This study evaluated the computer skills and learning expectations of students in an introductory course at a regional university in the southeastern United States. A survey was administered to 595 students enrolled in sections of the Introduction to Computer Information Systems (CIS) course. The survey instrument charted such things as major and…

Teaching literature as a basis for teaching writing affords a paradigm for teaching structure and meaning. While a truly integrated English department would put equal emphasis upon composition, language, literature, and reading, two-year college curricula have emphasized composition and challenged literature's place. A reader-based model for…

Teaching behaviors of university faculty nominated for and receiving teaching awards were studied through teacher self-report, student ratings, and videotapes of classes. Thirty outstanding teachers of a midwestern university were randomly selected from a larger group who had been selected for major teaching awards. A behavioral rating scale was…

This activity is one of a series of 17 teacher-developed instructional activities for geography at the secondary-grade level described in SO 009 140. The activity investigates the development of compass skills, map skills, and orienteering. It employs the educational-games approach. Given specific exercises and instructions, students become…

A review of reports, a survey, and national assessments of art education shows that visual art students are not learning art knowledge and skills because art teachers do not teach art appreciation, art history, or design and drawing skills. Priorities concerning art education content and teaching methods must be changed. (RM)

A study compared the performance of 21 sixth graders receiving Title I services, 13 with learning disabilities, 9 gifted students, and 58 others on a legal knowledge test after a 3-week course in a mainstream setting. The groups differed significantly on declarative knowledge tasks, but not on procedural and conditional knowledge tasks. Results…

As educators endeavor to engage an increasingly diverse student population, the curricular inclusion of elements of popular culture has been found to represent a particularly meaningful and successful approach. Research has consistently documented how utilizing issues of interest to students enhances affective links to the classroom and engenders…

The theoretical and practice-based framework is presented for a study that explored the effect of teachers' use of alternative assessment on their mathematics teaching. A model for the impact of alternative assessment on teacher knowledge and classroom teaching processes is proposed, building on work by E. Fennema and M. L. Franke (1992) and P. L.…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 12 titles deal with the following topics: (1) the knowledge and skills of elementary school principals relevant to the development of reading programs; (2) the effects of a communication skills training program for elementary…

These two newsletter issues are designed for users of the Council for Exceptional Children's Life Centered Career Education (LCCE) curriculum. The newsletter's goal is to inform practitioners of curriculum implementation ideas and transition issues and to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas. Featured articles discuss how one district used…

One hundred and forty students in grades 6 and 7 were asked to process 32 science statements. Half of the statements were consistent with their prior knowledge, whereas the remaining facts were inconsistent with it. Half of the students were instructed to read the sentences for understanding (reading controls). The remaining students were…

To analyze a student's conceptual changes, analyzing transcriptions of writing and verbal statements may not provide enough information. In a study of 25 sixth graders learning about matter and molecules, concept mapping of students' stated ideas was used to analyze the kinds of organizational changes the students made to use new science…

Four papers follow and document the progress of the Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing in understanding questions related to alternative assessment based on case studies in three elementary schools. The research questions include consideration of the logistical constraints that must be respected in developing…

This review examines all data-based ecologically valid studies published in "Learning Disability Quarterly" or "Journal of Learning Disabilities" that addressed reading instruction and were published from 1980 to 1990. It first looks at studies focusing on comprehension, including such reader factors as prior knowledge, metacognition, and visual…

Following a brief discussion of what is currently being taught in social studies, the major propositions of a radical perspective that has emerged among academics are examined. According to the radical perspective, the ultimate social ideal and the purpose of education is the emancipation of all people. Social studies should concentrate on ideas…