Indus Civilization in High School World History Textbooks
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Teresa Raczek
Abstract
Students are taught to accept everything in their history textbooks as fact. However, textbooks include more than facts; some information is interpretation, while other information can be incorrect or misleading. This study analyzes the ways the Indus Civilization is presented in high school world history textbooks. Specifically, the sections on the Indus civilization in five high school world history textbooks were analyzed for content and accuracy. Each sentence was entered into an Excel spreadsheet and marked as either fact or interpretation. Facts were checked for accuracy while interpretations were evaluated to see if they are commonly held opinions by archaeologists. This study shows that the information given to high school students can be misleading and that interpretations are often presented as facts.
Disciplines
Anthropology | Archaeological Anthropology
Indus Civilization in High School World History Textbooks
Students are taught to accept everything in their history textbooks as fact. However, textbooks include more than facts; some information is interpretation, while other information can be incorrect or misleading. This study analyzes the ways the Indus Civilization is presented in high school world history textbooks. Specifically, the sections on the Indus civilization in five high school world history textbooks were analyzed for content and accuracy. Each sentence was entered into an Excel spreadsheet and marked as either fact or interpretation. Facts were checked for accuracy while interpretations were evaluated to see if they are commonly held opinions by archaeologists. This study shows that the information given to high school students can be misleading and that interpretations are often presented as facts.