The Community College Survey of Student Engagement ("CCSSE") this year celebrates five years of helping community colleges better serve their students. With its unrelenting focus on using data to improve students' educational experiences, "CCSSE" has established itself as a leading voice in community college improvement efforts. More important,…

As educators endeavor to engage an increasingly diverse student population, the curricular inclusion of elements of popular culture has been found to represent a particularly meaningful and successful approach. Research has consistently documented how utilizing issues of interest to students enhances affective links to the classroom and engenders…

Using cluster analysis, 789 predominately Latino and African American high school youth were classified into varying academic at-risk profiles using self-reported levels of academic confidence, motivation to attend school, perceived family support, connections with teachers and peers, and exposure to violence. Six clusters emerged, 5 of which were…

As societal expectations about attending college have grown, professors report increasing numbers of students who are unprepared for the rigors of postsecondary education--not just more students with learning disabilities (whose numbers have more than tripled), but students (with and without special admission status) who are academically at-risk…

For the thirty-sixth year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the annual AECT Convention in Anaheim, California. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two…

As a part of the teacher licensure program at the graduate level at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), the M.Ed. Licensure candidate is required to complete an action research project during a 3-semester-hour course that coincides with the 9-semester-hour student teaching experience. This course, Education 590 Culminating…

In response to a situation in which limited-English-proficient Haitian students were found to have behavior problems, anxiety, depression, low motivation, low energy, and underachievement, attributed to low self-esteem, a project was undertaken to improve student self-concept and achievement. Ninth- and tenth-grade Haitian English-as-a-Second…

Efforts at one high school to reconsider its practices of ability grouping and explore alternative assessment and grouping practices are described. Assessment of the schools' practices found that students in lower ability groups had a less stimulating curriculum, fewer positive role models, lower motivation, lower expectations for themselves, and…

This study examined the impact of a Florida State Department of Education project entitled Fit to Achieve--a cardiovascular fitness education program for elementary school children. Of the teachers implementing the program, 24 elementary physical educators and 134 elementary classroom teachers responded to a survey that asked for information on…

This review covers the psychological literature of the last 30 years regarding the personality and motivational characteristics of individuals with mental retardation. The first section is a brief historical review and critical examination of the various conceptual models and theories regarding personality and motivational processes in persons…

This article, in Section 1, describes language learning as learner growth or development in three interrelated areas: personal awareness, awareness of learning processes and task awareness. These are the three angles of a triangle that constitute the notion of school learning as learner education. The second section discusses how to promote the…

Essay questions and the effects of their use on student scores are examined by a teacher through collaborative action research. Collaboration with the teacher's graduate school faculty resulted in refinements to the research question and development of a practical study methodology. During the two years of the study, the teacher taught four…

This paper explores the myths surrounding the higher education of commuter students and investigates their needs and concerns. Today's college students include increasing numbers of adult, female, minority, and part-time students. Commuter students, i.e., those living off-campus, make up the largest and most diverse group. Many of these students…

Summarizing what is known about reading teaching and learning, this booklet gives those people who must make decisions about reading instruction the most recent and reliable information available from research and practice. Sections of the booklet address such topics as what reading is and why it is important; the status of the "Great…

This document consists of descriptions of 50 projects that were selected as examples of good practice in providing relevant initial and continuing vocational training to women throughout the European Community regardless of their legal status, employment status, and geographic location. The projects are grouped under six key words (motivation,…