Abstract of

Genre and Other Factors Influencing Teachers' Book Selections for Science Instruction

Carol A. Donovan

Laura B. Smolkin

Although elementary school teachers have been encouraged for some time to use trade books as part of the science curriculum, little is known about the factors, including genre and teachers' assumptions, that influence decisions about the books they choose to use. This descriptive study was designed to explore some of these issues. Drawing from resources offering suggestions about books for science instruction, our observations of trade books commonly used in elementary science, and our own selections of appropriate books, we compiled two text sets, analyzing them for genre, length, content complexity, and visual features. We asked a small group of elementary school teachers to select from each set of science books those they felt would enhance their curriculum on two science topics. We also asked for their reasons for their selections. Findings revealed that teachers considered content, visual features, readability, and developmental appropriateness, as well as potential uses for the books that they selected. Teachers' stated reasons for selections, few specifically focused on genre, revealed underlying assumptions that science is boring, that stories and dual purpose texts will add feeling to science, and that information books are too difficult to read aloud. In light of these findings, we contemplate the role of text in elementary science instruction, including its place in supporting teachers with the nature, or enterprise, of science, as well as assisting teachers in moving toward orientations that support a fuller range of scientific genres in their classrooms.

Abstract from Donovan, C.A., & Smolkin, L.B. (2001). Genre and Other Factors Influencing Teachers' Book Selections for Science Instruction. Reading Research Quarterly, 36(4), 412–440. doi: 10.1598/RRQ.36.4.4