Comparative Analysis of Physics Textbooks in Iran and Russia

This study undertakes a comparative analysis of upper secondary physics textbooks from Iran and Russia using William Romey's engagement analysis framework. Iranian textbooks for Grades 10, 11, and 12 and Russian textbooks for Grades 10 and 11 were systematically examined across three dimensions: textual content, visual elements, and end-of-chapter questions. The selected textbooks were first verified for thematic alignment, ensuring comparable physics topics across both curricula. The findings indicate that only Russia's Grade 10 textbook reached Romey's active threshold for textual engagement, while all other textbooks fell below it. None of the textbooks from either country included visual elements that reached the active threshold, with Iranian visual engagement decreasing from Grade 10 to Grade 12. Furthermore, Iran's Grade 11 and Grade 12 textbooks showed coefficients for end-of-chapter questions above Romey's upper threshold, which may indicate an excessive activity load, whereas Russian textbooks remained within more moderate and decreasing levels. These component-specific patterns may be useful for curriculum developers and textbook authors.