Making meaning of grade 10 History textbook back covers
Loading...
Date
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Pretoria
Abstract
“Do not judge a book by its cover” is a phrase often heard. It reminds us not to
limit the judgement of a book to just the front cover. The front cover is the first
interaction with the book. It draws interest making one want to know more about
the book. The front cover does not reveal the entire contents of the book.
However, the back cover helps the buyer to make an informed decision in relation
to the book’s relevance in topic and ideas as well as the major decision whether
to buy the book or move on to the next. For this and other reasons, this study
was conducted to make meaning of Grade 10 History textbook back covers. This
qualitative study was informed by the interpretivist paradigm and aimed to
investigate the multi-layered meanings that may arise when textbook back cover
elements are analysed to discover their meaning and intention. A purposive
sample of four Department of Basic Education (DBE) approved Grade 10 History
textbooks were chosen to investigate the phenomenon – making meaning.
Denotation and connotation as branches of philology and iconography served as
key analysing methods and provided an all-encompassing meaning of the back
covers. Through the application of critical discourse analysis (CDA), four moves,
namely commercial, design and layout, academic and curriculum or nature of
history and their steps were identified on the covers of the selected history
textbooks. These four moves are investigated with special emphasis on
academics and the nature of history as these should directly reference the
Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement History curriculum. My study
showed how the visual and historical elements displayed on the back covers
have political, social, cultural, commercial and educational elements. These
elements direct the historical narratives of the books clarifying what should be
present and what is missing while combining to make meaning of the back
covers.
Description
Dissertation (MEd (History Education))--University of Pretoria, 2021.
Keywords
UCTD, Textbook, History, Textbook back cover, Grade 10 history, History textbooks, Making meaning
Sustainable Development Goals
Citation
*