The European dimension in education in Hungarian primary school geography textbooks

Despite Hungary's nearly quarter-century membership in the European Union (EU), less than half of its citizens hold a positive mental image of the EU. Education plays a crucial role in fostering and reinforcing a sense of European identity and awareness among students, with textbooks serving as key tools in shaping students’ understanding of European values, citizenship, and identity. This study aims to assess how European identity is represented and integrated into contemporary Hungarian primary school geography textbooks within the framework of the European dimensions in education. In the Hungarian public education system, only textbooks that have been prepared by the state may be ordered from the lists of textbooks for use in state schools. Consequently, these textbooks are significantly dependent on the National Core Curriculum (NCC), as they must comply with its standards, although differences in proportions may occur. The study employs content analysis to evaluate the reflection of European identity in regulatory documents (NCC, framework curricula) and across different grade levels and textbook versions, with a particular focus on the incorporation of the European Dimension in Education (EDE) indicators (Ledic et al., 2016). The textbooks were subjected to a systematic review to ascertain their implementation of EDE indicators. The findings suggest that while the textbooks adequately address European topics, they lack sufficient depth and thought-provoking content to effectively foster the development of European awareness and identity. There is a lack of consistency in how European social diversity and pluralism are presented across different textbook versions. Nevertheless, specific elements of European citizenship, such as consumer rights, are presented only superficially and require further attention. Moreover, deficiencies are observed in the discussion of the European Union and its democratic nature. A decline in the proportion of European content in the geography curriculum has been observed since 2000. Moreover, in the introductory section of the NCC 2020, the term “Europe” is no longer explicitly mentioned, in contrast with its presence in previous curricula. The study offers recommendations, including the enhanced integration of EDE indicators into geography textbooks to promote intercultural understanding and active citizenship. Additionally, the incorporation of interactive elements, such as QR codes, could enhance student engagement and facilitate the cognitive processing of geographical data. By improving these areas, educators can better prepare students for an increasingly interconnected and diverse European environment.