The Global Dimension in Saudi History Textbooks for Grades 4-12

The present study tried to find out whether Saudi history textbooks for grades 4-12 contain global themes, in which grade levels global themes are introduced, the percentage of global themes, local history themes and Islamic history themes, and which global history themes are taught. A checklist of global history themes was developed. Those are: global systems, historical periods, ancient civilizations, world empires, world religions, human immigration, major wars, colonization and liberal movements, exploration expeditions, history of science and technology, the Industrial Revolution, international organizations, political and economic treaties and unions, conflicts, current global issues, social, economic, political and technological changes, emergence of the new world system. It was found that 68.5% of the themes were Islamic, 30% of the themes were local (focused on Saudi history), and only 1.5% of the themes in the nine history textbooks were global. It was concluded that the global dimension is completely ignored in Saudi history textbooks for grade 4-12. Therefore, this study recommends that Saudi history textbooks be reviewed and re-structured and global history themes be integrated. [This paper was published in: Proceedings of the Curriculum Development Conference titled "Principles and Starting Points," Vol. I, 2003, pp. 101-132.]