A content analysis of vocabulary instruction in social studies textbooks for grades 4-8

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature and representation of vocabulary instruction in the teachers' editions of social studies textb ooks for grades 4-8. Using social studies textbooks found on the Texas stat e adoption list, we conducted a content analysis of each teacher's edition for grades 4-8. Findings indicated that although those publishers realized the importance of vocabulary, they continued to include vocabulary activiti es that represent traditional ideas about how to support vocabulary learnin g in the teaching of social studies. Many activities focused on an associat ional level of word knowledge, such as matching definitions and fill-in-the -blank exercises. Instructional suggestions calling for a higher, generativ e level of word processing, such as writing tasks, were problematic given t he lack of student support prior to such activities.