Selection of resources in curriculum implementation : an approach to the selection of resources for elementary social studies in British Columbia
Date
1983
Authors
Tillotson, Clayton Walter
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Abstract
This study was designed to investigate procedures used for selecting textbooks for curricula with particular reference to elementary Social Studies in British Columbia. The investigation included analyses and comparisons of procedures for selection as described in the literature. In order to proceed with the investigation a classification scheme was developed. This scheme sorted instruments for textbook selection into: checklists, weighted rating scales, annotative questionnaires, combination types, and aesthetic critiques. Criteria for assessing instruments used for textbook appraisal also were selected with reference to the literature. These criteria included the instrument's effectiveness in terms of assessing behavioral objectives, reading level, and content of the text. Additional criteria concerned the depth and flexibility and the degree of subjectivity or objectivity allowed to analysts. Inquiry, a major component of the new Social Studies, was also examined and considered in relation to the British Columbia curriculum. Processes used by the Ministry of Education for the selection of new texts for Social Studies in British Columbia were compared with processes reported in the literature. The conclusion was that a comprehensive instrument for selecting textbooks would be useful to the Ministry for future textbook selecting. As a result, a two-part model, consisting of a checklist for initial sorting, plus an annotative questionnaire for in-depth analysis was developed for this study. The proposed instrument, a synthesis of many instruments from the literature plus the B.C. Ministry of Education's present process for textbook selection, required a thirty hour training period for analysts who would use it. The instrument included sections on reading level, social considerations, and aesthetic criticism and should provide a useful tool for Ministry or school district personnel to use in evaluating and selecting textbooks. The instrument's emphasis on inquiry learning would be particularly appropriate for the new Social Studies program in British Columbia.