Using an adjusted cumulative grade point average (GPA), the item response theory-based GPA improved the predictability of college performance for ethnic minorities according to some statistical criteria but was found equivalent to cumulative GPA for others. The population was 1,462 college freshmen from 4 ethnic groups. (SLD)

Data from a vocabulary test were used to assess the congruence between the signed area measure, unsigned area measure, Lord' chi-square statistics, and the Mantel-Haenszel technique in identifying items with significant differential item functioning. The three item response theory-based methods identified the same items as biased. (SLD)

Discusses puzzling statements by second graders in a classroom literature discussion. Argues that, by considering children's sociocultural backgrounds in examining their responses to stories, teachers can better understand and appreciate their students' critical thinking dispositions and abilities in the classroom setting. (SR)

Narrative features of the life stories of child abuse survivors (n=23) and nonvictimized college student respondents (n=23) were compared. Narratives of survivors differed from the comparison group in both relative emphasis on the past versus present/future and on others rather than self. An emphasis on others by child abuse survivors emerged as…

Reviews research concerning barriers to and benefits of integrating young children with disabilities into regular preschool programs. Discusses the effects of integrated programs on children without disabilities, critical integration issues, activity-based intervention, and implications of integrated programs. (BB)

Investigated overextensions in comprehension and production, using the preferential-looking model, in 99 children (ages 1;9 to 2;3) who were asked to find the referent that matched the label they were given in real and anomalous trials. Results confirm that overextensions in production are not diagnostic of children's underlying semantic…

Describes public and private online networks and the characteristics of electronic mail. Reviews the literature on survey research conducted via electronic mail, and examines the issues of design, implementation, and response. A table displays advantages and disadvantages of electronic mail surveys. (AEF)

Provides a report of the attempt to create an "autobiography club" among beginning English teachers in order to foster ongoing discussion of experiences and problems. Analyzes club discussions and the lessons being learned through the club's activities. Discusses methods for undertaking ethnographic research in education. (HB)

Discusses responses of undergraduate students in an American literature course to inclusion of ethnic reading selections. Finds that two themes--family and social justice--were touchstones to choose reading selections that older adolescents find personally meaningful. (RS)

Discusses the problems inherent in the teaching of young adult literature courses. Describes a collaborative project designed to allow preservice English teachers access to younger students to get a better idea of student reading interests. (HB)

Girls who had been sexually abused (n=68) or had alleged being sexually abused (n=68) exhibited sleep problems, fearfulness, emotional and behavioral changes, concentration problems, and sexual curiosity and knowledge. Girls known to have been abused were more self-conscious, fearful of being left alone, and had more nightmares than the allegedly…

Examines teacher reactions to an Oregon law designed to restructure public education around Certificates of Initial and Advanced Mastery. Over 2,000 educators in 92 schools completed surveys. Responses showed cautious support for reform ideas, tempered with skepticisms concerning implementation. Rural teachers were more critical of the plan. (50…

The effect of individualized, embedded choice opportunities in daily routines on the task initiations and protests by 1 man (age 50) with severe cognitive disabilities was investigated. When routines included opportunities for choice, household and personal care task initiations were high and protests were eliminated. (Author/SW)

Examination of staff responses to problem behaviors in three community-based group homes found that staff tended to rely heavily on verbal approaches to address problem behavior of people with intellectual disability, using other strategies only when the initial response failed. Findings suggest that staff behavior is negatively reinforced by the…

This essay argues that the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) system does not appear to be related to emotion regulation processes in children, although individual differences in emotion processes related to negative emotion temperaments appear to be associated with individual differences in HPA reactivity among normally…