Persistent inequalities in educational expectations across societies are a growing concern. Recent research has explored the extent to which inequalities in education are due to primary effects (i.e., achievement differentials) versus secondary effects (i.e., choice behaviors net of achievement). We explore educational expectations in order to…

The guided experimentation method requires that students learn how a database works by generating and testing hypotheses about it (i.e., become skilled at strategies of experimentation). These strategies are essential to learning by inquiry, which is linked to argumentation. We conducted a quasi-experimental field study to show that students who…

Many undergraduate institutions offer individual research opportunities for upper-level students in independent study courses and summer undergraduate research programs. These are necessarily limited to a small number of students. Greater numbers of students can benefit from incorporating student-directed investigative experiences into…

This article deals with reasons for the motivation to study in higher education. To find out about motives, around 200 A-level students in Germany and Great Britain were asked about their plans for the time after completion of their A-levels. Through socio-demographic data the authors could deploy facts about social backgrounds and the…

This study investigated the benefits of online research methods over manual methods for novice researchers. It was hypothesized that novice researchers who conduct online searches submit better research projects than those who use manual methods. Undergraduate students in two classes of a journalism course on "Law and Mass…

Describes a study conducted at the University of Groningen (Netherlands) that investigated the effectiveness of a computer-based training program for use with an automated system for retrieving legal information. Hypotheses tested are explained, computer-based versus traditional instructional methods are compared, and implications for further…

This study examines some of the literature on college faculty supply and demand and asks whether it is possible to adopt assumptions from the previous research to construct a complex model of faculty workforce using the available data. The study involved a comprehensive review of the literature; numerous interviews conducted by telephone, e-mail,…

Describes preliminary results of a study that examined the effect of individual differences on the use of CD-ROM databases by novice undergraduate users. Factors considered include age, sex, native language, major, computer literacy, computer affinity, personality traits, learning style, visual ability, and perceived usefulness of the system. A…