When colleges were first organized in what would later become the United States, they were far different from those in existence today. Students matriculated, enrolled, and graduated in lock step through a prescribed 4-year curriculum. Colleges functioned not so much to encourage intellectual development as to foster moral piety. Topics and sides…

Taking a how-to approach and a British perspective, with numerous lists and examples, this book presents the concept of learning contracts negotiated agreements between learners and instructors to achieve a specific learning goal for university and continuing education teachers. The book is organized in four parts: Part 1 is an introduction; it…

Two studies examined the relationship between preschool and elementary school children's ability to delay gratification and their school behaviors, after controlling for differences in socioeconomic status (SES). Children's gratification control was measured through an age-appropriate dilemma that forced each child to exhibit gratification control…

A study was conducted to determine the motivation for nontraditional students' participation in the off-campus credit programs leading to a master's degree in vocational-technical education at Marshall University (West Virginia). The population for this study consisted of all 319 vocational-technical education (VTE) master's degree recipients for…

While some comfort can be taken from the figures which indicate a growing retention rate, there is considerable concern over the very large percentage of students who do not complete full schooling. In the first experiment in order to address the question of the differential effects of variables on school retention across a range of cultural…

This collection of doctoral student research papers begins with a biographic dedication to Marilyn Zurmuehlen. The papers and their authors are introduced in brief discourse by a faculty mentor (mentor's introduction). Articles include: (1) "Feminism < > Dialogic Interaction < > Research (Miriam Cooley), introduced by Elizabeth J.…

In at least one Oregon school system, student-led conferences have begun to replace traditional report cards. When conferences are well done, parents believe they have learned more about their child's learning and progress than they would through a traditional report card. There is an important additional benefit in that students can rise to the…

Studies of self-directed learning (SDL) have generally concentrated on who self-directed learners are and what/how they learn. In 1980, Gibbons et al. used biographies of 20 "expert" self-directed learners to explore the principles and determinants of SDL. Tough (1967), Guglielmino (1977), and Spear and Mocker (1984) have respectively…

A practicum was developed to increase the number and success rate of junior Honors English students--63 students who were 62% Latino and 38% African-American--taking the English Advanced Placement (AP) examinations. Test strategies that were designed to allay students' innate fears about tests in general and specifically about English language and…

Each fall, Gateway Community-Technical College (GCTC), in Connecticut, surveys new students to ascertain academic and career plans, employment status, goals, and factors that influenced their selection of GCTC. This report presents comparative results from surveys conducted in fall 1990, 1992, and 1993 and includes the following data: (1) from…

Numerous theories have attempted to explain possible factors relating to an individual's propensity for engaging or failing to engage in preventative health behaviors. The Health Locus of Control (HLOC) is now considered to be an important variable for understanding an individual's likelihood for following health promoting behaviors. This paper…

The school-reform movement has not as yet helped to relieve teachers of their nonteaching duties. One result of shared decision making is that some principals have replaced student-supervisory duties with that of committee work. These duties can take as much time as many of the traditional nonteaching duties. One way to improve teacher morale and…

Significant steps have been taken by the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) project since its formation in 1970. The founders of MESA began a campaign, first in high schools, and later in middle and elementary schools, to convince educators, parents, and students of the importance of raising standards for the minority children…

Perceptions of postsecondary vocational student organizations (VSOs) were solicited from students in several Minnesota technical colleges. Four technical colleges participated in the study; one college agreed to serve as the pilot site to test the methodological procedures. Four focus group interviews obtained participant perceptions and views…

To address the needs of at-risk black males the Positive Impact Program (PIP) was organized. Teachers and parents were asked to refer black boys in kindergarten through eighth grade who exhibited low self-esteem; lack of motivation; poor academic record; chronic disciplinary problems; poor school attendance; poor hygiene and personal care habits;…