The work of the National Research Center on Student Learning (CSL) is described. The CSL, one of 23 national centers funded by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, is an integral part of the Learning Research and Development Center of the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania). The CSL conducts interdisciplinary research that…

A 9-day study based on the framing strategy investigated the effects of using frames on low-performing students' (learning disabled or Chapter 1) comprehension of social studies text. Subjects were 14 fifth-graders from a large urban school district who were reading at least one year below grade level. All lessons were designed to involve students…

This paper offers observations on how research and teaching can join forces to improve learning in the classroom by involving the faculty in classroom research. It explains the use of classroom assessment and techniques for gaining information on what students are learning and how well they are learning it. Classroom assessments are defined as…

The faculty at an urban school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade were concerned about poor teacher performance on an area of the Texas Teacher Appraisal System (TTAS) that assessed their ability to present information accurately and to explain content and/or learning tasks clearly. Responding to their concern, this document describes an…

The psychological climate literature examines links between facets of climate, such as service orientation and a range of individual and organisational outcomes including work attitudes and performance. This study investigated the relationship between the service climate of an Australian university and outcomes important to its key stakeholders. A…

Computer-based instructional applications are considered an effective alternative to traditional teaching methods and today in numerous educational and training settings, interactive computer programs are used to teach young students and adults computer literacy skills. The purpose of this study is to compare the attitudes and motivations of…

Computer based assessment was introduced into an introductory economics course at the University of Queensland during the second semester of 1986. Over 600 students used computer generated and graded random tests for a number of assignments. A commercial computer managed learning (CML) software package was used to administer and grade tests and to…

If schools improved the academic performance of at-risk students beginning in the early years and continuing through the elementary grades, this improvement would have multiple positive effects on student dropout, delinquency, pregnancy, substance abuse, and other behaviors. Early improvement of poor academic performance could greatly alleviate…

Electronic aids can be used to augment the lecturing process and improve students' learning experience when teaching large groups of students at the university level. They can, among other things, stimulate student interest in the material, display the unfolding structure of a lecture, provide students ready access to the instructor's own lecture…

The study investigated the effectiveness of and attitudes toward two delivery systems (an enrichment pull-out program and a self-contained classroom) for gifted/talented instruction in Southwest Allen County, Indiana. The effects on fifth-grade students (N=38) enrolled in the program and sixth-grade students (N=45) who had experienced the program…

A study was conducted to investigate the curricular experiences of the low achievers, including the quality of the programs they participated in and the congruence between their classroom and pullout programs. Three lower-middle-class first graders in the Pacific Northwest participated in the study: John spent the entire day in the classroom;…

Americans want increased federal involvement in their local schools, but they are hesitant about federal control of the classroom. A special CBS News poll, conducted among a nationwide random sample of 1,107 adults (347 of which currently have children in school) by telephone between May 30 and June 2, 1990, indicated a significant division on…

Providing introduction to the whole language philosophy, this book aims to demonstrate that whole language is indeed good education. It outlines what kinds of research support whole language education, how a whole language philosophy may be carried out in practice, and how to go about implementing a whole language philosophy in a school or a…

This monograph examines the effectiveness of university-level audioconference courses and distance education in Alaska. It discusses some of the problems of distance education and examines different perspectives on audioconferences. Teachers and students, both Native American and non-Native, offer their opinions on audioconferencing as an…

A study determined the effectiveness of computer-aided drafting (CAD) and standard drafting instruction on the ability of students with differing visual-haptic perceptual styles to solve orthographic projection problems. A 2x2x2 factorial design was chosen to compare two levels of perceptual style with two levels of treatment and two levels of…