THE TEXTBOOK ON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN PORTUGAL: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE AND ANALYSIS OF THE TEACHING OF HISTORY THROUGH THIS EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE

This paper relates educational policy, reforms and primary education curricula in Portugal since the end of the nineteenth century till nowadays, integrating textbooks within the statutory framework of educational system. It presents a systematization of some Portuguese research related to textbooks, focusing studies on history textbooks for primary education (1st cycle of basic education), within the research area of History of Education, and most recently in the area of History Education. It also describes an exploratory study analyzing Natural and Social Studies textbooks for primary education, comparing three textbooks from different periods, trying to identify the effects of educational systems throughout the last three decades in conceptual changes concerning contents, learning outcomes and teaching strategies.