In an effort to standardize academic application procedures, the Standardized Letter of Recommendation (SLR) was developed to capture important cognitive and noncognitive qualities of graduate school candidates. The SLR consists of seven scales ("knowledge," "analytical skills," "communication skills,"…

This report is based on the assessment of ICT (information and communication technology) literacy conducted in October 2005. It describes the development of a computer-based tool for assessing ICT literacy among school students and the application of that tool with a nationally representative sample of approximately 7,400 students from Years 6 and…

This thesis reports on a study in which 10 Swedish special education teachers were interviewed concerning the following six topics: (1) personal background and choice of a career; (2) professional knowledge; (3) the role of a special education teacher; (4) educational goals and methods; (5) cooperation; and (6) thoughts about the future.…

The material provides a comprehensive look at the design, goals, and methods to be used in the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Civics Assessment. This assessment will attempt to gauge the civic knowledge and skills of the nation's 4th, 8th, and 12th grade students. To do well on the assessment, students will have to show…

This paper reports research from four studies of how teachers come to learn professional knowledge based on theoretical frameworks of the developmental theories of Piaget (cognitive development), Kohlberg (moral development), Loevinger (ego development), and Hunt (conceptual development). Studies proceed on the assumption that a perspective of…

This study is second in a series demonstrating that achievement tests are multidimensional and that using psychologically meaningful subscores in national educational surveys can enhance test validity and usefulness. National Education Longitudinal Study 1988 (NELS:88) 8th- and 10th-grade science tests were subjected to full information item…

The objective of this study was to evaluate quantitatively through meta analysis the effectiveness of child sexual-abuse prevention programs conducted over the past 10 years. Eighteen controlled studies evaluating such programs were coded for salient features and study outcomes and were then described using the common scale of effect size. An…

This study examined the assessment and prescriptive practices used in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) efforts throughout the country. Project Directors (N=50) of projects funded under the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act were surveyed. The survey instrument was designed to assess Project…

This paper reports the results of a 2-year longitudinal study of the development of primary teachers' understanding of science concepts (specifically, "force" and "energy") following inservice education, and the extent to which movement towards the scientific view was achieved and maintained. The approach to inservice education…

The classifications of 11 attributions according to dimensions of locus, stability, controllability, predictability, and globality by participants in 7 countries (China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Spain, and the United States) were compared in a cross-cultural study. The attributions were: (1) bias; (2) help; (3) luck; (4) ability; (5)…

Educational computing based on the primacy of human agency is explored, considering ways in which power can be apportioned and exercised in order to enhance educational computing. Ideas about power and control are situated epistemologically. A first consideration is educating for human control of computer technology. Research suggests that…

This study described ways in which two groups of urban, low-socioeconomic children remained the same and differed after a transition year in skills-based curriculum and a continuing year in whole language curriculum. Both groups had experienced whole language instruction in the first two years in kindergarten and first grade. This investigation…

This report documents an evaluation of the Asian American Communications In-School Staff Workshops (A-AC). The A-AC provided workshops on Asian and Asian American history and culture, as well as strategies for working with Asian American students in schools with large Asian populations. Phase I workshops focused on information gained through a…

This investigation was conducted to identify the level of attainment, the degree of sophistication, and the extent to which preservice teachers at Eastern Kentucky University are aware of, understand, appreciate, respect, and value multicultural education. Kentucky recognizes the significance of diversity and includes it in its valued learners…

Work and adjustment to work are vital components of a smoothly functioning society. Currently, a growing imbalance between the collective level of educational attainment of American workers and the skill/knowledge requirements of existing jobs has created the potential for widespread social and economic problems in this country. Overeducation…