Compares selected United States history and civics textbooks from the 19th century with textbooks written from 1960 to 1980. Findings from this comparison indicated that despite differences in size and emphasis, stress and artistic appearance, United States history and civics texts of the present are essentially what they have always…

Geography textbooks are evaluated to determine the relationship between the subject matter of geography and the changing concerns of society. Suggests that teachers should deal openly with values, which are inherent in geography content and methods. Journal available from Business Manager, Geographical Education, Sydney Teachers College, P.O. Box…

Stating that the primary function of textbooks is to transmit quantity and quality of knowledge, Woodward argues that photographs and other design features should be relevant to the topic, extending learning beyond the written text. Presents recommendations for evaluating the instructional quality of textbook photographs. (GEA)

Describes content of 50 introductory sociology textbooks in their coverage of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) disease. Reports that, although by 1987 HIV was covered in 26 texts, many aspects were neglected. Concludes teachers should concentrate on slighted areas including the difference between…

Project Adventure's adventure-based counseling text, "Islands of Healing," uses language and simplistic conceptions of individualism and community to create an ecology of ideas. In this framework, moral and social complexities of modern life are exchanged for an artificial cyberspace-like microworld where unthinking acquiescence to group…

Investigates aspects of the coverage of bioethical issues, especially environmental issues, in Japanese and German biology textbooks for lower secondary schools. Findings show that German textbooks devote more space to these issues and have a more appealing presentation style than Japanese textbooks. Teaching ethical viewpoints in biology is…

Based on the Dyches and Prater (2000) guidelines, characterizations and plots in 34 eligible children's books published during 1999-2003 were evaluated; 36 characterizations are discussed in detail in terms of each guideline. Results showed that, compared to a previous study (Dyches, Prater, & Cramer, 2001), characters with developmental…

A study examined the hypothesis that illustrations found in first-grade basal texts do not always relate to context. Six texts were analyzed to determine the percentage of illustration miscues appearing in each story. The basal readers used were: "Story Clouds," Scott Foresman Reading: An American Tradition (1987); "Red Rock,"…

A study examined the usefulness of the instructional recommendations in basal reader program teachers' manuals for discussing race in multicultural stories. Three recently published basal reader series widely used in the Capital District of New York State were used in this analysis: Harcourt Brace (1995), Houghton Mifflin (1993), and MacMillan…

This document reports on a project with the following aims: (1) to identify and discuss the important issues about using curriculum materials in bilingual-bicultural education and multicultural education through a comparative analysis of these conditions in the United States and Australia; (2) to identify and analyze relevant research in the…

A study examined 1989 kindergarten (K) manuals of basal reading materials. The question of central concern was whether and how the manuals facilitate a teacher's efforts to match instruction with children's ability. A closely related concern was whether and how the manuals describe ways to keep some children occupied with useful activities so as…

Thirty specific standards developed as guiding principles to maintain the utility, feasibility, propriety and accuracy of evaluations in educational programs, projects and materials are presented. Utility Standards include Audience Identification, Evaluator Credibility, Information Scope and Selection, Valuational Interpretation, Report Clarity,…

This is a report of the Netherlands/United States Textbook Study Project, the goal of which is to improve each nation's textbooks, especially in regard to the treatment of Netherlands in U.S. textbooks, the treatment of the United States in Netherlands' textbooks, and the treatment of relations between the two countries in each nation's textbooks.…

Two representative samples of expository prose from sixth grade textbooks (one in science and one in social studies) were analyzed for clarity of explanation. Four text criteria were applied to the analyses: structure, unity, coherence, and audience appropriateness. The results of the analysis suggested that many children's textbooks are not…

Recognizing the value of studying U.S. history and the contribution of the textbook to the curriculum, Gagnon examines five leading U.S. history textbooks with regard to two questions: (1) how helpful are these books for teaching democracy's ideas, practices, and adventures in the United States, and (2) what might they add to promote political…