The Social Studies Teacher's Lament

Abstract

This year-long study examined three research questions: (a) Does the increase in quantity and quality of the African American experience in a U.S. history textbook promote significant knowledge acquisition of that group? (b) Does this knowledge positively modify racial attitudes of White students toward that group? (c) What is the effect of a teacher's utilization of the textbook's technology on knowledge acquisition and attitude change? The subjects were 149 White high school sophomores enrolled in U.S. history classes in two Midwestern high schools. Four teachers were placed in pairs in a limited use control group and an extensive use experimental group. A Black History Knowledge Test and the Multifactor Racial Attitude Inventory served as the pretest/posttest measures. The data indicated that although both limited and extensive use of such a text produced statistically significant knowledge gains, neither had any significant impact on attitude change.