This conference proceedings compiles a representative sample of the papers presented at the Institute of Early Childhood in July 2001, one in a series of conferences examining the challenges which the schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy present the early childhood profession in Australia. The conference focused on the interpretation of experiences and…

This study examined the effects of course level, class size, and instructor gender on student ratings of teacher performance at the National Hualien Teachers College in Taiwan. A total of 9,843 usable evaluation forms were completed for 440 courses (96 freshmen-level, 142 sophomore-level, 119 junior-level, and 83 senior-level) taught by 132…

Using the terms "literacy" and "reading" interchangeably, this monograph is intended to provide a research baseline for teachers, policymakers, decisionmakers and other interested persons to consider in helping all children meet today's higher literacy standards. The introductory section of the monograph presents a statement of purpose and…

This booklet discusses and provides suggestions for meeting the educational needs of gifted girls. The first chapter, "The Needs of Gifted Girls," describes the problem of underachievement among gifted girls and strategies that educators can use to support individuality, reduce perfectionism, encourage freedom, recognize socioeconomic and ethnic…

This study investigated whether there was a difference in the level of academic achievement for African American students when instructed through lecture and discussion and cooperative learning methods in the social studies classroom. Participants were 58 African American 12th graders in an urban public school. A control group was instructed using…

This book focuses on ways teachers can modify their teaching in order to increase the academic achievement of students from the racial and ethnic groups that are experiencing massive failure in U.S. schools, and consequently in society. Modifying instruction to improve the academic achievement of African American and Latino students will benefit…

This volume of an annual collection presents seven essays relating to instruction in the basic communication course. The essays are: "The Effects of Praise on Student Motivation in the Basic Communication Course" (B. Scott Titsworth); "The Relationship between a Required Self-Disclosure Speech and Public Speaking Anxiety: Considering Gender…

This study examined the impact of diversity on students' self-perceived improvement in the abilities necessary to contribute positively to a pluralistic democracy. It noted how such diversity-related campus activities as exposure to multicultural curricula and opportunities to study and interact with diverse peers affected student development. The…

Educators and learners have diverse thinking style preferences. Recognition of this difference in preferences is very important in the design of a curriculum and the way it is taught. Educators are often unaware of the way learners think and learn. Cataloging and classification can only be taught effectively if the diversity in thinking style is…

This phenomenological study implemented and evaluated an individualized approach to multiple intelligence instruction. The targeted population consisted of students in two inner-city elementary schools located in Indiana. In a traditionally book-oriented classroom, instruction is typically geared toward the verbal/linguistic and…

The social studies, as defined by the Committee on Social Studies of the Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education, "are understood to be those whose subject matter relates directly to the organization and development of human society and to man as a member of social groups." More specifically, the social studies in the secondary…

Holds that male/female differences in such behavior characteristics as aggression, cooperation/competition, compliance, and anxiety are not innate, but rather are social strategies available to both sexes and utilized whenever reasonable. Suggests that the sex equity problems in education can be solved by eliminating differential treatment of boys…

Results of a previous study indicated no difference in preservice teacher attitude/achievement using lecture/inquiry approaches. This study was replicated, also examining effects of sex and students' (N=471) previous science training. Although results for science understanding were not significant, analysis of attitude change indicates that…

The effectiveness of two weight loss programs with 71 overweight junior high school students is compared. One program featured multicomponent behavior modification techniques and significant professional input, and the other emphasized self regulation in a simpler exercise and nutrition education format. The two programs attained comparable…

Compared conventional biology instruction to personalized system of instruction (PSI) and investigated relationship between achievement and selected variables (age, sex, family income/size, grade point average, motivational factors, treatment group, and California Achievement Test scores) of college students (N=80). Results, among others, indicate…