This paper presents a comprehensive review of international research on the problems of beginning teachers facing "reality shock" in their first years of teaching. A discussion is given on the question of how teacher educators could anticipate the problems their students will encounter when they enter the profession. Particular focus is on…

Applying reader response theory, a study explored the responses of 19 pregnant adolescents and teenage mothers to two dissimilar young adult novels, one about teenage pregnancy and one about adolescent alcoholism. Quantitative analysis, using a modified version of the Purves-Rippere (1968) system, and qualitative analysis of written answers to…

The causes and types of student underachievement and suggestions for remedying the problem are discussed. Because the reasons for underachievement are numerous, different for individuals, and often overlapping, solutions must consider the unique context. Recommendations include increasing students' self-esteem; increasing community involvement;…

This research explored cognitive-motivational patterns of learning-disabled and nondisabled adolescents by employing the theoretical model of C. S. Dweck, which posits that a "learning goal" orients students toward the development of competence, whereas a "performance goal" orients students toward the documentation of competence, and that these…

Summer Adventure, a university-based, full-day, community education program for kindergartners and elementary students is described. The program offers physical and enrichment activities, an "extravaganza," and production and leadership in training activities. The physical activities include golf, swimming, volleyball, and gymnastics. Fitness…

Contributed by English teachers across the United States, the activities contained in this booklet are intended to promote the effective teaching of English and the language arts. Teaching strategies offered in the first section of the booklet are designed to stimulate language exploration and include activities where students improvise dialogue…

To better understand the effect of student background, work load, and attitudes on performance in intermediate algebra, a study was conducted in summer 1990 among students at a central Texas community college using pre- and post-course questionnaires completed by 124 of 157 students in 8 sections of intermediate algebra. Respondents were…

The Peninsula Academies Program is a three-year high school program designed to provide at-risk students with the motivation to graduate from high school with skills relevant to future employment. The program combines a full schedule of academic and technical courses with "employability" training in a school-within-a-school setting.…

The choice of principals is too important to be left to chance. Dynamic, committed leaders not only help determine the quality of teachers that are recruited, but provide the key to effective schools where the battle for excellence will be won or lost. Section 1, "The Effective Principal," outlines the tasks that an effective principal performs.…

Summaries are given on conference workshops and sessions on the topics of: (1) computers and their use in parks and leisure service agencies; (2) maintenance; (3) private initiatives in county park systems; (4) community education workshops; (5) trees and shrubs for the urban environment; (6) adjustments to severe fiscal constraints; (7) improving…

Organized by the International Commission on Physics Education (ICPE) and the Physics Education Society of Japan, the conference reported here, the first of its kind held in Asia, was designed to inform teachers of results of prior ICPE conferences as well as to explore desirable directions for physics education, and was attended by nearly 450…

This issue of the journal contains abstracts and critiques of ten research reports. They address such topics as: (1) characterizing the Van Hiele levels of development in geometry; (2) children's ideas about commutativity in the early elementary arithmetic program; (3) two children's anticipations, beliefs and motivations about mathematics; (4) a…

A discussion of the practice and theory in the teaching of language for specific purposes (LSP) focuses on the ways in which the LSP experience, and especially experience in English for specific purposes (ESP), compels a new evaluation of certain theoretical positions in applied linguistics and second language learning. It concludes that: (1) the…

Key concepts from theory and research on student learning are discussed, and a conceptual framework to promote the design of local instructional improvement efforts is presented. The objective is to advocate that institutional researchers focus more directly on the basic issues of teaching and learning and to suggest that improving instructional…

Because junior high school literature anthologies contain few expository offerings and English texts seldom involve students in critical reading as background for writing, it is up to the teacher to fill the gap. One approach for providing students with critical reading practice is the cloze procedure, which (1) encourages close reading and…