Identifies the 6 major elements of entrepreneurship, and examines the treatment of each element by 15 major introductory economics textbooks. Results indicate that entrepreneurship is not adequately covered, causing students to miss important understandings about the workings of the market economy. Recommends that teachers provide supplementary…

This document argues for the utility of mapping knowledge perspectives as a kind of cognitive art, or play of figuration to help orient educators to knowledge communities and their cultural codes, and to reinscribe modernist vocabularies into post-modern ways of seeing and representing educational change knowledge. A perspectivist approach is used…

Presents results of a content analysis of 46 postsecondary reading textbooks to assess the texts' incorporation of features that enhance learning. Describes the use of a modified version of Singer's Friendly Text Inventory to analyze the texts in terms of organization, explication, conceptual density, metadiscourse, and instructional devices. (DMM)

The purpose of this study was to quantitatively analyze the Latin American content of contemporary world geography textbooks published for United States secondary schools. A preliminary review of the literature indicated that Latin America was generally omitted from world geography texts, Central America was given minimal attention, and…

In many classrooms, the textbook becomes the main source used to determine objectives, procedures, opinions, questions, thoughts, and other items used in teaching U.S. history. This study was done to determine how the Reconstruction Era was presented in a selected group of junior high school U.S. history textbooks. The books were classified…

Reports the results of research concerning the portrayal of the sexes in music textbooks. Suggests that such portrayals may reinforce women's underrepresentation in music education. Reports that men in the illustrations were more likely than women to be identified and presented in formal portraits. Discusses the stereotypical association of the…

Describes religious illiteracy among undergraduate students. Examines high school textbooks in United States and world history, economics, home economics, and biology. Finds religion almost completely ignored. Argues that the religious neutrality mandated by the Supreme Court effectively eradicates religion from the curriculum. Suggests a new test…

Examines 11 randomly selected English handbooks to determine the currently published guidelines for avoiding sexist language. Reveals that major differences exist among these handbooks when dealing with equality in language and suggests that feminist teachers exert leadership when selecting handbooks. Ranks five handbooks from offensive to…

Reports that a goal and item analysis of eight history and systems of psychology textbooks and their accompanying test item files showed that the majority of the essay test items are too narrow in scope to measure the commonly stated course goals. Presents some integrative and goal-relevant essay questions to rectify this shortcoming. Includes a…

Social studies textbooks need careful inspection with regard to how they treat ethnicity. Although there have been several studies of possible bias in textbooks, there are methodological concerns that need further deliberation. Content analysis has been called a "technique for systematic inference from communications," and it may be viewed as a…

Analyzes seven college-level U.S. history survey texts to determine the deteriorating quality of college history textbooks. Focuses on three areas: (1) the simplification of style and content, (2) indications of implicit censorship, and (3) the lack of a thematic structure which would contribute to the students' understanding of history. (LS)

Examines seventh and eighth grade U.S. history textbooks (seven from the 1930s, seven from the 1950s, and seven from the 1980s) to determine changes in presentation of religious content over the decades. Limits investigation to the Colonial Era 1606-73. Concludes few significant differences appeared. (SLM)

The 66th and 67th Texas legislatures mandated that an economics course with an emphasis on the free enterprise system and its benefits be a required course for all students graduating from Texas high schools. This paper presents an analysis of the 1982-1988 textbooks adopted for that course. The key concepts evaluated were: definition of…

Reports on an investigation of 31 introductory geology textbooks indicating that the concept of contact between bodies of rock is only rarely discussed. Data collected pertaining to 15 related terms demonstrated that many are either omitted or inadequately covered. (TW)

A study of 139 textbooks written over the last 40 years. Recent texts are found to give more coverage to the psychology of later life, and many seek to present a positive image of aging and older adults. These treatments, however, often contain material that perpetuates stereotypes. (EVL)