This study examined the effective use of computer stations across the curriculum. Research was conducted in a fourth grade classroom in Lena, a small, rural farming town in northwestern Illinois. Desks were arranged in circular clusters of five. The students moved to five different stations, one of which was an IBM computer mini-lab. The lab, used…

Through a participatory approach to adult basic education, a project was conducted to break the debilitating cycle of illiteracy that passes from low-income parents to their children. The approach included a family literacy book club designed to encourage parents and children to read together and to improve parents' literacy skills, interests, and…

No one denies that students have many more distractions today than in days gone by. The need for family involvement in a child's reading progress joins a surge in American society for parents to take more responsibility for their children's character and in the condition of their communities. Some hints for parents in establishing family literacy…

Noting that an important trend in middle school reading instruction has been the increased use of literature and trade books, this paper suggests that using Caldecott Medal and Honor books in the middle school classroom is an effective way to expose students to high quality literature. The paper notes that promoting the use of such books also aids…

This instructional text is intended as an alternate motivational guide to teaching English composition. It consists of the use of the question-and-answer, open discussion approach--resembling to some extent, the Socratic method. None of the program's units contain techniques for teaching the grammatical aspects of writing, but every unit…

This investigation explored the differences in the motivational beliefs of ninth-grade Asian American and non-Asian students. Participants were 154 Asian Americans of various ethnicities and 372 non-Asians. Student beliefs about achievement were explored through a questionnaire developed for the study. The statistical findings suggest that the…

The Charter School of San Diego (California) began operations in the 1994-95 school year. Its program and facilities previously operated as one of the city's alternative education programs designed to provide individualized support for holistic engagement of students, many of whom enrolled because of difficulties at comprehensive schools. The…

This qualitative study explored personal and program experiences that affect dissertation completion and non-completion to provide insights that might help students and faculty in their decision-making and advising. Interviews were conducted with 13 graduates and 9 "all-but-dissertation" (ABD) students regarding the traits they felt led…

Use of games in the second language classroom to assess class participation and development of oral skills is discussed. Difficulties in assessing oral second language skills are outlined, and a central issue is identified: the discrepancy between a syllabus in which class participation is required and students unwilling to participate due to lack…

A comparison of the motivational orientations of adult and vocational education graduates was made to determine the motivation for nontraditional students' participation in the off-campus credit programs leading to a master's degree at Marshall University (West Virginia). The population for this study consisted of all 319 vocational-technical…

This study compared 1985 and 1991 teacher education candidates on three different measures, to determine whether students entering the teaching profession today are qualitatively different from those in the past. One hundred essays written by preservice students at the College of Education at Eastern Kentucky University in 1985 and 1991 were…

The program was designed for 13- to 17-year-old at risk adolescents, those individuals who are experiencing difficulties at school, home and/or work. Their main characteristics are a lack of self-control and self-confidence, aggressive behavior, and either little or unrealistic thought about their future. The primary outcomes or aims of the…

The Urban Education Project developed by Research for Better Schools, Inc., has focused on meeting the needs of urban students in a changing and demanding society by creating the Urban Education Framework, which presents a new vision of the urban learner as culturally diverse, capable, motivated, and resilient. This vision suggests that urban…

Statistics clearly demonstrate the need to assist students who may drop out of school or who may graduate with inadequate academic, social, and emotional skills. This paper describes efforts at one elementary school to address some of the needs of at-risk students. The program revolves around a structured martial arts class designed to develop…

This personal narrative in book form illustrates the frustrations and successes a particular teacher and her seventh- and eighth-grade students faced every day in their classroom laboratory. It shows how the teacher used nontraditional means such as improvised classroom drama, story telling, performing and writing poetry, play writing, engaging in…