Delineates bicultural and multicultural settings that can enhance meaning in teaching and acquiring anthropological insights and addresses the underlying assumptions that dispel rather than reinforce ethnic biases. Examines contributions or impediments that standard anthropological texts and ethnographic materials bring to the experience of…

Using content analysis, presents a study of 14 U.S. history textbooks. Analyzes textbook treatment of the Declaration of Independence, the atomic bomb, and the Holocaust. Examines nontextual materials. Finds errors of omission, boring writing styles, and a basic similarity between the textbooks. (RW)

An analysis of 50 textbooks used in the elementary schools of the former Belgian Congo reveals an overt attempt to propagate colonial ideology. Fundamental themes included the legitimacy of the colonization, denigration of the indigenous culture, and establishment of colonial authority. Three books, however, resisted this indoctrination and one…

The lifestyles and daily experiences of rural children and adolescents differ considerably from those in urban or suburban areas. Examination of 15 curriculum materials related to substance abuse prevention and development of student decision-making skills revealed that depictions of situations and settings ignored or (less frequently) stereotyped…

This documentary study postures Canadian school textbooks as barometers of corporate faith and prevailing world view, tracing the shift toward secularization in 150 years of publication. A perusal of textbooks suggests that the current secularism of school curricula is not neutral and highlights the need to teach about Christianity. (SM)

Discusses feminism and its role in social studies. Suggests that adding a few female names and faces has not changed the inherent masculinity of the culture. Argues that women's contributions are overlooked because they do not fit the male model of achievement. Suggests that women's culture must be articulated in the social studies. (DK)

American and western education textbooks have omitted Hispanic topics, people, and contributions. An examination of seven history of western education texts reveals no mention at all of Hispanics. An examination of 11 history of American education texts, ranging from 400 to 600 pages, reveals that none devotes more than two pages to Hispanics or…

For over a century, Texas public schools have attempted to acculturate Mexican-American children by denigrating Mexican-American culture, language, and history. These efforts have largely failed, as Mexican-Americans in Texas have not lost their cultural heritage and assimilated into the larger society. However, this ethnic group has been shorn of…

Many feel that textbooks dominate what students learn. They set the curriculum and often the facts learned in most subjects. For many students, textbooks are their first and sometimes only early exposure to books and to reading. The public regards textbooks as authoritative, accurate and necessary and many teachers rely on them to organize lessons…

Designed to offset the effect of sexually biased texts and materials, this annotated bibliography lists available nonsexist instructional resource material for students in kindergarten through twelfth grades. The majority of items focus on activities teachers can use in classroom settings. The guide is organized into the following eight subject…

This study is a history of the societal-problems approach in social studies education as revealed in secondary school social studies textbooks used in Problems of Democracy courses from 1895 to 1985. The central thesis is that the definition of the problems approach and the problems selected for study by educators as illustrated by the textbooks…

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…

These critiques of a high school American government textbook, "American Government in Action," (Resnik and Nerenberg, 1973) represent the first in a series of studies designed to assess the effectiveness of social science textbooks in communicating and reinforcing Western values. The critiques are followed by a response by the authors of the…

An examination of eight widely used college English handbooks published since 1974 reveals a range of sexist usage, indicating that authors and editors have not reached a general consensus on which practices they and student writers are to avoid as sexist. Sexism is still manifest in handbooks in such practices as the following: using sexually…

Presented in this guide are a number of plans and strategies designed to help educators and counselors deal with sexism and related topics in various subject areas. Objectives and suggested activities are provided for the areas of career education, parent involvement, parental attitudes, social studies, values clarification, student awareness of…