High School Students\u27 Perceptions fo the Treatment of the Mexican-American War in Textbooks: Results froma Private Bilingual Bicultural School in Mexico

The literature reviewed exemplifies the difference in historical textbook treatment explained by authors such as Lowen (1995) “Textbooks exclude conflict or real suspense. They leave out anything that might reflect badly upon our national character” (Lowen, 1995, p. 13). The examination of Mexican and United States historical textbooks is a quantitative study. It focuses on high school students and their interpretations of historical textbook passages which particularly look at the Mexican American War. Many studies have been done on interpretations of historical events in textbooks, cultural differences, and how this should be taught in schools. The subjects of this study are bilingual, bicultural students living in Guadalajara, Mexico, who are concurrently taking or have taken United States history and Mexican history. Twenty-five students participated in the study of excerpts from a United States historical textbook and a Mexican historical textbook on the Mexican American War. Many students recognized that history is embellished and biased because of the author of the textbook