Examines approximately one-third of the more than 100 college-level U.S. government textbooks, separating them into four general categories: traditional, thematic, essentials, and ideological. Evaluates texts on the basis of accuracy, readability, adequacy, coverage of certain topics, treatment of women and minorities, and particular policy areas.…

Discusses the increasing availability of law, justice, and legal history as a first-year college course. Explains that the course is an interdisciplinary one, mostly taught by political scientists, sociologists, historians, and lawyers. Reviews available college and law school textbooks that could be used in the course. (SG)

Reviews the treatment of 15 different, often unrelated topics and eras, as found in the first volumes of 19 widely-used U.S. history survey textbooks. Topics reviewed include Jamestown, American slavery, the Constitution, and Fort Sumter. The review focuses on factual errors, questionable interpretations, boring prose, and the question of…

Discusses a follow-up examination of leading Western civilization and world history textbooks. Argues that the books have changed little over seven years. Identifies improvements but finds little alteration in the books' basic designs and interpretations. Concludes that the books' treatment of literature, art, philosophy, political science, and…

Examines the essential elements of comparative government and politics textbooks, describing the difficulties involved in trying to cover all topics. Reviews several introductory political science textbooks, concluding that universal texts are too broad, and therefore inadequate. Proposes several qualities that contribute to good textbooks and…

Reviews 16 successful, college-level anthropology textbooks, examining content, clarity, readability, audience level, scholarship, and focus. Advocates greater coverage of topics such as applied anthropology and suggests attention be given to alternatives to the standard cultural institutions of marriage, religion, etc. States that the scientific…

Provides a review of the use of history textbooks in United States schools. Focuses special attention on studies which sought to determine the treatment of specific groups or themes in secondary history textbooks by applying content analysis techniques. Concludes that only a limited number of studies quantified the data upon which the analysis was…

Traces the changes in international textbook research in recent years. Examines the role of social studies textbooks in integrating individuals into society. Reviews the historical origins of international textbook revision, and critiques the assumptions of international textbook research. Maintains that textbook research must define its…

Analyzes six U.S. civics and history textbooks used in grades seven through nine to determine what messages these texts convey to young people about the nature of civic life. Explores the results in three sections: (1) learning about the nature of democracy; (2) national identity and loyalty; and (3) diversity. (CMK)

Discusses an analysis of 10 common introductory psychology textbooks. Argues that the books tend to present psychology as tedious, even silly, and as a canned, multimedia, self-teaching program. Concludes that replacing textbooks with lectures based on the instructor's personal knowledge and experience would improve the teaching of psychology. (SG)

Analyzes high school economics textbooks through an examination of the questions that textbooks traditionally address about economic production: What, how much, and how will something be produced, and who gets the product? Considers teachers' relationships to economic textbooks and courses. Concludes that textbooks should be more relevant to…

Analyzes six high school U. S. government textbooks. Discusses method of evaluation. Compares textbooks based on the following criteria: content, physical characteristics, understandability, and fairness. Concludes that all of the textbooks studied competently meet the aforementioned research criteria. (RW)

Explores whether the issue of computing technology is included in social studies methods textbooks and to what detail. Discusses how computer technology can be included in social studies instruction and particularly in methods courses. Includes a supplemental bibliography of related readings. (CMK)

Using content analysis, presents a study of 14 U.S. history textbooks. Analyzes textbook treatment of the Declaration of Independence, the atomic bomb, and the Holocaust. Examines nontextual materials. Finds errors of omission, boring writing styles, and a basic similarity between the textbooks. (RW)

Outlines the essential elements of a textbook. Analyzes geography textbooks in terms of their commitment to global interdependence, and treatment of a wide range of geographic concepts. Identifies components of a well-integrated textbook program. (RW)