This content analysis study examined 99 basal reading narratives from three publishers: Harcourt, SRA-McGraw Hill, and Scott Foresman. The stories were classified according to the ethnicity of the major characters. The observed frequencies were compared to expected frequencies to indicate over representation, adequate representation or under…

Reveals that portrayals of handicapped individuals occur far less frequently in basal readers than they do in children's literature. (FL)

Reviews research on the portrayal of the elderly in United States print media. Finds that children are learning subtle stereotypes of the elderly. Offers recommendations to editors, publishers, writers, illustrators, and teachers to help children develop more realistic attitudes toward both the elderly and the aging process. (RS)

Compares selected authentic children's literature trade books with versions of them in 1993 basal readers from five textbook publishers across grade levels one, three, and five. Finds that publisher censorship still exists; important story elements are lost when illustrations are omitted; and readers miss important developments when only parts of…

A study examined the reading values taught in reading textbooks over 200 years, including the top seven basals in use in U.S. public schools through 1995. A rare books collection at a university library was the major source of data. Value "labels" were determined for each selection. Results indicated that: (1) the average reader of 100…

Updates research findings concerning the way older adults are portrayed in several basal reading series. (FL)

To determine how basal readers reflect the different kinds of family living found in American society today, information was gathered through an analysis of 462 stories relating to family life in eight basal reading series in grades one to six and a single series in grades one through three. Only fiction stories about children were used. The…

Three basal reading series, levels kindergarten through grade three, were studied to categorize the types of literature each contained. The following series were analyzed: "The Headway Program" (Open Court Publishing Company), "Series r Macmillan Reading," and "Basics in Reading" (Scott, Foresman and Company). It was…

Two hundred ninety-nine stories from the 1974 and 1981 Houghton-Mifflin primary- and intermediate-level basal readers were analyzed to determine if there had been any changes in the ways males and females were portrayed. The data indicated that sex role stereotypes still exist in children's literature. Though there was an improvement in the number…

Acknowledging that the literary quality of children's stories strongly affects reading comprehension and interest in reading, a study examined how inside view (the insight an author provides about a character's thoughts and feelings) affects the presentation of character beliefs and plans. The study was based on the following premises: (1) basal…

Reports on a study that examined the manuals of sixth-grade basal readers to determine whether the suggested poetry teaching procedures reflected the pedagogical procedures recommended by expert opinion, concluding that they did not. (HOD)

Ten Oklahoma reading textbooks from five publishers contained 462 stories, of which 28% were multicultural. A survey of 148 teachers from 10 rural Oklahoma schools found that only 4% of books used in classrooms addressed cultural diversity. Tradebooks address cultural diversity better than textbooks, but are less available to rural teachers.…

This report compares a typical newspaper account of an event with other possible ways of narrating the event. It argues that journlists' beliefs about the appropriate format, style, and content for a news story work in concert to obscure the structure of the story and the relations among subparts, and thus serve to thwart their presumed goal in…

A group of six feminists undertook this study because they felt it important that people learn about racial and sexual discrimination in textbooks used in Baltimore City and other U.S. schools. The task force chose five series of basal readers widely used in Baltimore. These series are used in most, if not all, Elementary Secondary Education Act…