Scientific literacy has been increasingly considered a major goal of science education. While textbooks remain the most widespread tools for pursuing this goal within classrooms, they have been slow to adapt to the most recent epistemological paradigms, often still conveying distorted views of science and technology. Accordingly, we present herein…

This dissertation used a mixed method to develop an analytical model from a random selection of one of eight secondary history textbooks for instances of Indians to determine if the textual content: (1) constructs negative or inaccurate knowledge through word choice or narratives; (2) reinforces stereotype portraits; (3) omits similar minority…

Research on the inclusion of women in textbooks found severe inequalities in the way women were included in text and illustration. The use of carefully and purposefully selected images in the classroom can address both the lack of images of women in textbooks as well as the stereotypical portrayal of woman in textbook images.

We address issues related to gender and cultural equity in a history of mathematics course. We first look at the preponderance of male European mathematicians represented in textbooks of mathematics and history or mathematics. Then we discuss ways to highlight the presence of female and non-European mathematicians in the history of mathematics.…

In this article, the authors analyze evidence regarding the dissemination of mistaken ideas concerning the presence and function of pine trees ("Pinus halepensis") in a Mediterranean archipelago: the Balearic Islands (Spain). The main errors concerning the natural vegetation that are disseminated among citizens by the forest management…

In this paper we share findings of a textbook analysis in which we explored the treatment of segregated education in eight, widely-used secondary United States history and government textbooks. We positioned our findings within the historiography related to the African American school experience which challenges the notion that the lack of…

The portrayal of the Middle East in school textbooks has been reported to be inaccurate and negative as late as the mid 1990's. Numerous major studies conducted by various researchers and organizations indicate that school textbooks written between the 1970's and 1990's contributed to existing stereotypes of the Middle East held by many Americans.…

Gender bias in textbooks (GBIT) is a low-profile education issue, given the 72,000,000 children who still have no access to schooling, but this article argues that GBIT is: (1) an important, (2) near-universal, (3) remarkably uniform, (4) quite persistent but (5) virtually invisible obstacle on the road to gender equality in education--an obstacle…

This paper reports the findings of a simple normative content analysis of 11 multicultural education textbooks to determine the extent to which disability and deaf culture are represented. In addition, this study examines multicultural education textbooks to assess the extent to which perspectives of members of the disability and deaf communities…

While there has been some genuine improvement in the textbook presentations of Jews, Nazi persecutions, black Americans, and Americans of Indian, Oriental, and Spanish-speaking heritage, it has been uneven at the best. A significant number of texts continue to present a principally white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant view of America. (DM)

Forty introductory psychology texts from the 1950s and 160 texts from the 1970s were compared for their inclusion of information on religion, and then evaluated for the objectivity of their treatment of the subject. Results showed no systematic presentation of the subject and increasingly neutral references to religion. (AM)

Presents the annecdotal results of an analysis of 11 major publishers' high school world history textbooks. Provides criteria for evaluating such books and concludes that, as a group, these textbooks promoted Western ethnocentrism. (JDH)

It is reasonable to be concerned about ideological bias in economics textbooks because of political pressures in the United States to present a positive evaluation of free enterprise. However, an examination of texts does not show the bias that Bruce Romanish claims to have found. (IS)

Twenty-six elementary and secondary texts dealing with the Middle East are analyzed for objectivity and accuracy. Results indicate a need for area specialists' participation in textbook writing. Analysis is based upon data gathered by the Committee on Middle East Image in Secondary Schools, Middle East Studies Association. (JH)