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 sex equity in basal reading textbooks. Finds disturbing results when a 1993 study of characters in basals was compared with earlier (1960s-1980s) studies--limited progress has been made in correcting biases toward male characters. Finds that male characters continue to dominate in required reading instructional materials and also outnumber…

A study involved a comparison of the "Miami Linguistic Readers" and the "Holt Basic Reading Series." It was hypothesized that there is no difference between the "Miami Linguistic Readers" and the "Holt Basic Reading Series" in vocabulary load, word recognition, and comprehension requirements. An analysis of…

To explore the issue of educational content in basal readers, a study analyzed 34 basal reading textbooks, representing eight of the most commonly used series in American elementary education. Educational content was defined and categorized along three dimensions: subject matter, function, and ethos. The subject matter component covered theories,…

Fry's Readability Graph was used to determine the readability levels of the 1981 Scott, Foresman and Co. basal textbook series for grades one through six. The readability levels were then compared to those established for the 1978 edition. In the 1981 edition, all stories were handscored. Poems, skill lessons, and plays were not examined in order…

To determine how frequently various forms of anaphora appear in materials written for children, 1,000-word excerpts were analyzed from the second, fourth, and sixth grade texts of four basal reader series. The basal programs consisted of the "Ginn Reading Program," the "Houghton Mifflin Reading Program,""Scott, Foresman…

A study examined the first grade materials in five new basal programs submitted for the 1993 Texas state adoption. (The programs were those of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich; Houghton Mifflin; Scott Foresman; Macmillan/McGraw-Hill; and Silver Burdett Ginn). These series are compared with program materials currently in use in the state. The analysis…

A study investigated the depiction of older characters in basal reader series from 1975 to 1983. A checklist was used to collect data concerning the treatment of older people in the stories and pictures of the following series: (1) Macmillan and Company (1975), (2) Allyn and Bacon (1978), (3) Scott Foresman (1978), Ginn and Company (1982), and (5)…

A study was designed to determine if the classifications and definitions of context clues suggested in ten reading methods textbooks were used in three basal reading series. The method textbook analyses provided 27 different context clues. The analysis of the basal reading series--D. C. Heath (1983), Ginn (1984), and Scott, Foresman (1983)--showed…

Examines narrative and expository text from four basal reader series for the occurrence of anaphora. Finds an abundance of anaphora in both. Notes that beginning and developing readers have difficulty in resolving them, and that instructional strategies are needed to help teachers and students deal with this element of cohesion. (RS/JAD)

To provide a consistent framework for evaluating competing reading methods and materials, an assessment instrument was devised to help over 100 inservice educators evaluate the middle grade components of five nationally used basal reader programs: the Holt Basic Reading System; the Open Court Correlated Language Arts Program, the Ginn Reading 360…

The sentences in two first grade basal readers were categorized using Joan Tough's language function classification system to determine whether lower level basal readers allowed children to use their knowledge of language functions in reading. The range of language functions and language uses in the basals was compared to those that Tough found in…

A study compared the sex roles depicted in the 1963 Scott Foresman basal series with those of the 1978 series to determine if changes had occurred. A total of 172 stories from 16 readers were analyzed using the Checklist for Evaluating Sexism in Reading. Each story was examined for the number of times males and females were portrayed as main…

A study compared the 1975 and 1983 editions of the "Macmillan Reading Program Series" primary readers in order to examine sex role portrayals. It was hypothesized that the 1983 edition would show an increase in portrayals of non-sexist roles when compared with the 1975 edition. A checklist was constructed to record instances of sexism…