Explores the extent to which presentations about multiplication and division involving decimals within three series of mathematics textbooks for grades three through eight help students to counter common learner misconceptions about multiplication and division. Results indicate that theory on conceptual change with its concomitant research have…

Investigates effects of text coherence and active engagement on students' comprehension of textbook information. Finds a continuum of increased performance from original silent text, to original text with thinking aloud, to revised text read silently, and finally revised text with thinking aloud. (SR)

Shows how a number of readability measures developed in English were applied to a textbook written in Hindi. Emphasizes that the more recent approaches to readability that focus on syntax, conceptual difficulty, and organization are a teacher's best help in selecting materials for students. (SR)

Analyzes the two basal reader series used in the Singapore primary school for discrepancies in the treatment of male and female characters. Finds imbalances in the female/male ratio, in the amount of speech given to characters, and in role representation. (MG)

Examines middle and high school students' views of instructional practices teachers use to facilitate reading of difficult textbooks. Finds differences between students' perceptions of the desirability of textbook adaptations (high) and their perceptions of the frequency of teachers' use of adaptations (low). Discusses the disparity between…

Examines sexual stereotypes in selected professional writing textbooks published from the 1930s to the 1950s. Maintains that these textbooks--portraying women as subservient, emotional, and frivolous, and men as decisive, logical, and strong--suggest that men are more suited for positions of authority, and have played an important role in…

Suggests ways for researchers in recent technical communication studies of historical medical texts to overcome specific problems. Discusses five steps for conducting sound historical research within the context of related fields of inquiry. (NH)

Investigates the 5 editions of John M. Lannon's "Technical Writing," a top-selling technical writing textbook for over 10 years. Claims that the text illustrates where the field has been and where it is going. Includes comments from Lannon concerning his book and how it responded to the social conditions of the 1980s. (HB)

Argues that introductory texts in population geography overlook many important issues and current debates. Suggests that teaching population geography would benefit from reading and discussing Malthus' actual words; examining fertility dynamics and influences on reproductive choice; and considering gender issues. Presents a classroom activity to…

Examines coverage of critical thinking in 37 full-length introductory psychology textbooks published from 1955 to 1997. Checks for coverage of scientific thinking, cognitive biases in thinking, and difficulties in statistical reasoning. Suggests that findings should facilitate the review and decision process for instructors interested in…

Explores the use of computer software such as databases and concordancing programs in the analysis of mathematical texts in the secondary classroom. Reports on research into aspects of the mathematics register at the individual word level, tracking the development of a single lexical item "diagonal" through the various national…

Reexamines aspects of the "real books/reading scheme books" debate that erupted into British literacy education in the late 1980s. Argues that the debate was not over-polarized, but that it did not take appropriate account of scholarly review of related research. Notes the relationships to current developments in the field. (DSK)

Analyzes, from one feminist perspective, the content on women in three secondary school world history textbooks used in the United States. Results are interpreted in light of contemporary feminist themes, revealing how textbook language and content socially construct gender. Suggestions regarding the educational significance for teachers and…

Textbooks play a central role in Taiwanese education. In the wake of the political reform and social protest movements of the 1970s and 1980s that led to Taiwanese educational reform, critics assert that traditional textbooks reinforce the dominant national Chinese cultural identity without considering the specific perspectives and voices of…

Controlling "literacy processes" was a concern of members of the dominant culture during the Progressive Era (about 1890-1917). Educators wanted to set students on the "right" course before formal schooling was over. Four history textbooks from the era share a general sense of what is required for public literacy, but they…