Discussion of textbooks criticizes review and selection by professors without consideration for price, publishers who push sales of new or revised textbooks instead of older textbooks, and emphasis on readability and teaching techniques rather than on content. (ND)

Anonymous criticism of a reading consultant's readability analysis of the authors' introductory psychology textbook. (ND)

Significant differences were found between the stated objectives of most college level economics textbooks and the instruments included in the instructor's manuals to measure student achievement. (Author/RM)

Evaluates 24 introductory college textbooks in human and regional geography in light of their presentation of traditional approaches and contemporary research themes and assesses their reading level. Findings show that many approaches to introducing knowledge are used, information presented lags behind current research, and reading levels are…

Provides an evaluation of regional texts on Latin America by means of analyzing opinions of 45 Latin Americanist geographers. Findings are presented in three categories--highly rated texts, intermediately rated texts, and others. (DB)

Discusses a study in which 50 introductory college-level sociology textbooks were examined to determine how the concept of power was treated. Findings indicated that power is generally presented as a macro-level phenomenon, with emphasis on institutionalized and legitimated forms of power. (Author/DB)

Discusses the "static, insular" view of composition that is found in many composition textbooks. Notes how students might misconstrue arbitrary prescriptions in writing textbooks as rigid rules. Laments that textbook structures deemphasize the composing process. (RL)

Reports a review of 13 genetics textbooks published from 1975 to 1979. Six tables present summaries of the significant data about the books, specific topics covered in the texts, and the number of pages devoted to each of 15 general topics in each textbook evaluated. (CS)

Examines students' misconceptions and proposed mechanisms related to current flow in electrolyte solutions and the salt bridge. Confirms reported misconceptions and identifies several new ones. Discusses probable sources of misconceptions and some methods for preventing them. Contains 27 references. (JRH)

Describes how some textbook publishers pay professors to review their books and then assign them to students, increasing sales. Critics say the practice is unethical--and growing. (EV)

Analyzes how two electromagnetism textbooks approach the concept of electric field. Uses historical evolution of the field representation. Indicates that one textbook mixes up the historical and pedagogical reasons for the introduction of the concept of field while the other one presents a sketch that might lead students to understand the field…

Reviews 25 college reading skills textbooks for their context skills presentations. Provides six suggestions for revising the instruction of contextual skills to college students. (RS)

Reports the results of an examination of 31 psychology textbooks. Finds texts give definite answers to complex questions. Concludes that instructors must be cautious when using texts. Suggests authors and publishers can police their activities by establishing a standardized format for citing material. Urges teachers to encourage this idea through…

Asserts that students should be encouraged to be risk takers and derive their own meaning from expository text. Discusses the impact of several reading strategies on the reading attitudes and classroom performance of college-level developmental readers. (PRA)