CONTENT ANALYSIS OF SEXISM IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION TEXTBOOKS

The purpose of this research was to determine what the most widely used introductory administration textbooks published between 1972 and 1977 told future elementary and secondary school principals about the contributions of women, about sexism, and about sex differences. As textbooks continue to be the cornerstone of the American educational system, one way that principals determine issues of priority is through knowledge gained from the textbooks that form the core of their professional training. These textbooks influence, to some extent, the attitudes and behavior of more than 10,000 newly certified principals who graduate each year from this country's colleges and universities. Texts can decrease sex bias, eliminate sex-role stereotyping, analyze existing solutions such as Title IX, and encourage principals to stress a policy of educational equity in their schools. Or, through omission and stereotyping in both narrative and pictorial materials, texts can reinforce bias in attitudes and behavioral patterns, and preclude principals from becoming agents for change on the issue of sex equity in their buildings. To select textbooks for analysis, the investigator contacted major educational publishers in 1978, and they identified five of the most widely used educational administration textbooks. All the texts selected for evaluation were published between 1972 and 1977, and since documentation of sex bias had been noted in research literature since the 1960s, it seemed reasonable to expect that presentation of topics related to sex equity would be included. The research procedure involved several steps. A comprehensive content analysis instrument and manual were modified and validated for use in the study. A lay rater and the investigator were trained on the use of the instrument and manual. Inter-rater reliability was established at 85 percent. The raters analyzed each of the five texts in the areas of narrative content, research framework, language, and illustrations. They conducted a line-by-line analysis of the amount of content allocated to females and males, to the experiences and contributions of women, to the treatment of sexism and efforts to redress sexism, and to sex differences. The findings of this research show widespread sex bias in the most widely used educational administration textbooks. The amount of content allocated to the issues under study was miniscule. The study indicates that educational administration textbooks are more likely to reinforce rather than reduce sexist attitudes and behaviors.