The development of cross-curricular learning activities among the three subjects of history, geography, and civics and society is a feature of Taiwan’s latest curriculum reform. This study, based on a competence-oriented design perspective, aimed to explore how cross-curricular activities are articulated in social studies textbooks for junior high schools. A qualitative content analysis was conducted to analyze three versions of textbooks that were developed based on the Curriculum Guidelines for Social Studies in 12-Year Basic Education. This study’s findings were as follows: First, curricular integration from Book One to Book Two was enhanced in each successive version of any given textbook, reflecting cumulative improvements in curricular development. Second, the textbooks contained an insufficient number of elements prescribed by the competence- oriented design perspective. Specifically, the textbooks emphasized knowledge acquisition at the expense of, while neglecting inquiry and practice. Third, the learning tasks of discursive contexts were classified into three patterns: knowledge delivery, pen-and-paper practice, and instruction-based tasks. Fourth, the cross-curricular activities lacked an emphasis on empowering the students and encouraging them to participate actively; instead, the activities were more inclined toward the teacher-centered approach. These findings aid the design of teaching materials with regard to cross-curricular activities in social studies textbooks for junior high schools.

　　By considering the curriculum guidelines for Taiwan’s 12-year Basic Education, this study aimed to analyze the present state of environmental education, as presented in life curriculum textbooks published in 2016. This study applied content analysis to textbooks by the publishers Nan I, Kang Hsuan, and Han Lin. The findings were as follows: The “Five Major Learning Themes” from most to least emphasized were (1) “environmental ethics,” (2) “sustainable development” and “sustainable use of energy resources,” (3) “disaster prevention” and “climate change,” and (4) “disaster prevention.” The “Seventeen Substantive Implications” from most to least emphasized were (1) E1 of “environmental ethics,” (2) E2 of “environmental ethics,” (3) E10 of “climate change,” E9 of “climate change,” and E4 of “sustainable development.” Of the textbooks from the three publishers, those from Han Lin incorporated the highest proportion of the aforementioned implications, although all textbooks did not significantly differ in this respect. Among the 72 units in total, 33 and 39 were directly and indirectly correlated with “environmental education,” respectively. This study provided some prescriptions for the design of life curriculum textbooks and teaching of environmental issues.

　　This study contains case studies on Mandarin textbooks by the publishers Nan I, Kang Hsuan, and Han Lin that have each been revised thrice based on the curricula for Grades 1-9. This study found that the number of travel texts about places abroad were diverse in their format and places featured, reflecting the richness and spontaneity of contemporary travel. The works of Chu Shih-Ying are most commonly included in these textbooks. Although his texts, when read in their entirety, center around the meaning of travel, they can easily appear moralizing after being abridged. The works of Gui Wen-Ya, an author of children’s literature, are the next most common. Gui’s writing style is rich in childlike innocence, charm, and imagination. These travel writings in the textbooks contain ambiguity, feature children as travelers, and are written by authors of children’s literature. The mood is one in which travel is associated with taking a holiday, brimming with vibrancy and light-hearted joy. However, some texts also featured solemn contemplation on travel by adult characters; such a theme of introspection has been prevalent in the Taiwanese travel literature since the 1990s.