Focusing on what authors can do to facilitate learning from content area textbooks, this report labels authors as "considerate," providing text that readers can understand with a minimum of cognitive effort, or as "inconsiderate," creating text that requires a conscientious, highly skilled effort if readers are to comprehend…

The intent of the learning module described here is to increase users' skills in selecting effective instructional products for their classrooms. The module familiarizes users with product selection criteria and involves the user in practical demonstration of product selection. This descriptive report provides information on the purposes and…

Recent information drawn from the Educational Products Information Exchange (EPIE) Institute's six-year survey and assessment of instructional materials used in United States schools is reported in this paper. Among the conclusions, observations, and recommendations reported are the following: as currently practiced in most schools, the selection…

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 EPIE report contains parallel, common language descriptions of 26 life, physical, and earth science offerings for junior high school students from nine commercial publishers. Materials have been designed for one-year courses and have copyright dates from 1975-1980. Information for each program is presented under the following headings: (1)…

A STUDY OF THE NATURE AND UTILITY OF TYPES OF ESSAY ANTHOLOGIES DESIGNED FOR FRESHMAN COMPOSITION COURSES WAS CONDUCTED IN ORDER TO DETERMINE (1) WHAT ARE THE RATIONALES, ORGANIZATION, CONTENT, AND INSTRUCTIONAL APPARATUS OF THE MOST WIDELY ADOPTED READERS, (2) HAVE THE RATIONALES FOR THEIR USE VARIED SINCE SUCH TEXTS APPEARED, AND (3) IS THE…

THE FIRST REGIONAL MEETINGS SPONSORED BY THE KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH (KCTE) FOR APPROXIMATELY 85 HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CHAIRMEN WERE HELD IN HOPKINSVILLE AND LEXINGTON IN NOVEMBER, 1967. PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED COPIES OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH (NCTE) RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENTS OF ENGLISH…

An extensive review of the literature and a survey of nursing faculties revealed the incompleteness and obsolescence of current texts to meet the needs of the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) course in current trends. It became evident while researching course content materials for the current trends course that the personal and vocational…

An argument is presented in this booklet for the formal study of controversial issues and materials in public secondary schools. The democratic ideal of freedom of discussion is cited as justification for this stance. Included in the examination of issues are discussions of: (1) the democratic point of view as it relates to educational goals, (2)…

This research report focuses on the latent content of textbooks, the information attempting to instruct the child in ethical and moral values. Textbooks being used in the average classrooms in the United States today in grades one through six were examined and analyzed to discover the way the two sexes are portrayed and the types of behavior…

It is proposed that teachers of Chinese expose their students to traditional critical views of Chinese poetics and criticism through careful selection of poems. This approach to language study is based on the assumption that the student may gain insight and appreciation of Chinese poetry as well as a feeling for the culture. Arguments favoring…

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of a report concerning the distribution and production of school textbooks in India. All states except Gujarat have nationalized textbook production. While several states have produced more than 150 textbooks through state-controlled efforts, many others have produced only a…

Provides statements from the following persons concerning the problem of having too much material in the textbook to cover and ways teachers can cope with it: Anthony Gradisnik, Joan Miller, Lorraine A. Strasheim, Rebecca M. Valette, and Helen P. Warriner. (RM)

Examines college (introductory level) biology textbooks commonly used since 1950. Reports trends in new textbooks including length, graphics and content. Makes projections of future trends. Identifies major issues facing colleges related to biology textbook users. (CW)

Reviews results of a survey of reading/study skills texts for college developmental reading courses. Offers survey-based recommendations for selection of texts. (FL)