This subunit on the history of Western Europe is part of one of four resource units for an eleventh grade area studies course. The subunit contains an introduction followed by a list of objectives dealing with generalizations, skills, and attitudes. A double-page format relates objectives, content, teaching procedures, and instructional materials.…

A manual for assessing the effectiveness of an elementary school , taking differences in the school's resources into account, is presented. The Pennsylvania State Board of Education established the Bureau of Educational Quality Assessment which developed a measurement package in Phase I. Field tests were conducted on grade 5 students in 1968 in…

The Kinder-Economy, a teacher-guided program which introduces basic economic concepts to primary children through an action/simulation/participation program, is discussed. The experimental program is based on the belief that young children can identify and comprehend economic concepts and apply them to real situations in their own milieu.…

A study examined the effectiveness of an integrated language arts instructional format for teaching reading compared with the effectiveness of the typical traditional reading program. The study investigated the effectiveness of approaches that are representative of both viewpoints of the reading process (i.e., word recognition and the construction…

This paper details the origins of the media comparison study methodology, its current use as an evaluation instrument in distance education, and recommendations for more stringent discrimination between research and evaluation in the field of distance learning. The following topics are discussed: (1) the history of research in instructional…

A computer-based questionnaire was developed to help parents who have not received specialized training to determine whether their young children need further assessment for diagnosis of developmentally at-risk status. The computer automatically determines a starting point for a series of questions according to the child's chronological age. The…

Data from a national faculty survey were used to calculate and suggest standards for lower-division class size to aid college planning. Factors considered included sector (public/private), Carnegie classification, institution size, discipline, student level, and instructional method. Results support formation of comparative distributions for class…

London School of Economics and Political Science (England) course evaluations were used to examine whether teachers assessed differently across courses have distinguishing characteristics, and whether courses assessed especially discrepantly for one teacher have distinguishing features. Results show course-level characteristics (class size, number…

Twenty-five eleventh grade classes were taught two social studies concepts, sovereignty and comparative advantage, using written or oral methods. Methods differed in their use and sequence of examples to explicate definitions. Finds using examples increased concept attainment. Suggests sequence was important for the more complex, relational…

Describes study conducted at Moorhead State University (Minnesota) that was designed to compare a variety of distance education delivery methods offered in a teacher training program. Alternative instructional delivery systems are compared to more traditional instruction control groups, and effects on student achievement and course evaluation are…

Discussion of teaching complex knowledge domains through exploration highlights two experiments that investigated the educational value of a Dutch computer simulation program which models the relationship between erosion and agriculture in a developing country as part of the secondary school geography curriculum. Learning by doing versus learning…

Compares two groups of high school social studies teachers to determine how their attitudes and beliefs about instruction inform their practice in promoting higher order thinking among students. Measures teacher performance across 10 dimensions of classroom thoughtfulness based on Fred Newmann's work. Finds an important link between teachers'…

Reports on a controlled experiment that tested the effectiveness of a multimedia method of instruction using a hypermedia-based program and interactive video against two alternative methods--traditional instruction and regular computer-assisted instruction--in a political science course at Northwestern University. Evaluation of the experiment and…

This study determined whether experts in special education transition services perceived a need for a common theoretical model and core set of outcome variables for follow-along research at the state level, evaluated a model for use in follow-along studies, and suggested research questions to be measured in a common format across statewide…

Preschool and kindergarten programs for poor and middle-class children fell into three types: (1) didactic programs, which stressed academic skills and had relatively negative social environments; (2) child-centered programs, which deemphasized academic skills and had positive social environments; and (3) intermediate programs, which fell between…