textbook-analysis
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- PaperEdArXiv (OSF Preprints)20 Jul 2026
Beyond the Average: Analyzing Heterogeneity and Latent Profiles of Cognitive Involvement in Iranian Senior High School Sociology Textbooks
Hossein Talebzadeh
This study examines latent profiles of cognitive involvement in Iranian high school sociology textbooks using secondary data from the Comparative Adjudication Protocol. Applying William Romey's method and cluster analysis, it finds three distinct structural profiles: fully passive, hyper-active, and others, with a persistent disjuncture between passive text and high-demand questions. The results highlight the need for better alignment between narrative content and assessment tasks in textbook design.
Original abstract
Previous evaluations of school textbooks have predominantly focused on aggregate overall averages, thereby overlooking critical intra-textbook heterogeneity. This study aimed to identify latent profiles of cognitive involvement and assess the instability of instructional design within Iranian senior high school sociology textbooks. Utilizing a secondary data analysis of datasets derived from the Comparative Adjudication Protocol (CAP)—encompassing 51 lessons across 4 core textbooks (Sociology 1, Sociology 2, Sociology 3, and Civic Identity)—cognitive involvement indices for text, images, and questions were calculated using the William Romey (1968) method. To quantify internal heterogeneity, the Coefficient of Variation (CV) and Levene's test were utilized, while K-means clustering with Euclidean distance (Hair et al., 2010) was employed to uncover latent profiles. The findings revealed that the Sociology 2 textbook exhibited the highest textual irregularity (CV = 122.45%), whereas the Civic Identity textbook possessed the most uniform text structure (CV = 36.52%). Levene's test confirmed no statistically significant difference in variances across the textbooks for any component (p > 0.05), indicating a more structurally homogeneous design across sociology textbooks compared to history textbooks. However, cluster analysis uncovered three distinct structural profiles, revealing that 35.3% of the analyzed lessons fell into a "fully passive" cluster, while 21.6% were classified as "hyper-active." These findings demonstrate that while sociology textbooks exhibit lower overall heterogeneity than history textbooks, a persistent question-text disjuncture remains—where end-of-chapter tasks demand high analytical engagement while the textual content remains predominantly passive. Consequently, future curricular interventions must prioritize structural alignment between narrative content and assessment tasks, alongside variance reduction across grade levels.
- PaperEdArXiv (OSF Preprints)20 Jul 2026
Beyond the Average: Analyzing Heterogeneity and Latent Profiles of Cognitive Involvement in Iranian Senior High School History Textbooks
Hossein Talebzadeh
This study analyzed cognitive involvement in Iranian high school history textbooks, finding that internal heterogeneity in cognitive demands, especially in higher grade levels, is a more serious pedagogical issue than low average involvement. Four distinct structural profiles were identified, with only 11.5% of lessons being balanced.
Original abstract
Previous evaluations of school textbooks have predominantly focused on aggregate overall averages, thereby overlooking critical intra-textbook heterogeneity. This study aimed to identify latent profiles of cognitive involvement and assess the instability of instructional design within Iranian senior high school history textbooks. Utilizing a secondary data analysis of datasets derived from the Comparative Adjudication Protocol (CAP)—encompassing 61 lessons across 4 core textbooks—cognitive involvement indices for text, images, and questions were calculated using the William Romey (1968) method. To quantify internal heterogeneity, the Coefficient of Variation (CV) and Levene’s test were utilized, while K-means clustering with Euclidean distance (Hair et al., 2010) was employed to uncover latent profiles. The findings revealed that the History 3 textbook exhibited the highest instructional irregularity ("CV"=144.50% in the question component), whereas the Contemporary History of Iran textbook possessed the most uniform structure ("CV"=81.58%). Levene’s test confirmed a statistically significant difference in variances across the textbooks specifically within the question component (p<0.01). Furthermore, cluster analysis uncovered four distinct structural profiles, revealing that a meager 11.5% of the analyzed lessons fell into a structurally "balanced" cluster. These findings demonstrate that internal content dispersion, particularly in higher grade levels, poses a more severe pedagogical challenge than low average involvement. Consequently, future curricular interventions must prioritize variance reduction over a simple inflation of baseline averages.
- PaperEdArXiv (OSF Preprints)20 Jul 2026
Beyond the Average: Analyzing Heterogeneity and Latent Profiles of Cognitive Involvement in Iranian Junior High School Social Studies
Hossein Talebzadeh
Analyzes intra-textbook heterogeneity in Iranian junior high school social studies textbooks using cognitive involvement indices. Reveals extreme textual irregularity in Grade 7 and three distinct profiles (Active-Question Dominant, Fully Passive, Hyper-Active), highlighting a disjuncture between passive content and demanding questions. Calls for structural alignment between narrative and assessment tasks.
Original abstract
Previous evaluations of school textbooks have predominantly focused on aggregate overall averages, thereby overlooking critical intra-textbook heterogeneity. This study aimed to identify latent profiles of cognitive involvement and assess the instability of instructional design within Iranian junior high school social studies textbooks. Utilizing a secondary data analysis of datasets derived from the Comparative Adjudication Protocol (CAP)—encompassing 44 lessons across 2 core textbooks (Social Studies Grade 7 and Social Studies Grade 8)—cognitive involvement indices for text, images, and questions were calculated using the William Romey (1968) method. To quantify internal heterogeneity, the Coefficient of Variation (CV) and Levene's test were utilized, while K-means clustering with Euclidean distance (Hair et al., 2010) was employed to uncover latent profiles. The findings revealed that the Social Studies Grade 7 textbook exhibited the highest textual irregularity (CV = 186.84%), whereas the Social Studies Grade 8 textbook demonstrated more moderate text heterogeneity (CV = 134.78%). Levene's test confirmed a statistically significant difference in text variances across the two textbooks (p = 0.028), indicating that Grade 7 social studies is structurally more fragmented than Grade 8. However, cluster analysis uncovered three distinct structural profiles, revealing that 50.0% of the analyzed lessons fell into an "Active-Question Dominant" cluster, while 31.8% were classified as "Fully Passive" and 18.2% as "Hyper-Active." These findings demonstrate that middle school social studies textbooks—particularly at Grade 7—exhibit extreme textual heterogeneity and a persistent question-text disjuncture, where end-of-chapter tasks demand high analytical engagement while the textual content remains predominantly passive. Consequently, future curricular interventions must prioritize structural alignment between narrative content and assessment tasks, alongside systematic reduction of textual variance across grade levels.
- PaperTESOL Journal29 Jun 2026
The Case for Quantitative Frameworks in Assessing Racial and Ethnic Representation in ELT Materials
Derek Hopper
This position paper identifies the lack of quantitative frameworks for measuring racial and ethnic representation in ELT materials as a critical methodological gap. It proposes three demographic-based frameworks—publisher-country, global, and target market—and argues that adopting explicit quantitative criteria would improve research rigor and practical guidance for publishers and educators.
Original abstract
This position paper addresses a critical methodological gap in research on racial and ethnic representation in English Language Teaching (ELT) materials. Despite decades of criticism regarding diversity in textbooks, researchers have largely relied on qualitative assessments without establishing quantitative frameworks for measuring representation. This absence of measurable benchmarks has led to inconsistent expectations, ambiguous claims, and limited practical guidance for publishers and educators. Through analysis of existing literature, this paper demonstrates how the lack of quantitative definitions undermines both the analytical rigor of representation research and the practical application of its findings. The paper proposes three quantitative frameworks for assessing representation: publisher‐country demographics (reflecting the demographic composition of the publishing country), global demographics (mirroring world population statistics), and target market demographics (tailored to the demographics of primary user markets). Each approach offers distinct advantages and limitations, with dramatically different implications for what constitutes “appropriate representation.” These frameworks would yield substantially different outcomes, highlighting why explicit quantitative standards are essential. The paper argues that adopting transparent, measurable criteria would benefit multiple stakeholders by providing researchers with clearer parameters for empirical studies, offering publishers concrete guidelines for inclusive material development, and equipping educators with informed evaluation tools. Rather than prescribing a single correct approach, this work advocates for methodological transparency and precision to move the field beyond circular critique toward measurable improvement in representation practices.
- PaperDOAJ — ELT & TESOL1 May 2023
Mapping Vocabulary: A corpus-based comparison of Indonesian fourth-grade students' writing and English language textbooks
Fitria Ningsih
A corpus-based comparison of Indonesian fourth-grade students' free writing vocabulary with their English textbooks found a 45% overlap in the top 100 words. This suggests significant alignment but also highlights the need for more culturally relevant vocabulary in teaching materials to engage young learners.
Original abstract
This study compares the vocabulary used by Indonesian fourth-grade students in their free writing with that taught in their English language textbooks to assist language teachers in developing relevant learning materials for young learners. To achieve this, the researchers employed the corpus linguistic method and analyzed the writings of 369 students from 19 public elementary schools in Malang, East Java, Indonesia, along with five selected English textbooks. The University of Adelaide Text Analysis Tool program, AdTAT, was used to analyze the corpus. The program generated word lists consisting of the top 100 words most frequently used by students and the top 100 words used in English textbooks. The findings of the study revealed a 45% match between the top 100 words most frequently used by students and the top 100 words used in English textbooks. This suggests that there is a significant overlap between the vocabulary used in free writing and that taught in textbooks. The implication of this study is that language teachers need to recognize the basic words students acquire before learning new vocabulary to achieve successful learning of the target language. The study suggests that language teachers should incorporate more culturally relevant vocabulary into their teaching materials to better engage and motivate their students. The findings of this study can also assist language curriculum developers in designing more effective and culturally relevant teaching materials for young learners.