This paper addresses the question of whether introductory students are learning the essential concepts of sociology. A study of 18 introductory sociology textbooks, dated from 1973 through 1977, indicates that these basic concepts are not clearly and intelligibly presented. Although over 1500 concepts were included in 18 glossaries, only one…

In response to the problem facing college faculties of choosing textbooks that are both "readable" by students and adequate in content coverage, a text selection process has been developed that can be used with or without the aid of a reading specialist. The first step in the process, a preliminary check, examines each proposed text's publication…

This paper summarizes the findings of a study examining the impact of standards-based and curriculum reforms on the role of curriculum materials in educational systems in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Australia. Concepts derived from a model of decision-oriented evaluation were applied to define a typology to classify…

Over the past decade, the importance of multiword lexical units has been receiving an extraordinary amount of attention, and is now almost a must-have component in the practice of English language teaching. The field of English for Business Purposes was among the first to recognize the uniqueness of multiword units, establishing the initial…

The teaching of history is part of the continuous process of redefining American civilization that lies at the center of what it means to be an American. A major challenge facing teachers of U.S. history is how to strike an appropriate balance between the forces of continuity and change. Much of the concern over history standards and the choice of…

The study examined the role of the textbook, not as a teaching tool but as an artifact in the professional culture of higher education faculty. The three areas of focus were visibility and review, selection criteria, and scholarly engagement and reward. The study was structured in terms of institutional or professional culture to determine if…

While much has been written about state-level textbook selection and adoption, little careful, systematic data gathering has taken place. One result of this absence of formal study is that few people understand the scope and complexity of interacting persons and processes taking place whenever states make textbook decisions. This paper presents…

Over one million students are enrolled in basic college speech courses each year, providing big business for publishers and authors of speech texts and an opportunity for abuse by faculty who have authored a text or who want to curry favor with a department head who has authored a text. Most multisection basic course programs taught by graduate…

Although there are many college freshman writing textbooks on the market, the selection of a textbook can be made simpler by following a number of guidelines. Teachers should examine textbooks they consider using to make certain the books contain the following elements: (1) appropriate readability for users; (2) textual features, such as self-help…

Most speech communication curricula have room for only three organizational courses: (1) business and professional speech communication (B and P), usually offered to freshmen and sophomores; (2) an introduction to organizational communication, presented to sophomores and upper-class students; and (3) a seminar in organizational communication, for…

Teachers of all subjects at all levels are constantly searching for helpful new materials, and many corporations and special interest organizations have responded by preparing and distributing free or low-cost materials for "educational" purposes. However, a teacher should preview such materials carefully before using them to determine whether…

The three papers collected in this document present opinions for and against the use of anthologies in introductory writing and literature classes at community colleges. The first paper, "College Students Must Read Book-Length Works," by Dallas E. Dillon, proposes that students, even non-traditional community college students, should be pushed to…

Saint Mary's College (Indiana) offers a minor program in computer science. The program's introductory computer science class traditionally taught Pascal. The decision to change the introductory programming language to C++ with an object oriented approach was made when it became clear that there were good texts available for beginning students.…

In July, 1982, letters were sent to the social studies coordinators in all 50 states requesting a list of high school geography texts approved for use in those states and information on the selection process used. The response rate was 100%. Information acquired from the 20 states that have statewide adoption policies constitute the basis of this…

The process of evaluating and selecting basal readers has long been a primary concern for educators. Educators directly involved with textbook adoptions have expressed several concerns, including: time pressures on evaluators; lack of training for evaluators; concerns related to publishers; and correlations with state or district curriculum.…