This study examines the historical understanding of 22 fourth-graders and 11 fifth-grade students in two classrooms in a suburban community near Cincinnati (Ohio). The classes were homogeneous racially, with no students of Hispanic, African-American, Asian, or Pacific Island descent in either class. The school reflects primarily middle and…

The Outdoor Situational Fear Inventory (OSFI) has been used extensively to measure the social-, physical-, and environmental-based fears of participants in Outward Bound and in college outdoor education programs. The OSFI uses a continuum scaling method in which respondents place a slash mark on a 10-centimeter line representing a continuum from…

This study investigated the influence of the visual display of an instructional design (ID) model on preservice teachers' perceptions of the ID process. Forty-six undergraduate education majors (29 females and 17 males) enrolled in an introductory education class during the spring of 1995 at an institution in the United States' Rocky Mountain west…

Through three semesters of teaching the nonfiction essay, an instructor has come to terms with the fact that she has yet to attempt the type of personal essay that she asks her students to write, essays in which personal experiences with death are shared. However, a reminiscence on death through a recounting of her reactions to and understanding…

This paper begins by pointing out that approximately 15-20% of college students suffer from a fear of public speaking, and that a 1993 study of 369 students at Northern Kentucky University revealed high levels of speech apprehension (SA) at the beginning of the semester in the introductory speech course. The paper reports that although…

Many teachers are hesitant to incorporate peer-led discussion groups into their classrooms. Teachers worry that if they relinquish control in their classrooms students may miss the main theme of stories or may spend little time on task, groups may dissolve from excessive bickering, and their classrooms will be out of control. Nevertheless, the…

With each technological advancement--telephone, automobile, television, and modem--people gain convenience, efficiency, and speed; they lose immediacy, real as opposed to virtual community, and physicality. At a writer's computer conference, journal writers who have used a diary with a lock and key to keep writings private wonder how to reconcile…

Research has shown that when peer tutoring is used as an instructional procedure, student test scores increase and failure is rare. Research has also shown that not only tutees gain academically but also that tutors tend to gain in both academic and social outcomes. Moreover, teachers can implement the technique efficiently and cost effectively.…

Allowing, or encouraging, students to write fiction has not received much attention from college composition teachers, despite recent attempts to bridge the gaps between composition and the study of literature. Based on experiences with a number of students in a variety of writing courses, a college composition instructor questions assumptions…

To explore and characterize the problem-solving processes of experts evaluating and revising text/illustration combinations, a study was conducted with experts from three different fields. Participants, who included five subject matter experts (SMEs) in biology, five professional designers, and five editors, were asked to diagnose and address…

The coping responses of 251 Australian high school students involved in outdoor education programs were examined using a modified version of the Adolescent Coping Scale (ACS). Coping includes all strategies, whether cognitive, emotional, or physical, that a person uses to negotiate a stable balance between the internal psychological state and…

This between-subjects experiment was designed to examine the impact of physical distance on affect and cognition in a distance education situation. Participants were 48 undergraduate students enrolled in communications classes. All subjects were exposed to identical instructional material, but half of the students were told that the material was…

The use of the feature film "12 Angry Men" (1957) as an integrative review of social psychology is described. Students view the film, and then discuss the many aspects of social psychology represented in the interactions among the jurors. Discussion involves tying the movie examples back to social psychological research and theory as…

A study investigated the effects of actively involving students in a social studies methods class on instructor evaluations given by students. Subjects were 30 undergraduates who were all elementary education majors except for one special education major. Subjects (27 female and 3 male) ranged in age from 21 to 53 years old. The experimental…

A study examined the effectiveness of humor on reducing students' stress and tensions as well as the fostering of a positive environment, thus enhancing learning. A survey assessing classroom teachers' use of humor consisting of 10 items was administered to a sample population of 65 high school sophomores. Results were analyzed in terms of number…