Intellectual demands of learning outcomes in the intended curriculum have always been a concern across the field of science education. In particular, the representation of those learning outcomes stipulated by the intended curriculum in science textbooks has become a big issue for both science curriculum studies and science teaching practice. To…

Closet drama illustrating how the desire for mass commercial acceptability may cause a stimulating and informative textbook to end up in an editor's wastebasket. (DE)

Briefly summarizes some recent advances in instructional science and indicates how this knowledge can be used to improve the instructional quality of textbooks and other instructional materials. Procedures for developing a textbook and for evaluating a textbook are provided. (Author/MER)

How relevant are some textbooks when professors, even in the same department, teach similar courses in different ways? Are there methods by which textbook companies can receive realistic, substantive feedback concerning the quality of communication textbook offerings? This paper details the methods by which its author/educator became a textbook…

In the fall of 1984, the Education Commission of the States (ECS) was awarded a grant from the U.S. Secretary of Education's Discretionary Fund to identify alternative state roles for improving instructional materials in mathematics. To help state leaders define an appropriate and effective role in upgrading these materials, ECS proposed first to…

MATERIAL CONCERNING MINORITY GROUPS SHOULD BE PRESENTED IF IMPORTANT TO AN ADEQUATE UNDERSTANDING OF THE SUBJECT MATTER. PRESENTATION SHOULD BE MATURE AND REALISTIC, AND TREATMENT SHOULD REFLECT A RESPECT FOR CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND HUMAN DIGNITY. A CHECKLIST IS INCLUDED TO AID THE TEACHER IN SELECTING TEXTBOOKS WHICH GIVE ADEQUATE PRESENTATION…

Textbooks have an enormous influence on the curriculum of schools across the nation. Many issues are taken into consideration when selecting textbooks. Textbooks that present students with a multicultural curriculum are often at the center of debate among school administrators. This journal presents a series of articles based on interviews with…

Publishers of textbooks are subject to pressure from public opinion and regional bias as well as criticism from teachers and boards of education. (JD)

Controversy has been generated by a right-wing group over the merit of various high school American history textbooks. The author argues that his textbook fits all ethical categories. (JN)

This booklet addresses the question of what is wrong with textbooks and then shows how textbooks can be improved through the selection process. A conceptual scheme is proposed as the basis of the selection process. Specific attributes and features to look for when selecting textbooks, based on this conceptual scheme, are discussed. Five categories…

Topics include: (1) the content, style, and level of physics' textbooks; (2) suggestions for in-class use; and (3) recommendations for upgrading current texts. (SK)

Learner Verification and Revision (LVR) has been part of Florida's instructional materials adoption process since 1974, when state statutes required textbook publishers to provide written proof that their materials were revised based on student feedback before publication. Publishers were also required to collect student data and make revisions…