Cognition research can be used to improve social studies textbook design. Salient findings from research dealing with information processing styles, developmental differences, retention of key materials, and instructional principles are reviewed. Illustrative implications of these findings for the design of social studies texts are presented.…

The article studies the changing images of Blacks in 25 representative American government textbooks. Concludes that the average textbook does not portray the Black community in a realistic manner and outlines issues that a textbook writer should be aware of. (Author/KC)

Recalls the development of the International Textbook Institute whose main aim was to overcome prejudice and the outmoded values of the national state as contained in textbooks. Discusses the contributions of the Council of Europe and UNESCO in revising textbooks and suggests methods of textbook research. (Author/RK)

Examines science textbook language and determines some characteristics of them: distant authorial voice, concern for precision, limited context, limited syntax, and rhetorical model. Suggests three further researcher needs. (YP)

Learning at a distance from the source of instruction through textbooks and other media is distance learning. Robert Record wrote mathematics textbooks for the home learner of the sixteenth century. He used dialogue between Master and Scholar to present concepts and correct possible mistakes and misconceptions. (DC)

Reports on the scholarly content of four widely adopted introductory college sociology textbooks and the scholarly activity of their respective authors. Finds that, although all used a wide variety of source materials, there were substantial differences in source selection. (CFR)

Presents five experiments examining the use of illustrations in the comprehension of technical material by students of good to very good reading ability. Concludes that technical content which lends itself to presentation as an illustration will be comprehended better as an illustration than as text and will be comprehended best of all if…

Describes the process of textbook development and production. Notes that textbook production has become a multinational business, and that textbooks used in developing nations are frequently produced elsewhere and may reflect foreign values. Emphasizes that major academic systems located in industrialized nations dominate research on education and…

This document contains a final report and a handbook from a project to develop a comprehensive text on Pennsylvania government structure and taxes written on a lower (fourth- to eighth-grade) reading level for adult basic education students. The report describes how available government publications were researched, and a five-unit handbook that…

Combining instruction in critical thinking and expository writing with the study of classic texts, this textbook was developed at Baker University (Kansas) and is designed for use in a two-semester college course that fosters careful thinking and good reasoning in students. The textbook emphasizes the pedagogical principle that critical thinking…

Designed for braille transcribers and teachers of the visually handicapped, this document presents two articles about textbook braille. The first article presents information on the various methods available for transcribing tables--the stairstep method, the keying method, and the linear method. The second article provides further discussion of…

This document offers the proceedings of a seminar in which participants from Fiji, Kiribati, New Zealand, Western Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Australia, and the University of South Pactific met to discuss current and better practices for the production and distribution of textbooks and other teaching/learning materials. This seminar proceedings is…

Guided readers are written so students of English as a second language (ESL) can read them without supervision, and graded for different levels of reading competence. A superlative guided reader allows the student to read with such comfort and assurance that he will forget English is not his native language, be willing to guess, and become…

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…