Integration of Environmental Issues into the Textbooks of Upper Primary Level Education in Ethiopia

This study used a content analysis method in order to assess the extent to which environmental education (EE) is integrated into the upper primary curricula (Grades 5–8) of Civics and Ethical Education and English textbooks of Ethiopia. The study focused on three related areas: (1) the proportion of environmental-education-related content, (2) the range of environmental issues covered, and (3) the balance among the three strands of environmental literacy: knowledge, skills, and affective. The study showed that environmental issues conceptually linked to citizenship goals are represented across every grade level of the Civics and Ethical Education textbooks, occupying 9.0–10.1% of pages, while the English textbooks cover a wider range of environmental issues specific to Ethiopia, occupying 5.5–29.5% of pages depending on grade level. However, neither subject achieves a balanced representation of the three literacy strands: Civics and Ethical Education emphasizes the affective dimension, English overemphasises knowledge acquisition, and both subjects give limited attention to skills development and to global environmental issues such as climate change and ozone depletion. The study discusses these findings in relation to international curriculum practice and recommends textbook revisions that strengthen environmental skills development and address global environmental challenges alongside local ones.