Educational Alternatives, Volume 23, 2025

Abstract: This study analyzed currently used gymnasium textbooks in the Slovak Republic from the perspective of the development of plant blindness, through a quantitative evaluation of mentions of plant and animal organisms. We analyzed 388 pages of two textbooks, identifying 635 organisms, of which 277 were animals (43.6%) and 300 were plants (47.2%). The Slovak genus name dominated in textbooks for both groups of organisms. On the other hand, scientific genus and species names were less frequent. Scientific names of animals (genus: 208, species: 190) were more common in textbooks than scientific names of plants (genus: 157, species: 141). The higher occurrence of scientific names for animals compared to plants in textbooks may provide better preparation for university studies related to zoology, whereas the lower emphasis on plant scientific names could make the transition to botany-focused subjects more challenging. A comparison of the number of non-vascular and vascular plants revealed a low number of mentions of non-vascular plants (24 organisms). In contrast, textbooks included a relatively high number of invertebrates (117 organisms) among animals. The low emphasis on organisms from the fungi kingdom (30 organisms) suggests the need for increased attention by textbook authors to this group of organisms. Similarly, textbooks included the names of only 28 unicellular organisms, of which 17 were bacteria. A weak emphasis on non-vascular plants, unicellular organisms, and fungi can negatively affect a comprehensive understanding of biodiversity, ecological relationships, and the perception of the importance of these organisms.