Compares the visual structuring of the 1976 and 1984 nationally televised presidential campaign debates, isolating changes in visual structuring that could interfere with the comprehension of verbal content, undermine the political purpose of the encounters, and promote unequal visual treatment of candidates. Reveals three changes in visual…

Two mathematics curricula ("Distar Arithmetic" and "Scott Foresman Mathematics" and two arithmetic tests ("KeyMath" and the "Iowa Tests of Basic Skills" for grades one-three were examined for correspondence of content and types of learning required. A consistent lack of content correspondence was found among…

Assesses aggressive behavior on television in terms of its realism. Replicated and contextualized reality were assessed for 100.5 hours of programming. Replicated reality compared television portrayals to real world characteristics, and was similar in seriousness to aggression and gender patterns of perpetrators and victims. Contextual reality…

Describes a study that examined the coverage of African American reference books in reference book reviewing media. Topics addressed include review recommendation statements; content analysis of reviews; review selection criteria; use of audience as a constraint on review evaluations or to exclude reviews; and review editors. (Contains eight…

Asserts that international trade, as compared with international finance or even international economics, is primarily an applied microeconomics field. Discusses decomposition analysis in relation to international trade and tariffs. Reports on an evaluation of the treatment of this topic in eight college-level economics textbooks. (CFR)

Two contemporary films, "Braveheart" and "Rob Roy," depict Scottish ethnicity from a rather narrow perspective. The positions that are sentimentally admired when attributed to white natives of Scotland are horrifying when expressed by contemporary peoples of color. These films raise interesting questions about the true nature…

Explores ways people learn from text. Content overlap between a text and the reader's prior knowledge is identified as one factor. Methods are proposed to identify whether a text is suitable for readers with a specific background. The usefulness of coherence gaps that stimulate constructive activities is discussed. (SLD)

Argues that teachers need to become "informed consumers" of standardized tests in order to influence decisions about test use and about ways to help students perform at their best. Six strategies for considering the content of a test form are presented. (LR)

To make text attractive to readers, writers may add supporting information. In texts of the characteristic topic type, this information may include narrative accounts, questions to the reader, and the use of examples. The use of narrative accounts and examples may confuse the reader. Awareness of topic type may help overcome some of these…

Content analysis of 7 mathematics textbook series, grades 1-8, found that textbooks published after 1989 (when NCTM Standards were published) showed shifts of emphasis among content areas; changes in amount of content development, drill, word problems, and problem solving; and increased use of estimation and calculators. (13 references) (MKR)

Reports a content analysis of sexuality education curricula (nine nationally available curricula and one curriculum guide) for junior and senior high school students. The basis for analysis was the Sex Information Education Council of the U.S.'s Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education. Results found only six of the curricula acceptable.…

Discusses the alliance of artists and technologists for business multimedia development. Highlights include building design/technical work groups; project management planning; and the establishment of preset principles for business (defining the scope and variety of products and services), content management, technical design, and interface…

Describes development of an objective content analytic category scheme for measuring the sexiness of women's business attire in media presentations. Finds women's business attire in television soap operas significantly more provocative than real-world attire. Finds a significant positive correlation between the degree of sexiness as measured by…

Explores the developmental trajectory within the field of English studies as discernible in the kinds of articles published over the past several decades in the most prominent pedagogical journals in the field, including "College English" and "Research in the Teaching of English." (HB)

Explores the history of social studies instruction. Reports findings of an analysis of 1,217 lessons contained in 5 social studies textbooks. Concludes that geography, history, and anthropology receive the greatest coverage in the books, whereas sociology and political science are stressed least. Identifies differences among the five books.…