Examines the presentations on English and American culture in five selected English- teaching textbooks used in the Federal Republic. The results obtained are interpreted. More texts are called for that deal with people, modern England and current social and political problems. (IFS/WGA)

A study analyzed two basal reading series to determine if they depicted realistically the role of the career woman as she exists in society. A list of female careers in the 1989 editions of Houghton-Mifflin and McGraw Hill reading basals for grades 1 to 6 was compared to the career categories of the "United States Bureau of Census,…

A study examined text-based scientific concepts and described how those concepts were elaborated in three high school biology textbooks. The three textbooks were aimed at different student audiences: non-college bound students, special education students, and high school students at all levels. A concept analysis was established for each text, and…

Study results provided a grim picture of preservice elementary school teachers' knowledge of social studies content. Participating in the study were 234 juniors and seniors at the University of Georgia and the University of Southern Mississippi. The sample was composed primarily of white, southern, conservative, female education majors who had…

When readability formulas are used to review workbooks and textbooks their value is limited because application techniques have failed to take into consideration the exercises and examples in these books. The O'Hear and Ramsey (OR) Corrective technique has been developed to alleviate this problem. It allows readability data to be used accurately…

An analysis of the syntax of economics textbooks was undertaken to (1) provide real-language examples of the difficult grammatical structures being taught in an advanced economics reading course, and (2) construct a factual database of the nature of economics textbooks. Five texts representative of those typically used in introductory economics…

Censorship efforts are taking place throughout the country in spite of greater activism among anticensorship forces. One of the alarming trends is that many of the censors are now attacking the curriculum of the schools, challenging textbooks in reading, literature, history, science, health, and social studies. The International Reading…

Current issues being addressed by argumentation theorists can be identified by examining their writings in The Journal of the American Forensic Association (JAFA). Traditionally, argument has been seen as an utterance or act, from a philosophy based logical "product" perspective. Many current theorists, however, see argument as a process…

To determine how high school journalism textbooks published from 1980 to 1985 deal with mass media and to what extent they deal with journalistic skills versus historical and theoretical content, a content analysis was made of nine comprehensive textbooks published during that period. Specific content areas that were analyzed in the historical and…

Thirty-one secondary level social studies textbooks, published between 1974 and 1984 were examined to determine the characteristics of those identified as heroes and heroines, the extent to which they were presented, and ways in which they were presented. Five institutional settings (family, religious, political, economics, and sports) and five…

This paper is a discursive presentation of results of an examination of comprehension instruction provided by widely used basal reader series. Focusing on selections in the first three grades of the 1976 Houghton Mifflin Reading Series, the analyses looked at the sorts of selections the students are asked to read, at the amount of text which they…

After reviewing the Houghton-Mifflin reading textbooks, supplemental materials, and teachers' guides, the Materials Review Committee of the Kalamazoo Public Schools developed recommendations for achieving appropriate representation of, and balance in, the portrayal of sex roles in the teachers' guides, especially in those portions of the lesson…

Textbook selection protests generally reflect local concerns. At stake, however, are some critical issues affecting student rights, the public's role in school policy-making, and the integrity of educational programs. (Author/MLF)