Assessing Economic Needs: Multiperspectivity and Theoretical Pluralism in Fifth Grade High School Textbooks for Geography and Economics in Austria

In this study, we discuss the prevalence of multiperspectivity and theoretical pluralism in Austrian geography and economics textbooks for the fifth grade of high school. The objective in the curriculum “Evaluate people’s economic needs” (BMB (Bundesministerium für Bildung). (9. August 2016). Verordnung der Bundesministerin für Bildung, mit der die Verordnung über die Lehrpläne der allgemein bildenden höheren Schulen geändert wird; Bekanntmachung, mit der die Bekanntmachung der Lehrpläne für den Religionsunterricht an diesen Schulen geändert wird (BGBl. II 219/2016), p. 64) was assessed in all government-approved textbooks in the school year 2018/19 by structuring content analysis and discourse analysis. The central finding of the study is that the neoclassical theoretical framework is dominantly used to approach economic questions. If other theoretical approaches are used at all, they are often not disclosed. Such non-disclosure makes interpretations and evaluations appear as descriptions of facts rather than one of many theoretical inferences using a single theoretical framework. This can create a false sense of certainty in students by concealing alternatives and potential contradictions arising between different theories.