Date of Award

1985

Type

Thesis

Major

Specialist in Education

Degree Type

Specialist Degree in Education

Department

Teacher Education

First Advisor

Dr. James Brewbaker

Second Advisor

Dr. Carolyn Cartledge

Third Advisor

Dr. Anita Whitman

Abstract

This study was a descriptive investigation of the allocation of space to Southern writers and of the image of Southern Americans in selected high school anthologies. The materials analyzed were sixteen high school anthologies used in grades nine, ten, and eleven during the 1984-1985 school year by eight high schools operating in a system of approximately 25,000 students in the southern region of the United States. The instrument used to measure allocation of space was a simple mathematical procedure. To measure the directionality of content, frequency counts were used. The results revealed both positive and negative aspects of the textbooks studied. Publishers devoted very little space to material. that could be called Southern. Since the eleventh grade is traditionally the year for studying only United States literature, these anthologies not surprisingly ranked highest. Books published after the turbulence of the period from 1965 to 1975 differed not at all in the percentage of Southern material. One series investigated was much more traditional, with a greater number of materials from the earlier literary periods. Another series presented a better balanced offering items from both minority and traditional writing. A third series included a majority of stories of inner-city people. Although the percentage of terms for both whites and blacks was unfavorable, these references constituted only a very small amount of the material included in the texts.

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