Master of Science / Department of Special Education, Counseling, and Student Affairs / Christy Craft / This master’s report is a study of current textbook trends within higher education. The report looks at multiple methods of textbook delivery for faculty members within the higher education community. The report further investigates a new textbook paradigm created by faculty members at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. The author of this report has spent several years researching textbook trends and has presented on this topic on several occasions. By analyzing some qualitative data collected at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, the author will provide a partial evaluation of the CoreTxtPlus® paradigm and offer suggestions to future faculty members looking for an innovative way to provide course content to their students.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Since a number of studies on textbooks in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) have shown that textbooks hold a major place in education (De Guzman, 2000; Oakes & Saunders, 2004), this study proposes to investigate the content of an English Language Teaching (ELT)/ English as a Second Language (ESL) textbook used in 6th form secondary school (Grade 12) in the DRC, Go for English 1RE. It aims to identify and evaluate the content of this ELT textbook so as to deduce and derive main insights for the determination or not of its appropriateness and relevance in terms of its contribution to language use and literacy in the ELT/ESL curriculum of the DRC. The study draws its theoretical underpinning from two theories: the Cunningsworth’s textbook analysis theory and McDonough and Shaw evaluation theory. As research design, the study adopts an a descriptive, exploratory and interpretive design which draws on both quantitative and qualitative data collected on the basis of textbook evaluation checklist and semi-structured interviews. In regard to the procedural orientation, the study uses descriptive and content analysis to analyze, interpret and examine both interviews and textbook evaluation likert-scale checklist data. In respect of its data, the study uses ‘mixed methods approach’. Both qualitative and quantitative data come from 259 teacher and student participants on the basis of two different samples. The quantitative data comes from 209 student participants and 25 teacher participants and the qualitative data from 10 student participants and 15 teacher participants. The findings attest to the general content of "Go for English 1RE ELT" textbook in regard to language activities and tasks related to its subject matter, to the quality and nature of language it contains, and finally to the diversity in its subject matter and its cultural aspects, is suitable for language use and literacy skills development. However, even though its content is suitable, the findings also indicate that this ELT textbook is not well adapted to Congolese 6th form secondary school students’ level.

O presente trabalho trata de um estudo realizado a respeito do Livro Didático de Geografia para o Ensino Fundamental II, onde buscamos entender como esse material proposto na maior parte dos estabelecimentos públicos de ensino do país contribui para a mediação da aprendizagem dos conhecimentos geográficos, analisando também através das falas dos estudantes o conteudismo presente nas práticas educacionais e a falta de sentido em se estudar uma geografia pronta e acabada que chega pelos livros didáticos na escola. Dessa forma este estudo é sobre o Livro Didático de Geografia junto a seis turmas do 6º, 7º e 8º ano de Ensino Fundamental II no Sertão Central de Pernambuco. Tendo como objetivo investigar, discutir e refletir sobre os limites e perspectivas do Livro Didático de Geografia enquanto instrumento de mediação do processo de aprendizagem. Buscamos fundamentos teóricos na Teoria Histórico-Cultural de Vigotski como base da psicologia da aprendizagem e as bases filosóficas do Pensamento Complexo de Edgar Morin e sistemas teóricos relacionados. A partir desses embasamentos acreditamos oferecer as condições teóricas e didáticas que podem favorecer uma reflexão acerca de um Ensino de Geografia que efetivamente forme cidadãos reflexivos e críticos, com habilidades necessárias para se viver na sociedade contemporânea. Na abordagem metodológica, utilizamos uma abordagem qualitativa, com pesquisa dialógica, onde as falas dos sujeitos pesquisados dialogam com as do pesquisador respaldando-se como sujeitos discursivos conforme o pensamento filosófico de Mikhail Bakhtin. Inicialmente aplicou-se questionários e depois da análise dos mesmos realizou-se entrevistas com os estudantes das turmas mencionadas e sua professora. Fazendo uma consistente investigação, através da análise do livro, dos discursos dos alunos e sua professora para compreender o processo de mediação da aprendizagem em Geografia. / This Master dissertation deals with a study carried out regarding the Geography Textbook for Elementary School, where we seek to understand how this material proposed in most public educational establishments in the country contributes to the learning of geographical knowledge, analyzing also through the speeches of the students the content present in the educational practices and the lack of sense in studying a geography ready and finished that arrives by the textbook in the school. This this study is about Geography Textbook of six classes of 6º, 7º e 8º year of Elementary School in the Pernambuco Central Hinterland. It aims to investigate, discuss and reflect on the limits and perspectives of the Geography Textbook as the instrument of mediation in the teachinglearning process. We seek theoretical foundations in Vygotsky\'s Cultural-Historical Theory as the basis of learning psychology and the philosophical bases of Edgar Morin\'s Complex Thought and related theoretical systems. From these bases we believe we offer the theoretical and didactic conditions that can further a reflection about a Geography Teaching that effectively forms reflective and critical citizens with the necessary skills to live in contemporary society. In the methodological approach, we use a qualitative approach, with dialogic research, where the speeches of the researched subjects dialogue with those of the researcher backing up as discursive subjects according to the philosophical thought of Mikhail Bakhtin. Questionnaires were initially applied and after their analysis, interviews were conducted with the students of the mentioned classes and their teacher. Doing a consistent investigation, through the analysis of the book, the discourses of the students and their teacher to understand the teaching-learning process of Geography.

This thesis is concerned with the analysis of sets of German language textbooks intended for the second grade of elementary school dating from the nineties until now from the point of view of the historical development of the mediation of language culture and background. The theoretical part clarifies the terms substantial for the issue in question, it describes the historical development of language culture and background teaching, individual approaches to the mediation of language culture and background and while doing so, it follows the fundamental publications concerning the didactics of language culture and background and also crucial works regarding the analysis of textbook sets. The practical part describes the design of the research, its division to stages, the sample of the textbooks analysed and the establishing of the criteria according to which the textbooks will be analysed. On the basis of thus established criteria, nine textbook sets have been analysed. The method utilised was content and comparative analysis. The fundamental part of this thesis presents the results and the final evaluation. The objective of this thesis was to grasp the development of the mediation of language culture and background in the chosen sample of German language textbooks intended for the second grade of...

The South African government spends huge sums of funds on schools with an aim to redress past inequalities. Schools receive resource budget allocations to exclusively procure learning materials to ensure that the government’s aim is realised. This study examines availability and enactment of learning materials to enhance effective curriculum delivery. Four township public ordinary primary schools participated in this study. Focus was mainly on Grade 3 home language lessons. I used the case study methods to interview one teacher from each school and scrutinized their documents to establish what learning materials they have in their possession. Additionally I observed and analysed three lessons per educator. Analysis across the cases reveals different collections and variations in usage of learning materials. The former covers the standard, mix and match, and limited collections. Whereas the latter refers to the textbook bound, productive blend and the haphazard approaches. Significantly, the study also explored principles in line with the “ideal teacher”- under which desired results can be achieved.

O livro didático é pensado e concebido com vistas ao aluno, porém, sua escolha e uso em sala de aula dependem da ação do professor, que muitas vezes o utiliza no preparo de aulas e na elaboração de atividades. A partir da década de 1960 se institucionalizou a prática de ofertar material específico ao docente nos compêndios o chamado Manual do Professor. Antes disso, no entanto, tal iniciativa partia dos próprios autores e editores. Referenciando-se nos estudos de Roger Chartier sobre a História do Livro e da Leitura e de Allain Choppin e Circe Bittencourt acerca do livro didático este trabalho investiga a presença de orientações aos professores em livros escolares direcionados ao nível primário e secundário, editados no Brasil em três períodos (1880 a 1930, 1930 a 1960 e 1966 a 1985). Utiliza uma amostra de obras voltadas a diferentes disciplinas. O objetivo é identificar o conteúdo das instruções, como se apresentam para cada nível escolar e de que maneira dialogam com as determinações legais e com os modelos pedagógicos vigentes e propagados pelos periódicos educacionais. Conclui que, até a década de 1960, a presença de subsídios ao docente não era uma regra para as casas publicadoras e que variava conforme o público a que se destinava. A partir de fins dos anos 1960, formaliza-se, mediante a ação de três personagens autores e editores, Estado e professores , a oferta de um livro didático voltado especificamente ao docente. Até 1930, nota-se uma aproximação entre o teor das instruções presentes nos livros e o paradigma da Caixa de Utensílios, com seus modelos práticos a serem aplicados em sala de aula. Entre 1930 e 1960, este modelo parece arrefecer nas obras didáticas. Na década de 1970 o aparecimento do Manual do Professor parece reforçar a oferta de orientações passo a passo. / The textbook is designed and conceived with a view to the student, however, its choice and use in the classroom depends on the actions of the professor, who often uses in the preparation of lessons and in the development of activities. From the 1960s, has become institutionalized the practice of offering specific material to faculty members in compendiums - the so-called Teacher Handbook. Before that, however, this initiative stemmed from the authors and publishers. Referencing the studies of Roger Chartier on the History of Books and Reading and Allain Choppin and Circe Bittencourt about textbook - this paper investigates the presence of guidelines to teachers in school books directed in primary and secondary level textbooks, edited in Brazil in three periods (1880 to 1930, 1930 to 1960 and 1966 to 1985). It uses a sample of works involving different disciplines. The goal is to identify the content of the instructions, as they are for each school level and how dialogue with the legal requirements and with current pedagogical models and propagated by educational journals. I concluded that, until the 1960s, the presence of subsidies to the teacher was not a rule for the publishing houses which varied according to the public for which it was intended. From the late 1960s, formalizes it through the action of three characters - authors and publishers, State and teachers - the offer of a textbook focused specifically to the teacher. Until 1930, we note a connection between the content of the instructions in the books and the paradigm of \"Tool box\", with its practical models to be applied in the classroom. Between 1930 and 1960, this model seems to attenuate in the didactic works. In the 1970s, with the appearance of the Teacher\'s Guide, returns the offering of a step by step guidance.

Este trabalho investiga historicamente a produção de material didático para a Educação de Jovens e Adultos, tendo por objetivos o entendimento da trajetória histórica dessa produção desde a constituição da EJA, como campo de políticas públicas até o período mais recente de nossa história, a caracterização da produção didática dos anos 1996 a 2008, em seus aspectos formais e de conteúdo a partir dos sujeitos envolvidos na produção, e uma investigação da concepção de EJA e dos fundamentos epistemológicos do ensino e aprendizagem por meio da análise da forma e conteúdos de duas coleções didáticas: a Coleção Cadernos de EJA e a Coleção ENCCEJA. Além da análise historiográfica, a pesquisa utiliza referenciais da História Cultural, da História do Currículo e das Disciplinas Escolares, entendendo o material didático e o livro didático em particular, como objetos multidimensionais e complexos, que através de sua forma e conteúdos revelam expressões ideológicas, concepções de educação de jovens e adultos, de currículo para EJA, de métodos de ensino e aprendizagem para jovens e adultos. Depreende-se como marca distintiva da produção didática da EJA sua ampla diversidade, em resposta às características intrínsecas que marcam essa modalidade de ensino, sua pulverização pelo território nacional, e pela forte presença de ações da sociedade civil, dos movimentos sociais, e do Estado. Por outro lado, os materiais didáticos explicitam tensões entre propostas ideológicas distintas no discurso pedagógico, que por sua vez apresentam clivagens e contradições na efetivação das propostas pedagógicas, em termos de organização dos conteúdos e métodos de aprendizagem nos materiais de ensino. / This work investigates historically the production of didactic material for Youth and Adults and will aim to understand the historical background of this production since the establishment of adult education as a field of public policies to the most recent period of our history, the characterization of didactic production from 1996 to 2008, in its formal aspects and content from the individuals involved in production, and a research design EJA and epistemological foundations of teaching and learning through the analysis of form and content of two teaching collections : Cadernos EJA Collection and Collection ENCCEJA. Besides the historical analysis, the research uses references of Cultural History, History of Curriculum and School Subjects, understanding the educational material and textbooks in particular, as multidimensional and complex objects, which through its form and content expressions reveal ideological conceptions education of youth and adults, for adult education curriculum, teaching methods and learning for youth and adults. It appeared as a hallmark of the didactic production of EJA its wide range in response to intrinsic characteristics that mark this kind of education, by spraying their territory, and the strong presence of civil society actions, social movements, and the State . Moreover, the textbooks explain tensions between different ideological proposals in pedagogical discourse, which in turn have rifts and contradictions in the effectiveness of educational proposals, in terms of organization of content and learning methods in teaching materials.

Este trabalho consiste numa análise de livros didáticos para se verificar de que forma vem se dando a organização ou disposição dos conteúdos de geografia física ou natureza, como denominado pelos PCN, nesses materiais. Para se iniciar tal análise, foi necessário levantar os conceitos de Geografia elaborados ou usados como referência por alguns daqueles que produzem ou produziram o conhecimento geográfico e como esses conceitos podem ter contribuído para o entendimento que se tem do seu objeto de estudo, levando ou não a ser definida como uma ciência dicotômica. O entendimento do que é natureza também se fez pertinente para o desenvolvimento da pesquisa, isso porque tem havido uma incorporação da temática ambiental junto aos conteúdos de geografia. Com a análise de tais materiais foi possível constatar os conteúdos citados já foram alocados em diferentes lugares nos livros didáticos de geografia, seguindo das mudanças sofridas por essa ciência no Brasil, bem como das mudanças políticas ocorridas no País. / This paper is an analysis of textbooks to verify how the organization has been taking or disposition of the contents or nature of physical geography, as named by the NCP, in these materials. To start this analysis, it was necessary to raise the concepts of geography designed or used as a reference for some of those who produce or have produced geographic knowledge and how these concepts may have contributed to the understanding that has its object of study, or not taking to be defined as a science dichotomy. Understanding the nature of which is also made relevant to the development of research, that because there has been an incorporation of environmental issues with the content of geography. With the analysis of such materials was possible to verify the contents mentioned have already been allocated in different places in geography textbooks, following the changes undergone by this science in Brazil, as well as the political changes in country.

This essay takes a look at which gender norms and stereotypes can be found in high-school history textbooks, and the values that they pass on to the students who read them. By analysing the textbooks from both a text and image perspective, a rounded view of the values and ideals concerning power and gender that the books contain can be seen. The use of gender theory gives the essay a clear theoretical framework through which the material is analysed. The result showed that the history textbooks over all contained an outdated view of gender roles and gender dynamics. There was a clear overrepresentation of men in both the text and the pictures throughout the books, and the language used created a hierarchy between men and women.  This in turn sends outdated messages to students, messages which may not fit the current ideal of gender equality.

This diploma thesis deals with the conceptual knowledge of primary school pupils about field ecosystems. In the analyzed textbooks, ecological relations are represented only to a limited extent. They are not sufficiently explained or practiced during lessons. Test questions focus on a complex understanding of field ecosystem matters; they test the extent of understanding of relationships between organisms and their environment, between different organisms, and the extent to which field ecosystems are affected by human activity. Analysis results reflect the level of the pupils' knowledge regarding field ecosystem interrelations. Test questions designed by the author of the thesis examine fourth grade primary school pupils and their understanding of relationships between organisms and their environment, as well as relationships between different organisms. Results show that pupils understand relationships between organisms and their environment better than relationships between different organisms and the effects of human activity on field ecosystems. These differences are, however, not significant. In general, the research shows that fourth grade pupils do not understand field ecosystem relationships in an entirely correct way.