Extends and partially replicates a study comparing a segment from a high school history text with revised versions by linguists, composition teachers, and "Time-Life" writers. Finds that revisions by composition teachers were most effective. Suggests that textbook writers revise texts based on comments made by readers as they read. (RS)

A model for developing instructional analogies was used to produce experimental treatments that included text from a high school biology textbook to which was added extended verbal analogies written by the researcher linking each of two biology concepts to analogous familiar concepts. The control treatment was text from the biology textbook…

Organized in three sections, this report presents the first case study from a project aimed at developing prototypes of ideal textbook chapters. The report (1) discusses the Ideal Text Project, in which a number of researchers in instructional science have been challenged to design a textbook chapter that incorporates the design features they…