ERIC Number: EJ1295907
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Jun
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2211-1662
EISSN: N/A
Is Reading Comprehension Taken for Granted? An Analysis of Austrian Textbooks in Fourth and Sixth Grade
Technology, Knowledge and Learning, v26 n2 p383-405 Jun 2021
The range of teaching materials now available is becoming increasingly diverse. Despite this, however, the use and influence of textbooks in teaching still remains very high. When instructing reading comprehension, teachers often use textbooks as the basis for teaching in language lessons. Establishing a good match between textbooks and the skills to be acquired is therefore essential. In this paper, I investigate whether textbooks used in Austrian schools can adequately support the teaching of reading comprehension skills. Since reading comprehension is the basis for acquiring knowledge in all subjects, science textbooks are examined in addition to (German) language lesson textbooks. Thus, the content pages of four language textbooks and four science textbooks for fourth and sixth grade were analysed in terms of five different categories, i.e. general structural setup, learning goals, text types, text structures, and activities. The results reveal clear variations with respect to learning goals in language textbooks. For example, the extent to which reading comprehension is addressed ranges from 13.64 to 69.70%, depending on the book used. Although not addressed as a learning goal in the science textbooks, reading comprehension is often presupposed, especially in sixth grade. While the instruction of reading comprehension ought to entail coverage of reading strategies, this is often neglected, or only dealt with indirectly. Given the diversity of textbooks analysed, it seems all the more important to stress that teachers should: (1) clarify the goals and teaching strategies of a book before using it; (2) become aware of strategies that support the development of students' reading comprehension; and (3) use textbooks as a complementary (and not sole) tool to support reading comprehension in all subjects.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Textbooks, Textbook Content, Textbook Evaluation, Language Arts, Science Instruction, Grade 4, Grade 6, Reading Comprehension, Content Area Reading, Reading Strategies
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 4; Intermediate Grades; Grade 6; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Austria
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A