Indiana's declining SAT scores prompted the publisher of a statewide magazine covering the literary, performing, and visual arts to take action and create a program to use the magazine as a supplemental resource for students. It was believed that such a supplemental resource could enhance critical thinking and writing skills and help raise SAT…

A program designed to support English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students' achievement when mainstreamed into eighth grade literature and composition classes is described. The approach was implemented in a suburban school, in which some ESL students lacked the skills to achieve at grade level in regular composition and literature classes. A high…

This report describes a program, utilizing both critical and creative thinking skills, to enhance the educational process through the use of technology. The targeted population consisted of fourth grade students in a growing middle class community located in northern Illinois. The lack of higher-order thinking skills was documented through…

This dissertation provides a heuristic model for defining, analyzing, and exemplifying the artistic dimension of black English. Further, it offers a method of recognizing and evaluating this aspect of verbal behavior for the purpose of strengthening curriculum development and methods of instruction. After a review of the literature that deals with…

The study seeks to provide current empirical data for welding curriculum development and updating and for an occupational ladder. To secure information, a descriptive survey was conducted in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. A welder and welding supervisor in each of 58 responding industries filled out an in-depth questionnaire; the…

Varied academic ability is a problem across the country and is the focus of this action research project report. The four teacher researchers were searching for way to reach all learners with their mathematics instruction. The purpose of the research was to increase mathematical performance in a varied ability math classroom. To address varied…

In order to establish the need for a remedial writing program at Pensacola Junior College and to demonstrate the need for faculty released time for materials development, a diagnostic English skills test was administered to 215 freshmen. Test results showed 93% needed remediation. Questionnaire responses of English faculty members showed all 15…

A cybernetic unit in driver education was developed to help grade 10 students develop the skills needed to acquire and process driver education information and prepare for the driving phase of driver education in grade 11. Students used a simulator to engage in a series of scenarios designed to promote development of social, behavioral, and mental…

Applying the principles of American Pragmatism to college composition offers a solution to the general problems of program design, syllabi development, instructional effectiveness, and student behavior modification. American Pragmatism involves the classic problems of meaning and knowledge. These problems stem from the linguistic possibility of…

This study focused on a current problem in secondary English: an unwarranted emphasis on teaching literature. In order to formulate guidelines for teaching composition, the experimenter constructed hypotheses and submitted them to secondary school teachers and their students. Conclusions were drawn on the basis of preferences identified by…

This report describes a program for improving students' depth of understanding through the use of alternative assessment. The targeted population consisted of students at one elementary, one junior high, and two high schools in two growing middle class communities in northern Illinois. Lack of student understanding was documented through teacher…

Research was conducted to establish a validated list of competencies for use in curriculum development efforts for apparel and accessories marketing programs. DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) was the occupational analysis procedure used to identify the competencies, job tasks, level of difficulty, and levels of employment for apparel and…

Teacher responses to two questionnaires provided data in a study designed to identify specific competencies of effective speech communication/drama teachers, to compare these results with the competencies recommended by the Speech Communication Association/American Theatre Association (SCA/ATA) Joint Task Force, and to explore the implications of…

A cooperative learning model was used in Florida to change the state-mandated grade 12 course called Family Life and Sex Education, which had been found deficient in meeting students' educational and social needs. Pretest data before the change in model indicated a lack of knowledge that had a detrimental effect on thinking and problem-solving…

This thesis reviews activities of a study to develop a systematized course for teaching advanced typewriting on an individual basis to part-time adult students. The introduction presents a rationale for the study and section 1 presents the purpose of the study and definition of terms. Section 2 describes the data gathering procedures, and section…