustainable development (SD) was the most frequently reflected upon in the textbooks, with an
occurrence of 18.5%, followed by the economic dimension (11.7%) and the social dimension
(4.9%). While the distribution of sustainability themes varied across the textbooks, all four
textbooks included references to SD. However, the researchers find that the distribution of these
themes was not even, with some themes being absent in some textbooks while being extensively
presented in others. These findings suggest that while sustainability is present in 4th grade science
textbooks, there is room for improvement in ensuring that all three dimensions of SD are
adequately covered in these materials.
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