The best learning results from experiential learning, the interplay between theory and experience. In experiential learning, the student is in direct touch with the realities being studied. It involves not merely undergoing the experience, but also doing something with the phenomenon. Theories of experiential learning include: (1) learning how to…

The issue of Directions contains 11 articles on assessment of hearing impaired individuals. Entries have the following titles and authors: "Classroom Assessment Techniques for Hearing Impaired Students--A Literature Review" (B. McKee, M. Hausknecht); "Informal Assessment of Hearing Impaired Students In the Classroom" (B. Culhane, R. Hein);…

This research bulletin provides criteria and procedures for determining the readiness of children to enter kindergarten early. The first section of the bulletin reviews the results of a literature search conducted to delineate areas of development from which admissions criteria should be defined. The review of the literature disclosed the…

Articles in this special issue are reviews that focus on issues related to the evaluation of addiction treatment outcomes over longer term followup periods (2 years or more). The primary conclusion that can be drawn is that research evaluations of substance abuse treatment should reflect, to a greater degree, the chronic nature of addiction. (SLD)

Now that educational reform has targeted principal performance as a key to school excellence, methods and procedures for evaluating these administrators have become an increasing concern. Current studies suggest that evaluation practices used in many districts are ill-suited to improving principals' performance and professional competence. Many…

This paper first evaluates discipline classification schemes and general differences between disciplines associated with the natural sciences and those associated with the humanities. It then reviews research which either asked students how professors in these fields teach, observed teachers in their classrooms, or asked students to describe their…

This project involves assessing the knowledge base in the education and rearing of gifted children, by developing a literature review summarizing recommended practices. A rationale for the project is presented, discussing the idea of recommended practices, the state of the knowledge base, methods for providing guidance to researchers, and the…

Focusing on the whole language and the direct instructional approaches, this pamphlet summarizes research on teaching and learning spelling. The pamphlet notes that the goal of the whole language approach to spelling instruction is to produce competent, independent spellers who learn through use and express their progress as increasingly…

The second part of a 10-part series, this report was compiled by the Educational Development Center at Wilkes College. The series deals with various aspects of the treatment of delinquents and is intended as a summary of research findings in each of the areas treated. Each report was prepared by a scholar-practitioner and is presented in a way…

Every opportunity should be taken to communicate research findings both inside and outside government programs and make them accessible to policy makers, teachers, lecturers, parents, and employers. The "Interchange" series aims to further improve the Educational Research Unit's (ERU) dissemination of the findings of research funded by…

Although there has been a paucity of research on what effective secondary school principals do, two recent studies offer some clues. A 1983 report by William Firestone and Bruce Wilson asserts that a high school principal may best be able to influence the school through bureaucratic and cultural linkages. Bureaucratic linkages are formal enduring…

The monograph summarizes findings from literature concerned with instructional effectiveness and applies those findings to the education of handicapped students. Emphasis is given to the relationship between instructional variables and positive academic outcomes for students. Characteristics of effective instruction for regular education,…

Research findings on computer use in college courses are reviewed. Faculty who have utilized computers in their courses report that computers increase student engagement, add realism to instruction, promote skill mastery and understanding of basic principles, augment laboratory experiences, and encourage inferential thinking. Five case-study…

This research article and literature review is intended to arouse teachers' interest in the possibility of using drama as a supplementary instructional tool for enhancing their teaching as well as their students' learning. It maintains that educational drama can make students more engaged in their learning, render learning more purposeful for…

Data on the development of intelligence and the concept of giftedness are interpreted for use in the classroom and are applied to the development of strategies to optimize learning. The Integrative Education Model is introduced, with its purpose of empowering the learner physically, emotionally, cognitively, and intuitively. The teacher's role is…