Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
represent conceptually loaded terms, and compare key terms to word selected by the teachers. Phase 2
identified vocabulary related objectives in scope and sequence charts and randomly selected three units in
each teachers edition, and identified vocabulary related instructional components. They examined
objectives for emphasis placed on vocabulary, analyzed quantity and location of vocabulary related
instructional components, and categorized instructional components as primary or optional. Phase 3
Formulated classification scheme for vocabulary related instructional components which analyzed
instructional components as labels or not labeled. It also analyzed vocabulary related instructional
components based on classification scheme. The last one, phase 4, randomly selected one unit from
previously selected units of each teachers edition which examine all vocabulary related instructional
components for each key term listed in unit. It also counted the amount of exposure given to each key
term and categorizing instructional components as instruction, application, or review.
VI. Research Results
Phase 1 found that the majority of vocabulary words were domain specific. There were
inconsistencies in the number of words teachers identified as key terms and the number of key terms
identified by the textbooks. Phase 2 finds that publishers seem to place more emphasis on instructional
components at both the unit and chapter levels while teachers for Grade 4-6 focused more on the chapter
level while Grade 7-8 teachers focused more on connecting the chapter back to the unit. Phase 3 finds that
labelled instructional components were much more prominent at the chapter level than at the unit level.
There was much more variation among the suggested activities at the lesson level. Phase 4 finds that key
terms rarely appear more than five times throughout a textbook. Instructional components containing key
terms can be categorized into three types: instruction, application, and review. The application and review
categories dominated the instructional components. Most instructional components in 7-8 grade textbooks
only require surface knowledge while 4-6 requires more in depth knowledge.
VII. Implications of the Research
This investigation shows that publishers strongly emphasized the selection of domain-specific
terms. However, they differed from one another in the way that they defined key terms. They discovered
inconsistencies with word choices when comparing publishers selections to those of classroom teachers.
Publishers did not neglect vocabulary but their choices of vocabulary activities still draw upon traditional
ideas about how to support vocabulary learning in social studies. The overwhelming number of labeled
instructional components called students to use key terms in some form of writing.
VIII. Questions or Concerns Regarding the Reading
This was conducted by one states textbooks which would make the argument stronger with a
more diverse comparison with different states. Also, it seems that there was not enough material
examined to come to an accurate conclusion and there is no control group.