This study examined the comprehension skills and strategies presented in current reading textbooks used within the United States as a means of describing a contributor to the ecological component of reading. The ways in which comprehension skills and strategies are distributed across genres as well as connected to the National Reading Panel…

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 current study focused on the required Grade 4 reading textbooks published by Mainland China's People's Education Press. Using the construction-integration model (C-I; Kintsch in Psychol Rev 95:163-182, 1988; Discourse Process 39:125-112, 2005) as the theoretical framework, we analyzed the texts and activities in the textbooks on the following…

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 effectiveness of English Language Teaching (ELT) materials significantly influences the learning outcomes of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, positioning these resources as cardinal in the acquisition process. Despite this widely acknowledged significance, there remains a notable gap in research concerning the evaluation of key…

This scholarship of teaching and learning study compares the use of a traditional textbook and an e-textbook in post-secondary developmental reading courses. Students' achievement was compared in sections of the same course using different textbook formats. Student perceptions of their own motivation to read assigned texts were evaluated in the…

Reading instruction for young Arabic speakers presents challenges for textbook publishers and teachers. In the present study, the authors conduct an analysis at the word level of four multidisciplinary textbooks for reading instruction in grades one and two in Egypt. The study sought to answer the following questions: What are the most common…

The authors present an analysis of bilingual reading textbooks published at the turn of the 20th century. The authors examined the kinds of opportunities for learning offered by bilingual reading textbooks developed for students in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. The analysis revealed challenges…

Inferencing is an important and complex process required for successful reading comprehension. Previous research has suggested instruction in inferencing is effective at improving reading comprehension. However, varying definitions of inferencing is likely impacting how inferencing instruction is implemented in practice and inferencing ability is…

Purpose: This conceptual paper aims to explore biases in reading textbooks that have been used to teach generations of Americans, including children in urban communities. While these texts are no longer used, the images they present and the ideas embedded in these texts unfortunately contribute to who we are as a nation.…

This content analysis explored children's fictional storybooks and informational science books to determine their differences in high-quality text features that support oral language (OL) development. We also explored the opportunities for OL development in curricular books compared to trade books. Using systematic coding procedures, we evaluated…

Reporting verbs (RVs) are commonly used features in academic texts. While college textbook authors are less likely to be transparent about their views, they frequently employ RVs to signal their attitudes about the claims and findings of others. University students, particularly those placed in transitional reading courses, however, may have…

The Fountas and Pinnell "Leveled Literacy Intervention System" (LLI), first edition, is a textbook series designed for struggling elementary school readers. The materials have become entrenched in the nation's schools and are currently utilized as an intervention resource in all fifty states and four of the seven largest school districts…

Textbooks have been the subject of research within and across disciplines, but have not yet been widely studied from a disciplinary literacy perspective. Readerly agency is also understudied in disciplinary literacy. The present paper aims to illuminate both of these areas by examining facets of agency that readers demonstrated during think-aloud…

The Common Core State Standards emphasize the need for U.S. students to read complex texts. As a result, the level of word complexity for primary-level texts is important, particularly the dimensions of and changes in complexity between first grade and the important third-grade high-stakes testing year. In this study, we addressed word complexity…