CHANGING CONCEPTIONS of MAJOR TOPICS in HIGH-SCHOOL CHEMISTRY TEXTBOOKS RALPH E. DUNBAR North Dakota Agricultural College, Fargo, North Dakota
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CIENTIFIC progress and research should be reflected in the type and amount of material contained in representative high-school chemistry textbooks published over a period of years. The present study was designed to ascertain the changing conceptions, if any, of major topics in high-school chemistry textbooks from 1913 to 1937, inclusive. It is a recognized fact that the chemical industry of the country has experienced a phenomenal growth, change, and development during this same quarter century. If our high-school chemistry textbooks have kept pace with this progress, they, too, should reilect this trend in the space devoted to the major topics of chemistry. A knowledge of the relative values and predominating trends of the various major topics should be of value to the high-school chemistry teacher, administrator, and textbook writer. Simmons1 reports a similar investigation of sixteen general science textbooks published over a period of twenty-four years. For ease of interpretation, the twenty-four years covered in this previous analysis were divided into four equal perigds. General science textbooks of four publishers were used for each period. A tabulation was made of sixteen major topics revealing the number of pages and percentage of total space devoted to each of the sixteen topics. In the present study a tabulation has been made of twenty-five high-school chemistry textbooks, so selected that the copyright date for one only occurs dnring each of the past twenty-five years, 1913 to 1937, inclusive. An attempt has been made to select only books that are truly representative of the years in which each was copyrighted. By this procedure a representative sampling of high-school chemistry textbooks, one for each of the past twenty-five years, has been obtained. Obviously, by such a procedure it has been impossible to include many leading texts of these several years, since only one was selected for each year, and frequently several books were copyrighted during the same year. Likewise, later editions of many of SIMMONS, "Changing conceptions of major topics in general science textbooks," I.Educ. Research. 31, 199-204 (1937).
these textbooks have since been published, but these older editions have been included as being representative of the several years involved. The following twenty-five textbooks, designed primarily for highschool use, have been included in this study. K A ~ E N B E RLOUIS G, AND EDWINB. HART,"Chemistry and its relation to daily life," The Macmillan Co., New York City, 1913. BLANCHARD, ARTHURA. AND FRANK B. WADE,"Foundations of chemistry," American Book Co., New York City, 1914. IRWIN, FREDERICK C., BYRONJ. RIVETI',AND ORETI' TATLOCK, "Elementary and applied chemistry," Row, Peterson and Co.. New York City. 1915. TOTTINGHAM.WULIAM EDWARDAND TOSEW WAITE -~ INCB. "chemistry of the farm and home," Webb Publishing Co., St. Paul, Minn., 1916. ,, - SNELL,JOHNFERGUSON, "Elementary household chemistry," The Macmillan Co., New York City, 1917. DOLL, CHARLESE., ''E~~entials of modern chemistry," Henry Holt and Co.. New York City. 1918. SMITH,ALEXANDER, "Intermediate textbook of chemistry," The Centurv Co.. New York Citv. 1919. BLACK,N.-HENRY AND JAME;'~.~YANT CONANT."Practical chemistry," The Macmillan Co.. New York City, 1920. WILLAMAN,JOANJ., "Vocational chemistry for students of agriculture and home economics," J. P. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia, Pa., 1921. NEWELL,LYMAN C., "Practical chemistry," D. C. Heath & Co.. New York City, 1922. COOK, CHARLESGILPIN, "Chemistry in everyday life," D. Appleton and Co., New York City, 1923. GRAY.C m WILLIAM.CLAUDEW. SANDIFUR.AND HOWARD T. HANNA,"Fundamentals of chemistry," Houghton Mifflin Co., New York City, 1924. D1NsMoRE. ERNESTL.,"Chemistry for secondary schools," F. M. Ambrose Co., New York City, 1925. BROWNLEE, RAYMOND B., ROBERTW. FULLER,WILLIAMJ. HANCOCK, MICHAELD. SOHON,AND JESSE E. WEITSIT. "Elementary princinles of chemistrv." .. Allm and Bacon. ~ e ~wo r k City, 19%. HOLMES.HARRYN. AND LOUISW. MATTERN, "Elements of chemistry," The Macmillan Co., New York City, 1927. EMERY,FREDERIC B., ELZYF. DOWNEY, ROSCOE E. DAVIS,AND CHARLES E. BomToN, "Chemistry in everyday life." Lyons and Carnahan, New York City, 1928. FLETCHER,GUSTAVL., HERBERT0.S M ~ HAND , BENJAMIN HARROW,"Begiming chemistry," American Book Co., New York City. 1929. MCPHERSON, WILLIAM,WILLIAMEDWARDS HENDERSON. AND
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GEORGEWINEGAN FOWLER, "Chemistry for today." Ginn and Co., New York City, 1930. HESSLER, JOHN C., "The first year of chemistry," Benj. H. Sanhorn & Ca., New York City, 1931. ARREND,"An introductionto chemistry,a pandemic TMM,JOHN text," McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York City, 1932.
BRUCE.GEORGE HOWARD, "High school chemistry." World Book Co., Yonkers-on-Hudson, New York City, 1933. in , . ~ , ~ ~D,i ~~ ~ ~~ H,, -A first BRmsuny, ton-Century Co., Inc.. New York City, 1934. JAXFE,BERNARD, "New world of chemistry." Silver, Burdett and Co., New York City, 1935. BIDDLE,HARRY C. AND GEORGE L. BUSH,"Dynamic chemistry," Rand McNaUy & Co.. New York City, 1936. HORTON, RALPHE., ',Modern everyday chemistry," D. C. Heath and Co., New York City, 1937.
These twenty-five chemistry textbooks are the product of twenty separate and distinct publishers and are believed to be a fair sampling of the average texts of
the past twenty-five years. Some more or less arbitrary criteria of selection were adopted to reduce the number of contributing sources of data sufficiently to make this investigation practicable. A study of the table of contents of the several textbooks examined seemed to justify a tabulation under twenty-four major topics as contained in Table It is quite evident that ~textbooks , ~f ~ l of ~this .type do form a source of objective data, but it is also true that the results are somewhat subjective, since no two investigators analyzing the same materials would distribute them under exactly the same headings. The results of this study have been assembled in Table 1, which includes the number of pages and percentage of total space devoted to each of the twenty-four major topics in each of the twentyfive high-school chemistry textbooks published during the past quarter of a century. An examination of Table 1 indicates that the size of
TABLE 1 NUYBBR OP
TOB TS. PAOBS AND P B ~ C ~ N T A O
Cognighl Dole Y I J D A TOPICS
1. Historical and lotroductory Material
2. Laws and Theory 3. Wefer and Solutions 4. Hydrogen 5. Oxygen 6. Air, Nitrogen, and Nitrogen Compounds 7. Halogens
8. Sulfur and Its C o m ~ pounds
9. The Phosphorus Group
10. Bmon and Silicon 11. Carbon and its compounds
12. T h e Alkali Metals 13. The Alkali-Earth Metals
14. Aluminum
15. Iron and Steel 16. Copper 1 7 . Silver and Gold
18. Other Metal. 19. Colloids
20. 1oniratioo 21. Radioactivity 22. Gases and Their M e a s urement 23. The Periodic Law 24. Atomic and Molecular structure TOTAL
SPACE DBVUTBD TO EACA OX
TWBNTY-POUR MAIOXTOPICS IN HIGH-SCAOOL CBBUISTRY TB-oms
1. Historical and introductory Maferisl 2. Laws and Theory 3.
watu aod Solutions
5.
oxygen
6. Air. Nitrogen, and Nitrogen Compounds 7. Halogens
8. Sulfur
and Its Com-
pounds
9. The Phosphorus Group 10. Boron and Silicon 11. Carbon and its Cornpound^
12. The Alkali Metals 13. The Alkali-Earth Metals 14. Aluminum
15. Iron and
steel
17. Silver and Gold 18. Other Metals 19. Colloids 20. ionization
22. Gases and Thdr Measurement 23. The Periodic Law 24. Atomic nnd Molecular
structure TOTAL
high-school chemistry textbooks has been consistently in emphasis are the basic laws and theory of inorganic increasing during recent years. Ten of the textbooks chemistry with 12.8 per cent. of the total space. A published during the past twelve years contain more variety of miscellaneous metals occupy 6.5 per cent. than the average number of pages (477.6), while eleven Other topics which follow in order are: air, nitrogen, texts published during the first twelve years covered in and nitrogen compounds, 6.4 per cent.; water and this study contain less than the average number of solutions, 4.8 per cent.; the halogens, 4.2 per cent.; pages for the entire period of twenty-five years. This sulfur and its compounds, 4.0 per cent.; iron and steel, increased size probably represents a somewhat in- 4.0 per cent.; the alkali metals, 3.4 per cent.; ionizacreased emphasis upon a variety of topics during recent tion, 3.1 per cent.; oxygen, 3.0 per cent.; historical years. A study of the exact number of pages devoted and introductory material, 2.9 per cent.; the alkalito each of the twenty-four major topics, as listed in earth metals, 2.8 per cent.; boron and silicon, 2.3 per Table 1, also substantiates the same conclusion. How- cent.; hydrogen, 2.0 per cent.; the phosphorus group, ever, a better comparison of relative emphasis can be 2.0 per cent.; atomic and molecular structure, 1.9 per obtained by a comparison of the percentage figures. cent.; silver and gold, 1.9 per cent.; aluminum, 1.7 per The twenty-five textbooks contain a total of 11,941 cent.; the periodic law, 1.5 per cent.; gases and their pages of which 2818 or 23.6 per cent. are devoted to a measurement, 1.4 per cent.; colloids, 1.3 per cent.; consideration of carbon and its compounds. This radioactivity, 1.3 per cent. ; and copper, 1.2 per cent. topic, therefore, receives greatest emphasis. Second A more detailed study of the percentage tendencies
from year to year reveals a marked increase in the emphasis in recent years on the subjects particularly of colloids, ionization, radioactivity, the periodic law and table, and atomic and molecular structure. While it is true that some items of radioactivity, ionization and atomic and molecular structure represent recent developments, yet the inclusion of these same items in these texts did not follow for several years. There is a very noticeable decrease in the emphasis placed upon the detailed chemistry of the less common metals. The basic laws and theory, mathematical treatment of gas volumes, and the study of carbon compounds continues to hold an important place in recent textbooks. CONCLUSIONS
In addition to the facts immediately obvious from a study of Table 1, the following conclusions seem to he justified. (1) Recent high-school chemistry texts are placing an increased emphasis upon the subjects of colloids, ionization, radioactivity, the periodic law, and atomic and molecular structure.
(2) A consideration of carbon and its compounds still retains a predominating position among all major topics.2 (3) Recent texts are placing less emphasis upon a detailed consideration of the complex chemistry of numerous metallic elements. (4) A consideration of the basic laws and theories of inorganic chemistry still occupies a commanding position in recent texts. (5) Other basic topics as listed show little change in emphasis. (6) Recent texts contain more practical applications, less technical detail, and yet retain basic and fundamental laws and theory. (7) Recent high-school chemistry textbooks are increasing in size. (8) Increased emphasis on major topics is frequently obtained by adding pages, thereby increasing relative percentages, rather than by eliminations of older materials. DUNBAR, "The organic content of twelve high-school chemistry textbooks." J. CHEM.EDUC.,14, 115-17 (1937).
