DOCUMENT RESUME ED 389 648 SO 025 514 AUTHOR Cruz, Barbara C. TITLE Stereotypes of Latin Americans Perpetuated in Secondary School History Textbooks. PUB DATE Jan 94 NOTE 18p. AVAILABLE FROMLatino Studies Journal, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Northeastern University, 521 Holmes Hall, Boston, MA 02116. PUB TYPE Journal Articles (080) Reports Research/Technical (143) JOURNAL CIT Latino Studies Journal; vl nl p51-67 Jan 1994 EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Content Analysis; *History Instruction; *Latin Americans; Media Research; *Multicultural Education; Secondary Education; *Secondary School Curriculum; Social Studies; *Textbook Bias; *Textbook Content; Textbook Evaluation; Textbook Research; Textbooks ABSTRACT This study reviewed six history textbooks widely used in grades 7-12 across the U.S. Using a story-line analysis, the findings of this study suggest:(1) textbooks reinforce negative stereotypes of Latin Americans as lazy, passive, irresponsible, and, somewhat paradoxically, lustful, animalistic and violent; (2) the method of description employed was the use of subtleor not-so-subtle adjectives, adverbs and parenthetical comments of derision; and (3) when Latin America and Latin Americans are included in the text, the usual role is through conflict, either the Mexican-American Waror the Spanish-American War. The study contends that textbookscan be a useful resource but that a balance of presentation must be maintained. Contains 21 references and a list of 9 textbooks revi,wed. (EH) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best thatcan be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** STEREOTYPES OF LATINAMERICANS PERPETUATED IN SECONDARY SCHOOLHISTORY TEXTBOOKS Bgrbara C. Cruz in grades 7-12 for the This investigation reviewed widelyused history textbooks used the representation of peoplefrom Latin America.The findings purpose of assessing schools reinforce the indicate that many of the textscurrently used in United States lustful, animalistic, and stereotypes of Latin Americans aslazy, passive, irresponsible, violent. The Texas Board ofEducation recently founditself in the center textbook controversy afterthe board's reviewers of a well-publicized adoption; a examined and approved tenhistory textbooks for state identified in the watchdog group submitted alist of 231 factual errors review was books. After outside experts wereretained and a thorough completed, over 5,000 errors werediscovered in the ten bookspublished by "the biggest namesin the business"(St. Petersburg Times, 1992:12A). The errors were notthe type of scholarlyminutiae that only the most erudite ofhistorians could unearth,but included such misinformation as, stating thatPresident Truman deployedthe atomic bomb in Koroa; declaringthat American troopsencountered "powerful resistance" in the Bay of Pigsinvasion (when, in fact noUnited States troops were involved inthe failed assault); andidentifying the leader of the 1950s crusade in theU.S. against Communists asGeneral Douglas MacArthur. The experts were lookingfor errors of fact,mostly incorrect information dealing with names,dates, and places. If over5,000 factual analysis of context, tone, and errors werediscovered, what might an bias disclose? Whatwould an analysis ofthe textbook treatment of ethnic minorities reveal? early discussions on this topicand helping me to articulate Author's note: For engaging in teacher I would like to thank PedroR. Elerm6dez, an incomparable my position on it, and encouragement, I would dedicated to multiperspectivededucation. For her assistance Cada% a fine educator committed toequal educational also like to recognize Maria E. from the comments of opportunity for all students. Andfinally, this article benefitted drafts, the suggesttionsoffered by Felix M. Padilla on James A; Eison who reviewed early review of the final draft and later drafts, and Kevin A.Yelvington for this thorough evalutions. unceasing encouragement; I amgrateful for their keen academic 51-67 LATINO STUDIES JOURNAL,Vol. 1 No. 1. January 1994 EDUCATION 'PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS U S. DEPARAIENT OF Improvement Office olducationW Research and MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED II+ INFORMATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES CENTER IERICI reproduced as XThrs document has been FAibtt,111, TfAALFLL received horn the person ororganization originating .1 made to improve I Minor changes have been rePrOduction Quality staled in this docu Points of view or opinionsrepresent official TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ment do not necessarily INFORMATIO' CENTER (ERICI OE RI position or policy BEST COPYAVAILABLE 2 LATINO STUDIES JOURNAL/JAN. 1994 These are precisely the questions thatthis paper examines. Specifically, how are people in Latin Americaportrayed? Which stereotypes are persistently sustained?Are the representations overt or subtle? What are the implications of thesenegative depictions of Latin Americans for Latino students in the UnitedStates? And finally, what , canreview boards and textbook publishersdo to correct the situation? Research regarding the treatment ofminority groups in school textbooks dates back to at least the teensin this century (Pratt, 1972:6), although the term "minority"has primarily meant African- Americans and Native-Americans.Particularly between 1930 and 1970, the treatment of certain ethnic groupsin textbooks was of interest to dissertation writers, but was not ofmuch interest to educational researchers (Elliott & Woodward, 1990:vii). Most studieswhichanalyzeminoritiesintextbooksare quantitative analyses that report thefrequency with which minority groups are mentioned orfeatured in words, photographs orpictures (e.g., Reimer, 1992). That is, theresearcher counted the number of times African-Americans were mentionedin a text, or how many times women were included inthe treatment. Sleeter and Grant(1991) have found that the percentage of space devoted tothe coverage of African- Americans can range from just two percent tosix-and-a-half percent of the total text. Pictorially, social studiestextbooks (grades 1-8) usually feature Latinos (people of Latin American originsresiding in the United States) in three percent or less of thepictures (Sleeter & Grant, 1991:84). Considering the importance ofpictorial representation for the early grades (high pictorial to text ratiois a criteria in elementary textbook sefection) in terms of student interestand comprehension, the omission of these visualizations is critical. Rol lock's updated review of children'sliterature found that there has actually been a decrease in children'sliterature concerning the African- American experience since the 1960s(1984).This is significant because African-Americans typically receive, byfar, the greatest amount of "attention" in these texts.The space in U.S. history textbooks devoted to the experiences of otherethnic minority groups such Mexicans, Chinese, or Japanese is commonlyone-tenth to four-tenths of one percent o; an entire book. Bishopfound that Asian Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans are mentioned evenless (1987). Latinos 52 3 Cruz/STEREarYPES OF LATINAMERICANS the United States, Latinos as the largestand fastest growing population continue to be poorlyrepresented in children'sliterature (Reimer, 1992:16) . Although research that notesfrequency is a usefulstarting point, treatments --- the content most of it fails toanalyze the content of these the context within whichthe reference is made. of the reference and many textbook Yet this is the very contentanalysis that is so needed as ethnic minorities and serveto perpetuate the passages misrepresent In one of the few various pernicious stereotypesthat continue to exist. works to do just this,Nieto found that children'sbooks available about the group as helpless, the Puerto Ricanexperience served to portray passive, and at the root oftheir own misfortune(1982). The Role of Textbooks inAmerican Education There is no doubt thatthe textbook is the mostoften-used resource in theclassroom today (Zevin,1992). As Downs points out, "textbooks, for better or worse,dominate what studentslearn" (1988:viii). Others would arguethat the textbook is the"major conveyor "As Tyson-Berstein of the curriculum"(Sleeter and Grant, 1991:80). writes, "according tovirtually all studies of thematter, textbooks have schools, as well as the de become the de factocurriculum of the public controllingteachers" (1988:11). Pre-service facto mechanism for completed their teachers, that is, educationmajors who have not yet find out that they do nothave to structure intial training, are amazed to text. This is subject matter and dailylesson plans around the course testimony to the fact thatteachers regard thetextbook to be definitive. i authoritative, accurate, and . Most states in the UnitedStates have a statutewhich mandates each that each student is tohave a textbookassigned to him/her for students have one textbook course of study.Indeed, in some schools be used at school. issued for their home usage,and one class set to Almost half the states in theUnited States have statetextbook purchased and used adoption committees that selectwhich texts will be Interestingly, all of these states arein the south and the in the schools. In Florida, these "sun belt" (Apple andChristian-Smith, 1991:5). adoption committees arecomprised of classroomteachers, supervisors, lay citizens; and schoolboard members (Stateof Florida, 1990:ii), 53 LATINO STUDIES JOURNAL/JAN.