Meanings in a picturebook are constructed in the space between words, images and reader. Contemporary picturebooks are ideal vehicles for a deep reading of, and philosophical engagement with, texts that move beyond literary and literacy knowledge. Philosophy with picturebooks also offers an alternative to personal responses to these texts that are…

This article reports on a principle-based evaluation of eight dedicated extensive reading coursebooks published in mainland China and used in many universities across the country. The aim is to determine the extent to which these coursebooks reflect a core set of nine second language acquisition and extensive reading principles. Our analysis shows…

To explore the multimodality of two representative EFL textbook series for Chinese college students, their visual and verbal semiotic modes were compared. The target textbooks are "Experiencing English" and "New Century College English". Through multimodal discourse analysis, the study aims to shed some light on how to develop…

In this article, the author examines Louise Rosenblatt's "Literature as Exploration," a popular textbook used since 1938 (in five successive editions) in high school English classrooms across America. He discusses how the one-time college roommate of Margaret Mead managed to transform teaching literature into a form of student therapy that…

In the first year of a pilot program, 18 New York City schools are digging into new ways to accomplish two objectives emphasized in the common-core standards: (1) engage students in increasingly complex texts as they move through school; and (2) help them conquer literacy skills specific to disciplines such as history and science. Spearheaded by…

This study emanates from an assumption that the skill of evaluating sources is placed in a complicated field, where an old academic tradition is paired with a contemporary emphasis on the possibilities and risks with modern sources. The aims of the study is to contribute with a description and analysis of these views as they are expressed in…

Over the past decade in the United States, levelled texts, or "little books" with finely graduated levelling of text difficulty, have regained their status as a literacy staple for beginning readers. Despite their resurgence, questions remain regarding the reliability and quality of these books. In this study, we conducted a detailed…

This article considers ideological, pedagogical and constitutive functions of children's picture books, with particular emphasis on the ways in which texts construct children and childhood in economic terms. Through an analysis of Lauren Childs' "Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent" and Anthony Browne's "Voices in the Park", the article…

Offers an analogy between passing a written driving test and actually driving a vehicle, and evaluating textbooks by the number of syllables in words and by sentence length and the students' ability to actually read the textbook. Provides an open textbook inventory to evaluate how well students interact with the book. (JC)

Surveys 44 high school students regarding their textbooks: including how often they use textbooks; which is their least favorite text and why; which is their most favorite text and why; and what they would do to make textbooks more enjoyable and readable (discussing graphics\illustrations, teen interest topics, organizational patterns, vocabulary,…

Reconsiders the place of Peter Berger's "Invitation to Sociology," in teaching undergraduate sociology courses. Traces the success and intellectual impact of the work. Describes the image of sociology it presents. Reviews its treatment of human freedom as a sociological issue. Examines its world vision and evaluates its usefulness in…

Examines the traditional criteria for evaluating first and second language reading texts. Proposes that, if reading is interaction between a text and a reader, variables related to the reader's side of the process, global textual properties, content characteristics, and rhetorical and discourse features should be considered before linguistic…

Indicates that both novices and experts considered (1) definitions more important than facts, though novices applied this rule more strongly, and (2) information high in the passage hierarchy more important than lower level information. Finds that hierarchical level has a greater effect on the perceived importance of definition than facts. (JD)

This paper examines visual and affective factors involved in the reading of foreign language texts. It draws on the results of a pilot study among students of post-compulsory school stage studying French in England. Through a detailed analysis of students' reactions to texts, it demonstrates that the use of "authentic" documents under…

Describes discussion practices recommended in 15 postprimary reading methods textbooks published before and after 1970. Focuses analysis on (1) function of textbook in discussion; (2) questioning-discussion relationship; and (3) teacher-student relationship in discussions. Finds that earlier authors granted texts more status as arbiters of ideas…