A study investigated software choices of graduate-level clinicians in a university reading clinic to determine computer use and effectiveness in literacy instruction. The clinic involved students of varying ability, ages 7-12, using 24 Power Macintosh computers equipped with "ClarisWorks,""Kid Pix,""Student Writing…

The state of both research and practice in the field of foreign language instruction for adults in Europe is outlined. The organization and dissemination of existing research is called for, including the special needs of migrants and the communities they enter. (MSE)

Reports results of a study examining the effectiveness of microcomputers as aids in developing problem-solving skills. Group dynamics of students working with microcomputers was also explored, as well as the effectiveness of this instructional aid with students of varying abilities. (CS)

Outlines the European Economic Community's (EEC) plan for the maintainance of national languages among immigrants. Describes the variety of objectives behind the EEC's linguistic policy as incompatible with the creation of a unified instructional approach. Emphasizes that dialects spoken within immigrant families create additional problems in…

Presents the results of a study that assessed the influence of individual and contextual factors on adolescent girls' interest in school physical education. Suggests that classroom environment is more important than individual goals in influencing pupil interest. Results are discussed in the context of theoretical propositions of goal perspectives…

A survey of graduates (n=87) of the University of New Mexico's conventional medical program and its parallel problem-based curriculum (n=33) found graduates of the latter much more likely to work in medically underserved areas and publicly funded health care settings, care for nonpaying patients, and identify patient problems and curiosity as…

Profiles new CD-ROM technologies for middle schoolers, in the fields of mathematics and science, aimed at motivating and holding student interest. Describes three titles (Math Heads, Sunny Math, and The Ultimate 3-D Skeleton) in terms of manufacturer, capabilities, platform, and price. Several additional titles are described more briefly. (SD)

Individual and focus-group interviews explored barriers and motivations to lifelong learning among residents of a disadvantaged area of Glasgow (Scotland). Some participants were motivated to pursue adult education to improve employment opportunities, but motivations related to social and community networks were also important. The current policy…

A 40-item Likert scale, Transpersonal Orientation to Learning, was developed to investigate transpersonal (spiritual or mystical) orientation. The scale was validated via administration to 166 graduate students in education to determine their beliefs about the development of spiritual potential in learning environments. Satisfactory reliability…

Reviews the use of the collaborative learning process in a seventeenth-century intellectual history seminar. Utilizing reader response, peer critiques, small writing groups, and peer tutoring, students became active participants in the learning process and assumed more responsibility for the course material. Includes a complete syllabus and…

Recent research on effective teaching and the literature on the motivation of learning provide the second-language teacher with specific strategies to help reduce negative student attitudes toward the language course. These strategies are presented and discussed. (42 references) (Author/MSE)

Carroll's learning model accounts for variations in school learning with variables, which can be expressed in terms of time and achievement. Most aspects of the model have been confirmed. Ways that the model might be used to address current problems in education are considered. (Author/BJV)

A middle school teacher presents three case studies of seventh-grade students who began the school year poorly but then decided to change. All three students had challenging home situations but, after becoming motivated to succeed, showed dramatic and rapid improvement. Such motivational changes are seen as stemming ultimately from reasons…

Mastery and performance goals can dramatically influence college students' self-regulated learning. These independent but complementary types of goals are shaped in important ways by how faculty organize and structure their classrooms for learning, particularly through the tasks assigned, development of student authority, and the focus of student…

Presents ideas for creating mathematical classroom activities associated with the history of mathematics: calculating sums and products the way ancient Greeks did it, using an abacus or moving stones on a sanded floor, and engaging elementary students through role playing specific mathematicians. Suggests that through such techniques, mathematics…