University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2005 Multiculturalism, public policy, and the high school United States and American literature canon: A content analysis of textbooks adopted in the state of Florida in 1991 and 2003 Angela L. Hansen University of South Florida Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the American Studies Commons Scholar Commons Citation Hansen, Angela L., "Multiculturalism, public policy, and the high school United States and American literature canon: A content analysis of textbooks adopted in the state of Florida in 1991 and 2003" (2005). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/2913 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Multiculturalism, Public Policy, and the High School United States and American Literature Canon: A Content Analysis of Textbooks Adopted in the State of Florida in 1991 and 2003 by Angela L. Hansen A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Interdisciplinary Education College of Education University of South Florida Major Professor: J. Howard Johnston, Ph. D. Patricia Daniel, Ph. D. Erwin V. Johanningmeier, Ph. D. Arthur Shapiro, Ph. D. Date of Approval: June 10, 2005 Keywords: multicultural education, public policy, high school literature cannon © Copyright 2005, Angela L. Hansen Dedication To my parents Jodine Hubbard and David Hansen for your unwavering love and support. Like Ulysses in Tennyson’s poem, you have always encouraged me “to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the invaluable help and support of my committee members during the planning and development of this dissertation. Specifically, I would like to recognize my major professor, Dr. J. Howard Johnston, for his guidance and mentorship in scholarly and professional matters, his insight, and his inspiration, and Dr. Erwin V. Johanningmeier for his help to shape my research agenda and my opinions about education in the United States, his mentorship, and his advocacy. In addition, this study could not have been conducted without the help of my mother, Jodine Hubbard, who spent countless hours helping me with the data collection and analysis. Table of Contents List of Tables ................................................................................................... ii Abstract ......................................................................................................... iii Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................1 Background of the Study ............................................................................1 Statement of the Problem...........................................................................9 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................... 12 Significance of the Study.......................................................................... 12 Method of the Study ................................................................................ 12 Research Questions ................................................................................. 13 Definitions and Assumptions ..................................................................... 14 Delimitations and Limitations .................................................................... 16 Summary ............................................................................................... 17 Chapter 2: Review of the Related Literature ...................................................... 19 Overview................................................................................................ 19 Literature in the English Language Arts Curriculum...................................... 19 Shifting Trends in Literature Instruction ..................................................... 22 A Multicultural Curriculum and the Literary Canon ....................................... 25 The Role of Textbooks in the Curriculum .................................................... 29 Critics of Literature Textbooks................................................................... 31 Studies of the Literary Canon Taught in School ........................................... 33 Statewide Textbook Adoption: The Controversy .......................................... 38 The Need for Further Research.................................................................. 39 Summary ............................................................................................... 40 Chapter 3: Method ......................................................................................... 42 Overview of Content Analysis.................................................................... 43 Sample .................................................................................................. 45 Design and Procedures............................................................................. 47 Validity: Guidelines for Content Analysis..................................................... 48 Data Collection, Analytical Tools, and Data Analysis..................................... 49 Content Checklist: Demographics and Genre........................................ 49 Content Checklist: Character Demographics......................................... 51 Content Analysis: Emergent Themes................................................... 56 Reliability ............................................................................................... 57 Summary ............................................................................................... 58 Chapter 4: Results of Phase One ...................................................................... 59 Content Checklist: Demographics and Genre............................................... 61 Literary Selections Categorized by Race and Ethnicity .................................. 62 Group I ........................................................................................... 62 Group II .......................................................................................... 64 Groups I and II Compared ................................................................. 67 i Literary Selections Categorized by Gender.................................................. 69 Group I ........................................................................................... 70 Group II .......................................................................................... 70 Groups I and II Compared ................................................................. 71 Race and/or Ethnicity and Genre of Literary Selections................................. 72 Group I ........................................................................................... 73 Group II .......................................................................................... 77 Groups I and II Compared ................................................................. 82 Most Frequently Anthologized Authors per Genre......................................... 85 Group I ........................................................................................... 85 Group II .......................................................................................... 87 Groups I and II Compared ................................................................. 89 Gender and Genre of Literary Selections..................................................... 92 Group I ........................................................................................... 92 Group II .......................................................................................... 93 Groups I and II Compared ................................................................. 94 Authors Categorized by Race and Ethnicity ................................................. 95 Group I ........................................................................................... 95 Group II .......................................................................................... 95 Characteristics of the Textbooks................................................................ 96 Group I ........................................................................................... 97 Group II .......................................................................................... 98 Groups I and II Compared ............................................................... 102 Additions and Deletions to the Textbook Canon ......................................... 103 Summary of Data from Chapter 4............................................................ 104 Chapter 5: Results of Phases Two and Three ................................................... 111 Content Checklist: Character Demographics ............................................. 111 Group I ......................................................................................... 113 Summary of Group I ....................................................................... 116 Group II ........................................................................................ 116 Summary