A study investigated the extent to which positive moral values are included in reading and social studies textbooks. Random samples of social studies textbooks (published by Harcourt Brace, D. C. Heath, Scott Foresman, Silver Burdett and Ginn, and McGraw-Hill) and reading textbooks (published by MacMillan/McGraw-Hill, Harcourt Brace, and Houghton…

Textbooks play a greater role in students' learning than is usually recognized, and teachers should examine textbook materials more carefully to assess their value for different learners with different cognitive styles. A new, more student-centered model of teaching and learning, the Annehurst Curriculum Classification System (ACCS), focuses on…

This paper describes the analysis of two commonly used high school (Grades 11 and 12) chemistry textbooks in Singapore to determine if the content presented in the topic of intermolecular forces is consistent with the concepts and propositional knowledge identified by the authors as essential for the learning and understanding of the topic…

Fourteen education students from Southeast Asia evaluated seven unspecified tenth grade social studies texts from five Pennsylvania schools, and made comments on the accuracy of presentations of Southeast Asian culture, customs, history, and topography. (Author/SJL)

Reports on an examination of 50 French school grammars from the last 30 years, to ascertain how thoroughly they clarified the difference between "written code" and "spoken code." Substantive plural marking was investigated. It was found that most texts treated the topic inadequately. (IFS/WGA)

Narrates an imaginary dream in which an instructor, newly crowned King of Composition, institutes, while providing rationales based on current research, these changes in the composition program: (1) have all teaching done in conference; (2) eliminate textbooks; (3) do not require grammatical and mechanical correctness; and (4) make writing part of…

Reports on an investigation of 31 introductory geology textbooks indicating that the concept of contact between bodies of rock is only rarely discussed. Data collected pertaining to 15 related terms demonstrated that many are either omitted or inadequately covered. (TW)

In "Virgil v. School Board of Columbia County," a federal district court upheld a school board's decision to remove a textbook from the curriculum. The ruling is in line with the Supreme Courts'"Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier" decision that gave school boards sweeping power over the curriculum. (MLF)

Examines published content analyses of college reading texts with regard to the following: (1) methodology employed; (2) specific information presented; and (3) trends in content since the mid-1920s. (MS)

This article reviews the treatment of lichens in 93 different introductory North American botany textbooks. Topics considered are questions of relationship, independent survival, reproduction, definition, and scientific name. The author reports that treatment is uneven and often includes incomplete or erroneous information which may persist…

Discusses how rock-cycle diagrams can graphically illustrate the interrelationship between materials and processes in physical geology courses. Reviews nine contemporary physical geology textbooks with regard to their use of such diagrams. (TW)

The literary merit of American History textbooks is explored with emphasis on inspiring and motivating students. Expert panelists reviewed books from fifth, eighth, and eleventh grades. They criticized the following elements: (1) size/weight; (2) prose style; (3) coverage; (4) group consciousness; and (5) format/graphics. (VM)

Considers previous research and data regarding the relative frequencies of a wide variety of lexical items expressing doubt and certainty in written and spoken corpuses and uses the data to evaluate the adequacy of some well-known English as a second language textbooks. (Author/CB)

Examines the language used by native English speakers in business meetings and compares it with the language taught in English textbooks for use in such meetings, demonstrating that there is almost no correspondence between the two and raising questions regarding the usefulness of such textbooks. (Author/CB)

Provides brief review of results of a study of junior and senior high school United States history textbooks conducted by a panel of six educators and historians. In general, panel found that books ranged from strong to adequate in their content coverage. Coverage of pluralistic background, religion, and painful aspects of our history were areas…