An evaluation of the information on the Chinese and Chinese Americans in widely used college United States history textbooks.

摘要

This study answered the primary research question, "To what extent is the information concerning Chinese and Chinese Americans provided in selected U.S. history textbooks used in American undergraduate general education U.S. history courses accurate?" Three other research questions were addressed; "What level of importance do selected American corporations place on their representatives having a basic knowledge of the culture, history, and behavior protocols of China, a nation with which they must interact?"; "How frequently would your company make use of Chinese or Chinese Americans to provide cultural assistance instruction for their interactions with your company's China or Taiwan trade relations?"; and, "Would employees with a basic understanding of Chinese history and culture, other competencies being balanced, be considered better qualified as possible company representatives in trade relations with China or Taiwan than those without that knowledge?";A criterion evaluation model following the Connoisseur Based Value Orientation Study Type of Stufflebeam and Webster was used to evaluate the accuracy of information in eight widely used U.S. history textbooks.;Findings based on the evaluations revealed that 84% of the opportunities to include or make reference to cultural history were omitted. Fifty-three percent of those mentioned were inaccurate.;Senior executive industry personnel regarded basic knowledge of Chinese history and culture as approaching high importance and ninety-three percent of those interviewed considered persons with that knowledge to be preferred employers.;The implications for higher education are that authors and publishers must be encouraged to include more accurate and up to date information on the Chinese and Chinese Americans to avoid the inaccuracies and omissions which give incomplete and distorted accounts of the Chinese and Chinese Americans.;Colleges and universities should carefully review and revise curricula to provide a more informative, accurate, and balanced knowledge base for the undergraduate students who will inevitably find their professional careers interacting with China and the increasing numbers of Chinese Americans.