Examines 17 undergraduate cognitive psychology textbooks published in the United States with copyright dates between 1995 and 1999. Intends to facilitate textbook selection through a comparison of text length, reference citations, content, pedagogy, and illustrative material. Reveals that the textbooks diverge on topical emphasis. Includes an…

Proposing two major shifts in how to involve low readers more effectively in textbook learning, this book suggests that students, even those with low reading skills, can learn to use mainstream textbooks, and that textbooks can be designed to make them more usable for all students. The book presents a series of instructional techniques that…

This paper explains that materials on the teaching of Latin-American literature are sparse, even though most researchers in the field will dedicate much of their time to teaching. The paper adds that, in scholarly journals, little attention is given to teaching literature, and the topic is also absent from most academic congresses. The paper then…

Twenty-eight prospective English teachers at a large midwestern state university participated in this study of what they believe literature to be and what criteria they apply in choosing texts they would teach. Although the prospective teachers reported that they had not been taught explicit criteria for evaluating texts, they had no difficulty…

A study was done of higher education faculty members' views of ethics in relation to academics and the use of a professor's own text or a fellow faculty member's text as a course requirement. A questionnaire was sent to 210 accounting professors selected at random of whom 53 percent responded. The response rate alone indicated a widespread…

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…

Each issue in this set of newsletters is devoted exclusively to reviews of a science textbook. Each text is reviewed by two scientists and one science educator. Textbooks reviewed by issue are: (1) "Scott, Foresman Biology" (1988); (2) "Heath Life Science" (1987); (3) "Prentice-Hall Biology" (1987); (4) "Scott, Foresman Life Science" (1987); (5)…

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…

The first section of this paper concerns definitions and concepts of multicultural education, multiculturalism, and the means of achieving cross-cultural functioning. Section 2 deals with the major objectives of multicultural education. These objectives are discussed in relation to the introduction of concepts of multicultural education into the…

There are numerous ways to structure the introduction to film course so as to meet the needs of the different types of students who typically enroll. Assuming there is no production component in the course, the teacher is left with two major approaches to choose from--historical and aesthetic. The units in the course will typically be built around…

Designed for publishers and producers, this document initiates the annual subject area(s) adoption of basic instructional materials for California schools, kindergarten through eighth grade. The document presents an overview of the total instructional materials adoption-distribution process, specific instructions relating to initial submissions…

This textbook evaluation instrument is provided to assess (1) content properties; (2) instructional properties; (3) physical properties; (4) readability; and (5) other properties such as cultural mix, organization of text, and suitability for various grade levels in secondary level world geography and global studies textbooks. For the first three…

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…

This booklet addresses the question of what is wrong with textbooks and then shows how textbooks can be improved through the selection process. A conceptual scheme is proposed as the basis of the selection process. Specific attributes and features to look for when selecting textbooks, based on this conceptual scheme, are discussed. Five categories…