Students are exposed to a curriculum that primes both males and females for a sexist society. Picture books are the first reading materials to which young children are exposed. An analysis of award winning children's books reveals negative associations about being female. Sex role stereotyping is already operative at the prereading and early…

The overall goal of the study was to determine if a new text in electronic communications should be written, and if so, the nature of its content, depth, and format. A review of current related studies and study objectives are presented. A questionnaire was mailed to 50 post secondary technical schools, with 40 responding. Seven major objectives…

A sample of 62 English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers in Australia and New Zealand were asked to recommend a basic library of 10 texts that they considered essential to ESL instructors. Results found a number of core categories of texts and substantial agreement on a basic library. (contains 56 references) (MDM) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse…

When elementary school teachers serve on a committee to select a new basal reader program, they must represent their school's unique needs. To develop their awareness, the selection committee should address such questions as: What kind of program improvements are teachers hoping to get? What kind of articulation will be needed between this program…

This study attempts to determine the relative power of six factors that might influence decisions of teachers about the content of fourth-grade mathematics: district tests, mandated textbooks, the principal's opinion, and parents' opinions. Sixty-six teachers were presented with descriptions of hypothetical school districts constructed to provide…

This paper describes two prospective English teachers' beliefs and understandings regarding literature and the teaching of literature. Through extensive interviews that included context-specific tasks, the study explored the subjects' prior experiences with literature, their conceptions regarding the nature of literature, and their perceptions of…

Reports on a study of how seven fifth-grade teachers organized their social studies curriculum following the adoption of a new textbook. Finds that teaching styles were more varied than might be expected given the similarity of materials. Discusses three observed teaching styles. (CFR)

Kentucky is one of twenty-four states that rely upon a state adoption process for selecting school textbooks, a procedure that occurs every six years. Publishers' bids are solicited and evaluated by the State Textbook Commission, and the Textbook Selection Criteria Committee for Reading makes recommendations that will be of help to people…

A determination of the reading grade placement levels (GPLs) and final course grades of community college students in relationship to the GPLs of their assigned social science textbooks was the focus of a study at Citrus Community College (Florida). Dale-Chall readability placement levels were calculated for eight textbooks used in 19 classes of…

The school curriculum has been under scrutiny in an attempt to improve the educational experiences of children, often in the form of federal and state control to make schools accountable for students' education. The goal of standardization is to increase minimum standards in all classrooms and to make sure that all students receive a foundation of…

Although subtle compared to the politicization of education in a totalitarian state, American education has been politicized, with liberal ideologies affecting both curricula and teachers. This gradual politicization of the classroom will, if left unchecked, lead to infringements on individual freedom and the right to the pursuit of happiness.…

This study examined how middle science teachers perceive the textbooks they use and how their perceptions varied with their personal attributes and professional backgrounds. A questionnaire was sent to 79 middle school science teachers in Missouri, and 66 responded. The questionnaire was designed to determine the teachers' perceptions about the…

A study measuring perceptions of participants in social studies textbook adoption for Georgia school districts investigated how participants' attitudes and perceptions correlated with textbook adoption. It was hypothesized that school systems would adopt new social studies materials which were perceived by members of the textbook adoption…

The two requirements for admittance to the college English profession--the Ph. D. degree and scholarly publication--frequently have little connection with the problems of teaching, the means of livelihood for most English majors. In acquiring the degree, the student must master material, acquire "professional" attitudes, and evaluate…

Noting that teacher education students are unfamiliar with the censorship issue, this paper discusses three kinds of censorship the pre-service English teacher can be expected to face, and suggests ways to prepare them to recognize and remedy anticipated problems. The essay identifies the first kind of censorship as that imposed by English…