Experiments with fifth grade, tenth grade, and college students showed that, while students believe that teachers and they themselves appreciate effort more than ability, they actually would rather be perceived as having ability than as exerting effort. Fifth graders reacted more favorably to effort exertion than did the older groups. (Author/GC)

Describes the two-day library orientation offered to all incoming sophomore English classes at Quincy High and Vocational Technical Schools in Milton, Massachusetts. Computer-scored pretests allow librarians to tailor the basic orientation package to the needs of each class. (SJL)

Examines the relationship between syntactic complexity and quality ratings of narrative and argumentative writing of students in grades 6, 10, and 12. (HOD)

Teachers often lack time to integrate technology instruction into an already overloaded academic program. A science teacher at a Geneva international school describes a successful program for encouraging and developing computer use and literacy at the secondary level. One solution is to employ a special science computing coordinator to investigate…

Details the use and appeal of Web logs to enhance classroom discussion and allow for outside involvement in the classroom. Defines a Web log, addresses discussing literature in a Web log, and describes the author's first attempts at using Web-log technology. Presents considerations for using Web logs as part of classroom instruction. (SG)

Introduces a community service-learning project and shows how the community photography project captures the essence of biology and fosters curriculum collaboration between high school and elementary students. (KHR)

The study found that teachers of seventh grade mathematics classes interacted less frequently and for less time with the best students. At the grade 10 level teachers also spent less time interacting with high achievers but called on them more frequently in some situations. Sex differences were not observed. (Author/DB)

Investigation of the presence and effect of intuitive obstacles to the concept of irrational number in (n=30) ninth-grade, (n=32) tenth-grade, and (n=29) college students found that only some students manifest genuine intuitive biases. Most students were unable to classify numbers as rational, irrational, and/or real. (Author/MKR)

Examines taped small-group student discussions of "To Kill a Mockingbird" in two tenth grade classes. Explores various discussion skills, including getting started, overcoming tension, deciding who begins, keeping the discussion moving, supporting one another in groups, and dealing with conflict. (MM)

Reports a study that examined the attitudes of high school students and their parents toward their physical education (PE) programs. Questionnaire data indicated students were not overwhelmingly supportive of PE. Most parents were not active, and they did not perceive PE to be as critical as traditional academic subjects. (SM)

Sampled 1,004 eighth and tenth graders in 23 rural communities to examine peer influence and drug use. Students who perceived higher degree of drug use among friends and who received more information about drugs from friends used drugs more frequently. Findings support theory that peer pressure is related to drug abuse. (Author/NB)

Describes a group investigation unit in a tenth grade English class that focused on the Middle East. Outlines six stages used for the investigation. Discusses the use of a steering committee as well as the problems and frustrations experienced during the project. Lists 10 areas in which the students' skills were expanded. (PRA)

Using Louisiana Graduation Exit Exam data, this study examines the influence of schoolmate family structure, racial concentration, and socioeconomic status on the academic achievement of individual African-American and White students. It finds that many educational disadvantages of segregated minority schools are related to the predominance of…

Describes a research project for 10th-grade students that was developed to produce independent researchers who had a clear understanding of the research process and a knowledge of some of the research materials available in the school library media center. Independence was emphasized by discouraging help from the teacher or librarian. (LRW)

Summarizes the experience of creating an interdisciplinary unit for 10th grade students in which three history and two English teachers team-taught Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales," each teacher presenting one of Chaucer's characters. Discusses the students' reactions and the benefits of the unit. (CMK)