A study examined the effects of a college business/professional speaking course on the communication skills' development of students. The research examined three hypotheses: (1) that student ratings of their own communication skills would show a significant improvement after a 16-week course on business and professional speaking; (2) that males…

Earlier practices in the teaching of literature offered one standard of success and one method of lesson delivery for everyone. This did not make it possible for students to reach their individual potentials. The resulting idea of attending to the individual formed the basis for ability grouping. However, placement into lower groups resulted in…

A study examined leadership training programs for college students. The study used a theoretical model of organizational effectiveness and leadership, developed by Robert Quinn (1988), which was adapted and applied to student leadership programs. A version of Quinn's Competing Values Self Assessment instrument was used to measure university…

This paper discusses the concept of literature as a moral laboratory in which author and readers run complex thought experiments about human actions and their consequences. The paper warns that discussion of the role of literature in building moral character and moral communities needs to be based on a better understanding of what literature is…

This paper contends that rhetoric is a force for social change. It also contends that the study of persuasive discourse--how it works, what gives it force--is rhetoric. Pointing out that in the past "persuasive discourse" has meant public discourse of various kinds but that nowadays scholars usually expand the category to include…

Not all schools and teachers maintain uniformly high expectations for all students. Evidence suggests that schools can improve student learning by encouraging teachers and students to set their sights high. This digest synthesizes recent research about teachers' expectations and the ways in which teachers' expectations affect student performance;…

For traditional-age college students (18 to 24 years old), college is a time of identity exploration. During this time, if individuals have a deep sense of caring for others, it is more likely that they will interact with others in an especially meaningful way. Thus, ways to expand student's identity through community service involvement are…

Aimed at primary-age children, this book brings William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" to them, recognizing that children, properly guided, will take to Shakespeare's characters and stories like "ducks to water"; in the process they find their inner voices, they collaborate, they improvise, and they communicate. Illustrated with…

The making of a book is an effective way to instill pride in authorship and to emphasize the importance of writing to children. This guide finds that the finished product (the book) capitalizes on the language background of each child, becomes an extension of the natural language of children, and teaches children to value their work and to take…

This book calls for a radical reappraisal of the phenomenon of literacy, and hence for a profound shift in educational practice. Through close attention to the multitude of objects which children constantly produce (drawings, cuttings-out, writings, collages), the book suggests a set of principles that reveal the underlying coherence of children's…

Student development has become a buzz word within the student affairs profession and the concept of student development has become the guiding paradigm of the student affairs profession. Unfortunately, this embracing of student development lacked the necessary critique or debate essential to academics. This digest provides an abstract of a major…

This study defines some of the educational ecosystems that encourage students to discover science interests and science talent. Six interrelated constructs are discussed. Construct 1 consists of a skein of achievement-centered, goal-targeted environments that comprise the inspiring teaching and learning that can enhance the endowments of students.…

Investigations of changes in conceptions during physics instruction are the logical and necessary steps to follow successful international research on students' preinstructional conceptions. The theoretical perspective integrates currently available frameworks of cognition, cognitive states, and cognitive processes in physics. Particular emphasis…

This study examined the student teaching experience of three preservice special education teachers. Journal entries, observations, and participant interviews were used to develop a description of the experience from the perspective of the participants. The case studies were organized around the following topics: how preservice special educators…

This book is a collection of 10 teacher-developed instructional units at the elementary/middle grade level which are compatible with the principles and theories of the North Carolina Curriculum Framework for Gifted Education. The units can be used in a variety of settings, are designed to develop basic competencies, and include specific strategies…