Objective Features of Introductory Psychology Textbooks as Related to Professors' Impressions
- 1 February 1988
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Teaching of Psychology
- Vol. 15 (1) , 10-16
- https://doi.org/10.1207/s15328023top1501_2
Abstract
A sample of 43 introductory psychology texts was identified and 29 objective features were measured (e.g., manuscript length and number of references), yielding normative and comparative data. These text variables were regressed on professors' ratings of the books' level of discourse, scholarship, capacity to engage student interest, and pedagogical quality. The predictors accounted for substantial portions of the variance. The comparative data may help professors make better informed decisions about textbook selection. The regression analyses shed light on how professors' perceptions of texts may be shaped.Keywords
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