Presentation short abstract

Climate change in Ethiopian secondary textbooks is framed mainly through global science, with little local or indigenous knowledge. A content analysis shows limited contextual relevance, highlighting the need to better integrate indigenous knowledge.

Presentation long abstract

Textbooks are the primary source of scientific concepts with structured knowledge for students. Teachers also rely heavily on textbooks to guide classroom instruction. Given their key role on students’ understanding of environmental issues, we conducted a content analysis to study representations of climate change and local/indigenous knowledge in Ethiopian secondary school Biology and Geography textbooks. Six textbooks four in Geography and two in Biology were selected for analysis. We examined how climate change problems, causes, and solutions are portrayed, with particular attention to their integration with local knowledge, using the theoretical frameworks of green governmentality, ecological modernization, civic environmentalism, and the political ecology of education. Given that effective climate education depends on contextually relevant climate literacy, the meaningful integration of local knowledge is essential for connecting scientific concepts to students’ lived experiences. However, the results show that climate change problems, causes, and solutions are primarily framed through global scientific perspectives, with limited incorporation of local or indigenous knowledge systems. Despite varying depth across grade levels, these dynamics are presented in a way that lacks connection to local practices and fails to foster contextually relevant climate literacy. We recommend a revising of Ethiopian textbooks to integrate indigenous knowledge, foster culturally grounded learning, and empower students as active agents in tackling climate change.