Improving Textbooks as a Way to Foster Civic Understanding and Engagement. CIRCLE Working Paper 54

Autor/inn/en	Chambliss, Marilyn; Richardson, Wendy; Torney-Purta, Judith; Wilkenfeld, Britt
Titel	Improving Textbooks as a Way to Foster Civic Understanding and Engagement. CIRCLE Working Paper 54
Quelle	(2007), (11 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Grade 8; Grade 10; Textbooks; Student Motivation; Political Science; Democracy; Citizenship Education; Reader Text Relationship; National Competency Tests; Reading Achievement; Text Structure; Textbook Standards; Textbook Evaluation; Textbook Content; Outcomes of Education; Comparative Analysis + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? School year 08; 8. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 08; Textbook; Text book; Schulbuch; Lehrbuch; Schulische Motivation; Staatslehre; Politikwissenschaft; Politische Wissenschaft; Demokratie; Citizenship; Education; Politische Bildung; Politische Erziehung; Staatsbürgerliche Erziehung; Leseleistung; Textstruktur; Schulbuchempfehlungen; Lehrbuchtext; Lernleistung; Schulerfolg
Abstract	Efforts to improve civic education face a conundrum. On the one hand, students report that they are more likely to learn about democracy and citizenship through reading textbooks than through any other activity and according to the National Education Association, reading is the gateway to learning in all content areas. However, reviews of textbook materials repeatedly find them to be turgid, poorly organized, and uninteresting, features unlikely to enhance learning or motivation. Compounding the problem, 69 percent of eighth graders scored below Proficient on the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress in Reading, failing to demonstrate a level of literacy necessary to comprehend and learn from reading challenging subject matter. Poorly designed textbook materials would be particularly ineffective for the students lacking strong literacy skills. This paper reports a study in which tenth graders who had parental permission were randomly assigned to read one of three types of passages about direct and representative democracy. After reading, all students responded to the same tasks to measure their understanding and their motivation to engage in civic-related activities. Students were selected from regular classes in high schools, from a West Coast state and from a state in the Mid-Atlantic region. Data was collected on two sides of the country because the authors believe that research conducted in one location is frequently too widely generalized. To communicate with one another and the larger public, political scientists design their texts to inform (presenting lots of facts), to argue (taking a stance on the optimal relationship), and to explain (presenting many examples and analyzing them according to democratic principles). The authors note that most textbook material is designed to inform. The study aimed to compare the effect on student understanding of texts designed to argue and explain as well and found that there were few differences in outcomes among the three texts. The authors concluded that students were able to take advantage of the features in all three designs and found them to be comprehensible, to enhance their understanding, and to spark their interest in engaging in civic activities. (Contains 9 endnotes and 3 figures.) [This document was produced by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE).] (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). University of Maryland, School of Public Policy, 2101 Van Munching Hall, College Park, MD 20742. Tel: 301-405-2790; Web site: http://www.civicyouth.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10