The paper analyzes seven widely-used fifth grade social studies textbooks with the hypothesis that texts are unnecessarily loaded with poorly conceived instructional design features that often do not relate to content or skills and tend to minimize the primary function of the texts. Using present and future challenges facing the United States as a…

This study examines a sample of reports submitted by publishers to the Florida Department of Education for school textbook revisions to be adopted during 1985-86. The study determines (1) state Learner Verification and Revision (LVR) procedures used by publishers, (2) problems reflected in the reports, and (3) recommendations on the conduct and…

Based on data from a longitudinal study of preservice teacher education conducted at a large midwestern university, this paper describes and appraises what prospective elementary teachers in two different teacher preparation programs were taught about textbooks, what they learned, and what they did with these lessons during student teaching. It is…

In spite of their limitations, readability formulas can help teachers determine whether there are differences between students' reading abilities and the difficulty levels of the textbooks they are required to use. A study was conducted to assess the reading levels of students and the readability levels of textbooks at five selected junior…

To determine the extent to which current theories of persuasion are used or advocated by homileticians (i.e., preachers), this study examines 21 frequently used homiletics textbooks for their treatment of persuasion. After describing the characteristics of classical, premodern, humanistic, and rhetorical models, the study suggests that these…

An investigation examined student-generated texts in terms of both traditional and more theoretically valid readability to determine what factors influence comprehension when children read their own, peer, and adult-written texts. Seventy dictated stories created in an earlier study, along with 4 first-grade level stories from the "Reader's…

Speech communication theorists have defined certain rhetorical characteristics that may improve the use and production of written texts. In order to determine whether social studies textbooks have rhetorical characteristics--containing both content information and the author's attitudes toward it--and whether these characteristics have the desired…

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…

Theory and research in reading comprehension have confirmed the important role of text structure in learning from written materials. The previous work with story grammars provided the basis of this attempt to define frames for explanations in history that would be likely to aid learning. A suggested goal frame includes the goals, plan, action, and…

It is noted that current methods of textbook selection are characterized by subjective judgments and faddish trends. It is felt that rarely in the process of selection are research findings that are available or principles of educational psychology seriously considered. A systematic selection process of entire series of textbooks, based on the…

Serving as the basis for the first administrative complaint alleging sex discrimination in textbooks to be filed under federal law, the findings presented in this report are based on an analysis, made by parents and citizens in a midwestern city, of 12 texts in the elementary reading program of a major publisher. Generally, the findings are stated…

Holt, Rinehart and Winston (School Department) sought to investigate the effectiveness of the Holt School Mathematics 1978 program in developing student achievement growth in mathematics. A field study during the 1977-1978 school year involved assessing teacher and student reactions and pre/post analysis of achievement. Results include: teachers…

The survey step in the SQ3R study reading strategy consists of scanning the reading material and its organizational features to establish the nature/magnitude of the reading task and to formulate guidelines for accomplishing that task. When the chapters of six history textbooks were examined for the presence, absence, and number of organizational…

A computer-assisted analysis was conducted of the punctuation skills taught in nine series of language arts textbooks. Each text was subjected to a detailed, page-by-page analysis of instructional content, resulting in a content-specific analysis of punctuation instruction at each grade level. The results indicated significant differences among…

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)