Textbooks are a staple of our current educational system. They contain the standards of subject material and curriculum and are relied upon by teachers and students alike to provide relevant and factual information. They are regarded as the containers of the essential knowledge that students are expected to know. But what happens when we can't trust what we read?
In a recent news story [3], a mother in Texas took to social media when her son showed her an excerpt from his ninth grade World Geography textbook that put a unique spin on the history of slavery in America. The textbook, in a chapter titled "Patterns of Immigration," described the slave trade as bringing "workers" to southern plantations.
Her story quickly went viral and many saw this choice of wording to be not just inaccurate but also belittling towards those who were, and still are, affected by slavery and racism. The popularity of this story has caused the textbook's publishers McGraw-Hill to issue a statement saying that the wording is indeed inadequate and have promised to update the section in future editions.
But what do we do in the mean time? Can we trust that what we are read in textbooks is the unvarnished truth? Is accurate? Is unbiased? This story is only the most recent of many arguments that textbooks are not the purveyors of quality information that we would like to think they are.
Perhaps one of the most famous examples of bias in textbooks is the depiction of World War II in classrooms around the world. In 2008, Keith Crawford and Stuart Foster published a book entitled War, Nation, Memory: International Perspectives on World War II in School History Textbooks. Research in Curriculum and Instruction [2] which sought to analyze the differences in how WWII and its related events are presented to students in different countries. It is probably not surprising to hear that textbooks in Britain, Germany, the United States and Japan contain vastly different narratives of the War and in and of itself, this may not be harrowing news. WWII affected countries in different ways and trying to teach students everything there is to know about the War would be an impossible task. Focusing on country-relevant history doesn't necessarily make the information in the textbook invalid. However, Crawford and Foster argue that textbooks influence what is known as the "common memory" of those who are learning from them. The way in which the information is presented influences the reality that individuals live in and therefore the type of information contained in textbooks is exceedingly important.
Information quality relies upon a range of measures including relevance, accuracy, timeliness, completeness and validity. However, the information presented in textbooks often relies on the whims of educational reforms and curriculum which are always in flux and are influenced by any number of competing interests [4]. Textbooks can be full of inaccuracies and biases [1][5] and just as easily, they can be out of date or incomplete, and yet they remain the largest resource for foundational knowledge in schools.
Should textbooks be the main source of information in classrooms?
Is it up to the publishers of textbooks to ensure they are providing quality information?
Should some other institution have an influence in what is published in textbooks?
Is there a way to improve the rate of quality information in textbooks?
In the case of textbooks, are some dimensions of information quality more important than others? Why?
Is it up to the publishers of textbooks to ensure they are providing quality information?
Should some other institution have an influence in what is published in textbooks?
Is there a way to improve the rate of quality information in textbooks?
In the case of textbooks, are some dimensions of information quality more important than others? Why?
References
[1]
Blanchard, B. (2014, September 10). Social Studies Textbooks Under Fire for Political Bias, Inaccuracies. Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://www.texastribune.org/2014/09/10/history-scholars-criticize-social-studies-textbook/
[2]
Crawford, K., & Foster, S. (2008). War, nation, memory international perspectives on World War II in school history textbooks. Charlotte, NC: Information Age.
[3]
Finley, T. (2015, October 5). Mom Slams Textbook's Incredibly Offensive Definition Of 'Slavery' In Viral Facebook Post. Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mom-slams-textbooks-incredibly-offensive-definition-of-slavery-in-viral-facebook-post_56127df6e4b0768127028358
[4]
Garner, D. (2015, February 9). ACTION ALERT: PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN FROM SOCIAL STUDIES TEXTBOOKS. Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://www.teapartynation.com/profiles/blogs/action-alert-protect-your-children-from-social-studies-textbooks
[4]
Garner, D. (2015, February 9). ACTION ALERT: PROTECT YOUR CHILDREN FROM SOCIAL STUDIES TEXTBOOKS. Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://www.teapartynation.com/profiles/blogs/action-alert-protect-your-children-from-social-studies-textbooks
[5]
Tribpedia: Social Studies Standards Debate. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/social-studies-standards-debate/about/
Tribpedia: Social Studies Standards Debate. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/social-studies-standards-debate/about/
