This report contains a description of the first part of the Curriculum Branch's audit of the program of studies, curriculum guides, textbooks, and other learning resources in Alberta, Canada, which was undertaken for three purposes: (1) to determine the adequacy of the ways in which tolerance, understanding, and respect for minority groups and…

Presents a critical examination of six high school geography textbooks to see how they varied in their treatment of world politics, and comments on the degree of nationalistic bias in each one. Suggestions for teachers are included to help them deal with political concepts and bias in textbooks. (Author/AM)

Reports on a survey undertaken to determine quality and quantity of presentation of women's political history, political behavior and public policy affecting women in 20 introductory textbboks used in college level American government courses. Findings indicated that little change has occurred since 1970. Suggestions are offered for enhancing the…

The purpose of this article is to review 10 recently published textbooks frequently used in United States history classes on the secondary level regarding their coverage of Hispanics. Findings indicated that treatment of Hispanic groups in textbooks has moved from glaring omission and superficial portrayal to depictions which are nonstereotypical…

Ironically, introductory textbooks for sociology present a distorted characterization of reality, ignoring race, class, and gender and generalizing from the experience of society's dominant group. New textbooks should have four themes: vital role of sociologists as social critics; diversity as socially constructed; people's role in shaping their…

Examines the production of new history textbooks that appeared after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Argues that the radical revisions in official history in this context are shaped by the Bakhtinian process of "hidden dialogicality." Suggests that the importance of hidden dialogicality between narrative forms must be considered. (SC)

How many names of women from American history can the average, recent high school graduate come up with? How does this number compare with the number of males she or he can name? These are the kinds of questions that informed Janice Trecker's classic study of U.S. high school textbooks. They were also the basis for the research in Sadker and…

The purpose of this study was to quantitatively analyze the Latin American content of contemporary world geography textbooks published for United States secondary schools. A preliminary review of the literature indicated that Latin America was generally omitted from world geography texts, Central America was given minimal attention, and…

Presents a study which examined the portrayal of Blacks in 11 secondary United States history textbooks and compared them to a set of textbooks published between 1965 and 1975. Reports that the treatment of Black Americans is only adequate, but has improved significantly. Provides recommendations for further progress. (KH)

Outlines how nine content-area textbooks dealt with reading and writing instruction. Explains that the texts were read to be coded and to identify categories of literacy messages. Notes that content-area textbooks contain negative discussions about traditional teaching methods, and that the authors seem to care about content-area literacy but do…

Proposes using children's historical fiction in social studies instruction. Argues that such literature is helpful because (1) children begin to learn about social phenomena through narrative; (2) historical fiction encourages students to invest emotion, take sides, and ask questions; and (3) historical fiction can counter special interest groups'…

The issue of history, specifically history textbooks, has been at the center of South Africa's educational reform debates for years. One of the consequences of South Africa's delayed curricular reform is the continued use of apartheid-era history textbooks, which, among other things, deny European colonization and conquest and claim that whites…

Discusses the results of several studies which evaluated how Africa was and is presented in elementary and secondary social studies textbooks. In the past five years, the coverage given to Africa has increased in quantity and quality. However, major new problems have arisen. (RM)

Contemporary efforts to empower women as physicians is analyzed. The early history of women and medical education is surveyed, especially the problems of admission into medical schools. Federal antibias legislation directed at curriculum and textbooks is also reviewed, along with the development of a "women in medicine" course. (CT)

I examine how science curricula are complicit in maintaining the dominance of knowledge production by major powers, particularly the USA, through their efforts to tell the "truth" about certain topics, and whether resistant counter-discourses are being mounted, especially in "peripheral" states such as Canada, Australia, and…