This study analyzed the photographs and other illustrations from chapters covering subject matter common to seven secondary-level civics textbooks--the Constitution, the federal court system, local government, and economic systems--in order to determine how instructionally relevant they were to teaching and learning the content and concepts that…

Reveals conclusions of an analysis of developmental psychology textbook information about television and children. Reports variability in the amount and type of information presented. Suggests that the amount of information presented has declined in recent years. Expresses concern for the textbooks' scant coverage of the effects of television on…

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…

This report presents a detailed analysis of "Discover Art," an elementary textbook series by Laura Chapman. The study was guided by a large set of framing questions requiring a detailed examination of the series' goals, rationale, and structure; content selection, organization, and emphasis; the coherence of content explication in the…

Thirty-one secondary level social studies textbooks, published between 1974 and 1984 were examined to determine the characteristics of those identified as heroes and heroines, the extent to which they were presented, and ways in which they were presented. Five institutional settings (family, religious, political, economics, and sports) and five…

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)

Reports on a study of "considerateness" of five fifth-grade social studies textbooks. Identifies four elements of considerateness: (1) readability level; (2) placement of relevant pictures or illustrations; (3) use of subtitles; and (4) use of words and phrases to connect ideas within and between sentences. (CFR)

This book presents an overview of the treatment of the Holocaust in the textbooks used in the Federal Republic of Germany, Israel, and the United States. Selection of these three countries was based on historical, political, and state administration criteria. All three countries are democratic but vary in terms of history, heritage, and…

To identify possible changes in the social functions of the Chinese educational system, content analyses were performed on selected national, Chinese language, primary school reading textbooks (First Edition, February 1978, Beijing People's Educational Press, Vols. I and II). Frequency of reference to each of the 10 regulations for children in…

Discusses a study of the content of elementary social studies textbooks. Reports that geographic and economic concepts predominated in textbooks written for first through fourth graders although publishers differed over which concepts were most important. Concludes that the books offer little opportunity to review and expand upon concepts over…

This study examines the representation of Western Europe, particularly Germany, in world history, world geography, western civilization, and U.S. history textbooks used in U.S. social studies classrooms. The goal of the study was to identify avoidable imbalances in the representations of Germany and Europe, point to areas in which the portrayals…

An examination of five social studies textbook series for grades one through four reveals a lack of consistent application of geographic concepts from publisher to publisher as well as a lack of reinforcement of previous learning within the individual series. This disjointed presentation of textbook materials contributes to a disjointed learning…

The content of elementary school reading methods textbooks spanning approximately 100 years was analyzed to note patterns of emphasis for selected topics. Four to six books were chosen for analysis from each of six time periods: 1890 to 1930, and each of the decades from the 1940s to the 1980s. Each book was evaluated with a checklist of 17 major…

An examination was made of a representative sample of language arts subtests on achievement test batteries and language arts textbooks to assess the skills tested and determine the material included in the instructional sequence. The four achievement test batteries were the California Achievement Tests, the Comprehesive Test of Basic Skills, the…