Studied 18 mathematics textbooks and found: most segments of the books did not refer to people, 45% of people depicted were male compared to 39% female, most people depicted were shown as active not passive, and only 8% of instances showed a person who was not Anglo-Australian. (MKR)

Describes a list of attributes of instructional materials based on a review of instructional design literature that was validated and found reliable through a series of studies. Four categories of attributes are presented: (1) instructional design; (2) language, including semantic and syntactic structures; (3) presentation, including layout; and…

Analyzes 231 comic strips and 126 editorial cartoons featuring homelessness to uncover differences between public opinion manifested in popular culture and views held by local and national power groups. Finds that 57% of comic strips and 30% of editorial cartoons are neutralizing, either by using the homeless as "props" for other stories or issues…

Describes ratings and rankings by both researchers and children of the new and old basal text series. Describes students' response to the texts. Identifies the engaging qualities of these texts. Shows similarities between children's and researchers' preferences. (HB)

Examines images characterizing two-year college leadership and discusses the impact of these images on women, minorities, and the effectiveness of community colleges. Indicates that due to the acceptance of collaboration, team building, process orientation, flexibility, and intuition as mainstream leadership characteristics, current images…

A 10-year period of professional literature in the "Communication Yearbook" was subjected to bibliometric analysis. Content of the articles was analyzed and compared for frequency of mention of research programs, theories, and methodologies. Similarities in the field of librarianship, notably reference/information work, were identified.…

Discusses cultural and ethnic changes in the United States and describes an examination of three journals dealing with library service to children and young adults to discern possible trends in the treatment of cultural/ethnic issues. Types of items published, frequency, and range of cultural/ethnic groups addressed are described. (two references)…

Television programs undergo many revisions from original script to completed pilot. This study analyzed 21 programs which debuted in 1987 to determine whether there were significant changes in the portrayal of women during the production. The results showed little change in gender representation from the original script to the finished program and…

Discusses the potential impact of computers in qualitative health research. Describes the original goals, design, and implementation of NUDIST, a qualitative computing software. Argues for evaluation of the impact of computer techniques and for an opening of debate among program developers and users to address the purposes and power of computing…

Offers a critique of existing methods of assessing the human interest of basic writing textbooks, contending that most are abstract and subjective and that the more objective Flesch formula inflates texts' human-interest level. Advocates modifying existing formulas and guidelines. Suggests criteria (e.g., appropriateness of readability level) for…

Examines the verbal and visual content of two widely used United States history textbooks from the 1950s and the 1980s. Finds that the 1980s textbooks do not contain significantly more visuals nor any less narrative and expository content than did those of the 1950s. (RS)

Some factors that should be considered when science teachers produce materials for their students are presented. Readability and the key aspects of language (vocabulary, sentence structure, textbook or examination style, and organization and presentation) are discussed. Directions and the graph needed for estimating the reading level of materials…

Patterns in the content of three commercial magazines ("Sassy,""Seventeen," and "Young Miss") oriented toward adolescent female consumers were analyzed by three trained raters. Findings are discussed in terms of print media utilization by adolescents; themes of self-improvement, identity development, and achievement;…

Discusses how to teach critical thinking about television and describes methods used in a college class on television analysis. Two approaches are examined: television content analysis, with an example of sports commentary; and analyzing television viewing, including a questionnaire developed by students. (five references) (LRW)

Considers how college English instructors view their students. Studies and analyzes references to students appearing in the February issues of the pedagogical journal "College Composition and Communication" for 1990, 1991, and 1992. Calls for increased attention to this subject. (HB)