The paper analyzes seven widely-used fifth grade social studies textbooks with the hypothesis that texts are unnecessarily loaded with poorly conceived instructional design features that often do not relate to content or skills and tend to minimize the primary function of the texts. Using present and future challenges facing the United States as a…

To determine the relationship between particular reading materials used most frequently with students in grades one through six and the amount of progress students made during the 1982-83 school year, a study was conducted by the District of Columbia Public Schools. Nine of the ten reading materials on the approved textbook list were assessed, and…

In an effort to better understand the intents of those policies that prescribe state-level textbook adoption, a study collected and analyzed data from (1) the textbook adoption statutes of each of the 22 "state adoption" states, (2) documents and policy manuals produced by the state departments of education of each of these 22 states,…

A questionnaire was devised and mailed to 84 township school districts in New Jersey to determine how often each adopted new basal reading series, the extent of teacher involvement in the selection process, and whether a detailed questionnaire was used as a basis for evaluation of different basals. A Likert scale was used to grade responses.…

This paper assesses the attention given to gender issues in 17 psychology textbooks published between 1985 and 1987 and used in college undergraduate introductory courses. The methodology used was the analysis of content and research citations. Specific issues that were examined included: (1) the explanation of the distinction between gender and…

To determine how frequently various forms of anaphora appear in materials written for children, 1,000-word excerpts were analyzed from the second, fourth, and sixth grade texts of four basal reader series. The basal programs consisted of the "Ginn Reading Program," the "Houghton Mifflin Reading Program,""Scott, Foresman…

In an analysis of Japanese, Korean, and American elementary school reading textbooks to determine their differences, the weight and size of each book were measured, the number of pages totaled, and the content analyzed. Categories chosen for the content analysis included science (physical, life, and social science), literature, and basic skills.…

Studies of methods of teaching statistics are reported. Three brief texts were written for the investigations; they varied in degree of explanation of basic concepts of elementary probability. Subjects were undergraduate students at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. None of the subjects had had previous formal exposure to probability or…

Suggesting that headings provide useful cues for input/output processing, this investigation examined the utility of intact (topic outline format) and embedded (appropriately positioned within text) headings as processing aids with non-narrative text material under conditions of immediate and delayed recall. Passages were selected from biology…

Two experiments were conducted to assess the effects of knowledge schema training and text organization on the comprehension and recall of scientific prose. The first experiment tested whether or not knowledge schema training improves processing and recall of a passage on plate tectonics (32 college subjects served as subjects). The second…

Three passages of fifth-grade readability were read and recalled by 24 high- and low-ability fifth graders and college students. These passages were characterized as either narrative (high degree of temporal linkage), expository (logical linkage and abstract content), or mixed (logical linkage but with content suggestive of a narrative). The…

Serving as the basis for the first administrative complaint alleging sex discrimination in textbooks to be filed under federal law, the findings presented in this report are based on an analysis, made by parents and citizens in a midwestern city, of 12 texts in the elementary reading program of a major publisher. Generally, the findings are stated…

Research literature indicates that haphazard selection techniques for the inclusion of pictures and illustrations in textbooks occur more frequently than do techniques employing empirical investigation. Current studies have explored a variety of factors related to the use of illustrations, such as color, time, age, achievement, and sex of the…

The survey step in the SQ3R study reading strategy consists of scanning the reading material and its organizational features to establish the nature/magnitude of the reading task and to formulate guidelines for accomplishing that task. When the chapters of six history textbooks were examined for the presence, absence, and number of organizational…

LITERATURE AND ATTITUDES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS PERPETUATE PREJUDICE AGAINST NEGRO CHILDREN. A RACIST SOCIETY EXISTS IN THE U.S. ONLY WHEN THIS FACT IS RECOGNIZED CAN THE PROBLEM BE RESOLVED. LITERATURE DEALING WITH NEGROES FALLS PREDOMINANTLY INTO THREE CATEGORIES--(1) STORIES ABOUT FAMOUS NEGROES, (2) STORIES OF SEGREGATED NEGRO LIFE, OFTEN "QUAINT"…