In a time of rapid change and uncertainty, the skills that students must acquire are becoming more focused on creativity. Correspondingly, the development of students' creative competency should be addressed and implemented in curriculum. The purpose of the study is to examine how the content of a curriculum material, specifically an elementary…

The present study examines cultural representations in two widely used AFL textbook series, namely "Al-Kitaab" and "Arabiyyat al-Naas." Fundamentally, three main issues motivate this study: (1) the cultural politics of language textbooks underlying the construction and dissemination of cultural knowledge and its prioritization…

Research on the use of culturally relevant texts has shown the great benefits on students who are exposed to these types of texts (Feger, 2006; Ebe, 2010; Ebe, 2012; Delgado, 2021). Focus needs to be placed on the cultural backgrounds and experiences of the students so that they can become successful, and develop cultural competence and student…

This dissertation examines the integral role of identity in first-year composition, a crucial site of writing instruction predominantly taught by contingent, often inexperienced faculty. It explores how identity is manifested in composition textbooks, which are pivotal in transmitting knowledge about writing and pedagogy across various programs…

In this dissertation study, I recognized the crucial role of mathematics educators' utilization of instructional materials for effective teaching. I highlighted the significance of content that is taught to students through relevant mathematical tasks and representations. Through a detailed examination, I analyzed the similarities and differences…

Currently, the perceived use of critical theoretical frameworks to shape instruction in public K-12 education is undergoing intense scrutiny in popular and political debate. Chief among such frameworks has been Critical Race Theory (CRT), which, at the time of this writing, has been legally banned or restricted in eighteen states -- with similar…

The curriculum used in educating young people has the ability either to serve as a catalyst for the development of a science identity or potentially sway individuals away from the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This study critically analyzed gender representation across 10 secondary education biology/life science…

This study employed a qualitative content analysis design to examine the extent to which 8th and 11th-grade U.S. History textbooks, adopted by the State of Texas, foster historical empathy and disciplinary knowledge and skills in the subject of history through student engagement with textbook activities. The textbook activities collected for this…

The traditional textbook model is problematic for students who either buy expensive textbooks and add to their already considerable student debt, opt out of buying expensive textbooks, or opt out of enrolling in courses known to require expensive textbooks. Switching to open textbooks directly addresses these problems by decreasing costs, removing…

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate linguistic variation within ESL/EFL reading textbooks and between EAP reading textbooks and lower-division university textbooks. Specifically, within ESL/EFL reading textbooks, lexical, lexico-grammatical, and formulaic variation was measured within series of textbooks, across textbooks at the…

The purpose of the study is to enumerate the representations in high school geometry, to narrow the focus to the most common ones, and to describe how the common representations are coordinated. To achieve this purpose, I analyzed several sections of a popular geometry textbook using thematic analysis, semiotics, and a pragmatic approach to…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to analyze how textbooks inform and prepare teachers for handling behaviors and the management of the classroom. By reviewing 55 textbooks provided to the researcher by current midwestern K-12 classroom teachers and administrators, analysis was completed for pre-service and novice teacher stages. Textbooks…

The importance of textbooks and other materials to the educational process cannot be overstated. Unfortunately, the prices on these vital learning materials have continued to grow steadily year over year (Hanson, 2021). Open educational resources (OER), which are "teaching, learning, and research materials that are either (a) in the public…

Language is central to education, being the core medium of instruction. Researchers and practitioners have long used manual methods to analyze instructional language like classroom discourse and instructional texts, with the goal of facilitating student-centered instruction. In this dissertation, I offer three studies demonstrating how natural…

Critical information literacy (CIL) and critical information consumption (CIC) are essential skills and habits of minds for pre-service teachers to develop as they prepare to educate future generations. The purpose of this critical discourse analysis was to investigate ways in which introductory teaching or pedagogy textbooks used in public…