Content analysis of the biology section of the experimental science textbooks of the Junior high school based on Merrill's educational design model

The purpose of this study is to analyze the content of the chapters related to the biology section in the experimental science textbooks of the Junior high school based on Merrill's educational goals. The present research is applied and its research method is descriptive and content analysis. The statistical population in this research is the seventh, eighth and ninth grade science textbooks published in 2019. The results show that the share of the biology section in the science textbooks of the Junior high school is 32% of the total pages of these books, which is acceptable compared to other sections. In the case of thematic components, the most common components were first the concepts component, then the facts component, then the method component, and finally the principles and rules component, which seems to be acceptable given the nature of the biology course. In the type of performance, the content of science books in the biology section is designed more with the aim of creating levels of memory function and application performance, and the function of discovery and innovation, which according to the goals of biology education and science education in general should be considered more than all functions, has received less attention and emphasis.