Predicting Textbook Reading

The authors constructed the Textbook Assessment and Usage Scale (TAUS) to measure students' textbook evaluations. They tested the scale in 6 introductory and 3 upper level classes. In Studies 1 and 2, the authors developed the TAUS, tested its psychometric properties, and determined which factors predicted how much students read the book and student exam scores. In Study 3, the authors used different introductory textbooks; and in Study 4, they used upper level classes. The authors found initial data to support the psychometric properties of the TAUS. Sex of student, student perceptions of the quality of visuals, pedagogical aids, photographs, writing, and course design predicted student text reading and exam scores. The number of significant predictors varied across textbooks and classes studied.