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A method for analyzing the coherence of high school biology textbooks
Author(s) -
Roseman Jo Ellen,
Stern Luli,
Koppal Mary
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of research in science teaching
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.067
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1098-2736
pISSN - 0022-4308
DOI - 10.1002/tea.20305
Subject(s) - mathematics education , coherence (philosophical gambling strategy) , scientific literacy , set (abstract data type) , curriculum , science education , computer science , teaching method , psychology , pedagogy , mathematics , statistics , programming language
Abstract Because textbooks have the potential to be powerful catalysts for improving science teaching and learning, having reliable methods for analyzing important textbook features, such as their coherence, is essential. This study reports on the development of a method in which trained reviewers, following a set of guidelines defining the ideas to be learned and connections among those ideas drawn from relevant maps published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science in the Atlas of Science Literacy (2001), were able to analyze the degree to which four widely used high school biology textbooks provided students and teachers with a coherent account of the important topic of matter and energy transformations in living systems. The study method was found to produce consistent results across reviewers and textbooks and can serve those who evaluate, design, and use science curriculum materials. This work represents an important first step in meeting the need for methods to measure, characterize, and, ultimately, to improve textbook coherence. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47: 47–70, 2010