Analyzes seven college-level U.S. history survey texts to determine the deteriorating quality of college history textbooks. Focuses on three areas: (1) the simplification of style and content, (2) indications of implicit censorship, and (3) the lack of a thematic structure which would contribute to the students' understanding of history. (LS)

Considers the treatment of family causation of schizophrenia in undergraduate abnormal psychology textbooks. Reviews texts published only after 1986. Points out a number of implications for psychologists which arise from the inclusion in these texts of the idea that parents cause schizophrenia, not the least of which is the potential for…

Investigates whether enriching text with analogies, similes, and metaphors has an impact on student cognitive learning and attitudes. Reports no gain on achievement, negative gain on attitude, no gain on proposition recall test, and negative gain on student attention to the text. (YP)

Recognizing that English-as-a-Second-Language students may take seven to eight years to reach proficiency in academic language comparable to the English-speaking peers, this study examined illustrations in Hong Kong, Japanese, Mexican, and Canadian social studies textbooks. Findings that illustrations/graphics are common across languages suggest…

Reviews the history textbooks "National Standards for World History: Exploring Paths to the Present" and "National Standards for United States History: Exploring the American Experience." The author explains that these texts are not exercises in indoctrination of any socio-political perspective, but stress group and individual…

Argues that children's literature contains strategies to confine texts within a narrow band of sociocultural values. The language of children's fiction offers conventionalized discourse by means of which content is encoded. These texts are symptomatic of how literature is complicit in the ideological construction of Australian childhood. (nine…

Examines why textbooks will survive despite competition from new technological inventions. Discusses opposition to textbooks through the development of audiovisual aids, multimedia, and interactivity; advantages of textbooks over other educational media; development of print media; five principles for developing textbook content; and future…

Examines some widely used introductory economics textbooks. Documents how much international coverage they contain. Seeks any emerging patterns of integration among the texts. Concludes that visible efforts are being made to enhance the coverage of international issues in texts. Suggests that many authors do not live up to claims that…

Presents findings of an examination of the representation of the sexes in an elementary level language textbook used in China. Indicates a lopsided emphasis on males and a tendency to portray women as subordinates. Identifies differences in personal characteristics ascribed to the sexes. Seeks to highlight the issue for the purpose of improving…

Analyzes the content of chapters on education in 22 introductory sociology textbooks. Argues that the texts focus on the northern industrialized nations to the exclusion of developing nations' educational issues. Suggests that textbook coverage of northern influence, cultural factors, alternative developing nations' educational models, inadequate…

A technique is presented for evaluating textbooks, using graphic organizers to represent textbook material so that it can be evaluated according to familiarity, interest, and structural coherence. Two sixth-grade social studies textbooks are graphically represented, and suggestions on using the technique are offered to publishers, state adopters,…

Discusses an analysis of 10 common introductory psychology textbooks. Argues that the books tend to present psychology as tedious, even silly, and as a canned, multimedia, self-teaching program. Concludes that replacing textbooks with lectures based on the instructor's personal knowledge and experience would improve the teaching of psychology. (SG)

Reports the means, standard deviations, and relevant statistics on an examination of the readability of 24 contemporary textbooks that employ a hybrid approach to the basic speech communication course. Discusses some strategies for developing reading skills. (KEH)

Reviews research in revising instructional text by examining multidisciplinary research in readability, text structure, text interestingness, expert revisers' strategies, and readers' comprehension strategies. Finds that much of this research is limited by a simplistic view of reading, the use of experimentally contrived texts and contexts, and a…

Emphasizes the need to present students with conceptual frameworks that will enable them to understand and deal with changes, continuities, uncertainties, and contingencies. Describes a textbook that approaches the future of U.S.-Soviet relations from a framework of four different possible futures. Discusses programs using the text in teaching…