Addresses how poverty information is packaged as the intersection of class, race, and gender and how this depiction has changed from the 1980s to the early 1990s using a sample of 45 introductory sociology textbooks. Discusses the implications of and strategies for overcoming the conventional topic-chapter format of textbooks. (CMK)

Examines the extent to which sociology texts accurately present U.S. affirmative action policy using a sample of introductory texts published from 1994 and 1997. Analyzes whether the material confronts or contributes to myths about affirmative action policy. Offers practical suggestions to strengthen the presentation of affirmative action within…

Investigated the nature and representation of vocabulary instruction in the teachers' edition of social studies textbooks for grades four through eight. Found that although publishers realized the importance of vocabulary, they continued to include vocabulary activities that represent traditional rather than higher order ideas about how to support…

Students are becoming accustomed to using the Internet as an information source that supplements or replaces the normal institutional and classroom handout. However, the use of full electronic books through the Internet or CD instead of a printed full text book is a uniquely different experience, not only for these students but also for academics…

A pilot study examined to what degree answers that students supply on basal reader workbook pages are integrated with understanding the words in the story or with understanding the story itself. The sample consisted of 27 workbook pages from 5 fourth-grade basal reading programs with a 1989 copyright date. Two simple content analyses were applied…

A study examined the relation between formula ratings and student perception of both readability and interest in developmental reading/study skills and intermediate composition texts. Subjects, 200 composition students and 96 study skills students, responded to the statements "this text was easy to read" and "the text chapters were…

The task of choosing the right text(s) for an undergraduate music theory program is difficult, at best. Sixty-seven U.S. institutions of higher learning offering graduate degrees in music theory were surveyed to determine what undergraduate textbooks were used, how long they have been used, and how satisfied the schools were with the texts. The…

Two teachers gathered psychology definitions from 1,000 college students enrolled in introductory psychology classes on the first and last days of class during two successive fall terms at the University of Tennessee. A word analysis of first-day definitions suggested three major themes: behavior, mind/brain, and environment. These terms showed…

The work reported in this paper is an offshoot of a project started in early 1986 and designed to produce a comparison between the vocabulary in the TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) texts and the vocabulary found in contemporary non-technical English writing. This study investigated the unique words and differences in frequency…

To determine whether the suggested poetry teaching procedures found in the teacher manuals of sixth-grade basal readers reflect the pedagogical procedures suggested by expert opinion and research, an indepth analysis was made of a total of 106 poetry lessons in eight teacher manuals. The poetry lessons were analyzed for the purposes of determining…

Because of extremely low salaries paid to teachers in the Brazilian public school system, the profession increasingly attracts only persons from the lower income levels who may not themselves be comfortable with the literacy skills they are supposed to teach. Working under extremely hard conditions, and being ill prepared for her profession, the…

Metadiscourse, or an author's presence in a text, and its benefits for improving textbooks and children's learning and attitudes are explored in this paper. Through a historical review, the paper reveals that using the interpersonal voice and the author's commentary are legitimate rhetorical devices. Interviews with prominent contemporary…

The U.S. Navy conducted a study to determine the readability grade level of materials used in its technical training schools curricula as a basis for (1) establishing minimal reading competencies for those schools, (2) identifying problem textual materials used in those schools, and (3) choosing additional school curricula for readability…

The Fry Readability Formula was used to determine the readability levels of 12 first and second grade basal texts. These texts were part of the Ginn 360, Ginn 720, and Macmillan Series "r" basal reader series. The results showed that 4 of the 12 books tested did not correspond closely to the publisher's readability levels. The Ginn 720 text for…

A research study in which 24 leading preservice teacher education textbooks are examined for degree of sex equity reveals a predominant attitude of imbalance and omission towards the role and contribution of females in American society and education. The textbooks are content analyzed for space allocation and treatment of sexism, sex differences…