The recurring author: William Shakespeare, a case study through content analysis

The recurring author is one whose works appear many times at different levels in instructional units found in literature textbook series. This study described the treatment of a recurring author, Shakespeare, using units in a sample of six literature textbook series student editions and teacher manuals for grades nine, ten, and twelve. The descriptive case study determined the content of the Shakespeare unit for each grade level in the sample and determined whether the content of the Shakespeare unit differed across grade levels in the sample. The William Shakespeare Unit Content Analysis Instrument was developed for this study to describe, to code, and to analyze the content of the Shakespeare units. The William Shakespeare Unit Content Analysis Instrument had a rated content validity of 91 percent and an inter-rater reliability of 92 percent. The study used percentages to describe the occurrence of items appearing in the Shakespeare units for grades nine, ten, and twelve in the six literature textbook series examined. The content of the Shakespeare unit was described based on these percentages. The study also determined that the content of the Shakespeare units across grades nine, ten, and twelve differed statistically but not substantially in the degree of emphasis placed on four areas of content: biographical information, Shakespeare's works, Shakespeare's theater, and issues related to instruction as measured by the William Shakespeare Unit Content Analysis Instrument. Recommendations for further study in the areas of recurring authors, teaching Shakespeare, and textbook evaluation criteria were given.