Describes steps taken by the American Broadcasting Corporation to assess the public's reaction to "The Day After." Pre-broadcast activities included a literature review, consultation with child development specialists, viewer's guide development, focus group research, and recommendations regarding children's viewing. Post-broadcast…

Explores some of the issues raised when teachers are committed to giving students choice over the literature they encounter and over the ways they respond to it. (HOD)

Argues in favor of a reader-response approach to the process of selecting the literary works students read in introductory or survey courses. Offers a rationale for using "The Tempest" in such a course. (FL)

Argues that, in the high school classroom, it may appear that much is being learned, but in the minds of pupils there is often considerable confusion as to the meaning of what they have read. Reports on a study that explored the nature of that confusion and discusses what can be done. (RBW)

Argues that knowledge about the early development of college English departments and the place composition instruction assumed in them is important for modern composition teachers. Suggests that a writing teacher's development can be measured by the degree to which that person has become liberated from current-traditional rhetoric. (RBW)

Australian elementary school teachers were surveyed to ascertain knowledge about use of social studies curriculum material. Case studies and representative interviews were used to formulate a questionnaire, the results of which indicated that teachers were not actively involved in material selection and analysis. (Author/DF)

Studies addressing the efficacy of specific procedures for training teachers in behavior modification are reviewed. Didactic training is an ineffective method when used alone but may be a necessary component when used with other methods. Support was found for using role playing alone and combined with modeling, feedback, and reinforcement.…

Examined whether the Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons test could be faked by 38 physical therapy students who took the test once honestly and once faking positive attitudes. Results showed fake scores were significantly higher than honest scores, indicating that respondents were able to fake positive responses. (JAC)

Subjects read a situation description and rated the likelihood of their taking the response designated as appropriate. Regression analyses revealed the contributions of sex and the traits of instrumentality and emotional expressiveness (as measures earlier by the Bem Sex Role Inventory) to self-reported instrumentality and emotional…

The study examined the extent to which cognitive self-control processes and relaxation techniques could be therapeutically applied to chronic anger problems. The cognitive treatment was implemented by self-instruction procedures. The cognitive coping procedures involved the use of self-statements for the management of anger and cognitive…

The results of an initial study of the relationship between grades and number of words written on assignments at the Open University are reported. Analysis shows that higher grades are awarded students with longer answers, and suggestions for standardization are made. (LBH)

This paper presents preliminary data on 100 subjects of the first longitudinal study of Canadian widows. Widows have more psychological problems than a comparison group of women under treatment for breast cancer. Widows living alone with dependent children report higher stress levels. (Author)

This study examined the usefulness of applying the Rasch rating scale model (D. Andrich, 1978) to high school grade data. ACT assessment test scores (English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science) were used as "common items" to adjust for different grading standards in individual high school courses both within and across schools. This…

The "Research in Practice Series" is published four times each year by Early Childhood Australia. The series aims to provide practical, easy to read, up-to-date information and support to a growing national readership of early childhood workers. The books bring together the best information available on wide-ranging topics and are an…

This study includes the voices of elementary teachers, primarily women, in the historical narrative of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Hopefully, this inclusion will encourage educators, and social studies educators in particular, to use personal accounts and narratives in the study of historical events. Also this study…