Describes a study that involved a search for a model for the teaching of musical composition to students with some prior experience. Recounts in detail the way students approached the task of composing music, and the compositions they produced. Offers several recommendations for reforming composition instruction. (MJP)

Reports on a study conducted by a university geography department and its school of education. They divided a World Regional Geography class into two groups. One utilized the traditional lecture method; the other implemented a collaborative learning approach. No significant gain was realized at the conclusion of the study. (MJP)

Focuses on the uses of science fiction to teach sociology and develop critical and creative thinking. Maintains that in the last 20 years science fiction has become concerned increasingly with social themes. Concludes with a detailed description of the use of "The Handmaid's Tale" in an introductory sociology course. (MJP)

Describes the experiences of fifth and sixth grade elementary students and their teachers (n=3) who taught a social studies unit using the Engle-Ochoa Decision-Making Model, an issues-centered instruction model. Examines the reactions of the teachers and students. (CMK)

Examines how architectural forms affect the inner sensual system, presenting several studies looking at the influence of school architecture on student perception and reaction. Describes empirical investigations that attempt to identify how an observer physiologically responds to elements in architectural design. Includes graphs and architectural…

Contrasts the values taught in a cultural anthropology course with those pervasive in contemporary American culture. Discusses the relationship between values and attempts to define what it means to be human. Argues that teaching using a cross-cultural perspective empowers students to discover what is truly meaningful to their lives. (JS)

Examined effects of an individualized faculty advising program, study-skills training, and a tutorial center on the academic performance and retention of Black freshmen enrolled at a predominantly White university. Data suggest that nonresidency, off-campus employment, and organizational involvement adversely affect academic performance and…

Describes the results of using field-specific written materials in a language laboratory setting to teach oral skills in a support course for international teaching assistants for the purpose of promoting automaticity in oral production and raising the intelligibility of students through the improvement of fluency and pronunciation. (25…

Explores why few men registered for and consistently dropped out of a college women's studies course. Interviews with nine men and a review of another student's journal show an uneasiness with being the gender minority in the class, feelings of repression, discomfort at being left out, yet a better appreciation for the minority experience in…

Describes, from one teacher's experiences, the difficulties of teaching Shakespeare in a Chelsea (Massachusetts) high school and how these problems were eventually overcome. The narrative presents students' reactions. (GR)

Reviews research on students' concepts and theories of fair and effective educational practices. Asserts that students are insightful critics of schooling and hold different theories about how schools should be defined. Maintains that moral education programs could encourage students and teachers to negotiate fair classroom practices. (CFR)

Evaluated the negative effect, fairness, and competence of Affirmative Action (AA) policies based on surveys from 235 college students. Results indicate that, although sex-based AA may result in certain social psychological costs for females, the same effect may not occur as a function of race. (GR)

Explores teachers' tendency to adopt the "average" student as a reference point on personal and interpersonal dimensions of classroom life. Suggests that while reliance on this average might seem a solution to the problems of organizing learning for large groups, at a personal level, average children may be experiencing school life as a mere…

Describes and evaluates the format and grading procedure of an Environmental Agronomy course offered at Colorado State University. Teaching methods include videotape use, field trips, and lectures addressing topics such as integrated pest management, land application of sewage sludge, pesticide degradation, and organic farming. Standard course…

Two students (ages 10-11) with learning disabilities exhibited improved on-task behavior and academic performance during self-monitoring procedures, with additional increases resulting from self-graphing procedures. However, little improvement in on-task behavior and academic productivity was noted with the introduction of self-reinforcement and…