It is noted that a common belief among native Japanese-speakers is that it is not necessary to be polite when speaking English, despite the fact that politeness is seen as a Japanese cultural attribute. Researchers have also noted this discrepancy. A study investigated how Japanese secondary school textbooks for English as a Second Language (ESL)…

This paper presents findings from a longitudinal study that examined the extent and types of challenges to curriculum in California school districts. A survey of school districts conducted in 1990 yielded 421 usable responses. The second survey, sent in 1991, elicited 379 responses, a 37.5 percent response rate. Findings indicate that the number…

This article explores sex bias in curricular materials for elementary and secondary schools. Sex bias is defined as a set of unconscious behaviors that, in themselves, are often trivial and generally favorable. Although these behaviors do not hurt if they happen only once, they can cause a great deal of harm if a pattern develops that serves to…

This article examines the history textbooks available in 1998 for adoption in the United States at both the high school and elementary levels. New books have appeared on the scene since the last textbook adoption series. California begins its textbook considerations in August. The California adoption will rekindle national interest in the content…

The extent to which Finnish textbooks pay sufficient attention to pronunciation in English language courses is discussed, including decisions on the choice of accent (e.g., British or American English). Other issues include the choice of phonetic symbols, keys to the symbols, segmental sounds that reveal personality, weak forms, and elision and…

Because it has been overworked, underanalyzed, and undefined, critical thinking has come to mean anything or nothing. The best work on critical thinking imagines it as an act of composing and revising. Definitions of critical thinking have undergone a historical evolution--from general problem-solving "skills" to a complex of…

This document reports on an investigation focusing on how the content of introductory college psychology texts' content related to physical attractiveness and self-esteem. The primary objective of this study was to review how recently published life-span developmental texts present physical development in middle childhood as related to traditional…

Results on content-oriented national assessment tests have demonstrated that many secondary school students in the United States are culturally illiterate. E. D. Hirsch has compiled a list of 4,500 terms, dates, phrases, and sayings that he argues represents the broad knowledge base that culturally literate U.S. citizens should possess. Twelve…

Analysis of beginning second language textbooks for German, Swedish, English, and Finnish looked at the readability of the contents. Finnish and English texts are examined more closely here as illustrations of the problems found in all four languages. Specific passages are cited and discussed; two are appended. A general framework of text…

A new awareness of the importance of understanding Canada has made its way to U.S. public school classrooms. Canada and the Canadian-U.S. relationship have joined the spectrum of countries featured in the U.S. curriculum. As a response to this development, an investigation of leading textbooks used in U.S. classrooms was undertaken to examine the…

Earlier content analyses showed that the match between content covered by textbooks and tests varied as a function of the particular textbook and test a teacher was asked to use. This study tried to determine if the congruity in textbook-test content varied as a function of different styles of textbook use. Using year-long case studies of seven…

Arranged in four parts, this guide presents techniques for helping junior high school students develop textbook skills. Following a pretest and checklist which determine student weaknesses in using title page, table of contents, index, visual aids, and print types (part 1), specific development strategies are provided in part 2. These are using…

In response to severe budget restrictions and a shortage of qualified graduate students, a basic speech communications course instituted three innovations: use of undergraduate teaching assistants, contiguous scheduling of lecture and breakdown rooms, and the publication of a textbook supplement with detailed activity guidelines and examples. With…

The content of elementary school reading methods textbooks spanning approximately 100 years was analyzed to note patterns of emphasis for selected topics. Four to six books were chosen for analysis from each of six time periods: 1890 to 1930, and each of the decades from the 1940s to the 1980s. Each book was evaluated with a checklist of 17 major…

Analyses of elementary and secondary social studies textbooks, supplementary materials, and teacher resource materials, all published in 1982 and 1983, are presented. The objective is to provide a review of curriculum materials which will allow K-12 teachers, administrators, curriculum coordinators, and college methods teachers to select…