Research has shown that tasks of intermediate difficulty generally elicit the greatest efforts on the part of students. For this reason, teachers are advised that the use of moderate goal setting is one of the most effective means of ensuring favorable vocational outcomes. The general paradigm of achieving vocational success through moderate goal…

Written in both English and French, this newsletter discusses how politics should be taught to elementary students. There are three major failings in the teaching of politics to elementary students: (1) concentration on the formal institutions of government and failure to teach about the concepts that underlie politics, e.g., power, authority, and…

High school theology instruction receives little attention in scholarly research. This is regrettable because such a unique curricular component has the potential to add much to the Catholicity of the school and to the religious development of faculty and students. To advance the discussion and application of the ideas presented in this focus…

A total of 3,590 students, 155 instructors, and the directors from nineteen of the fifty-nine Minnesota secondary vocational centers participated in a study to collect information about the centers. Focus of the student information was on characteristics by age, sex, parental occupations, etc.; the extent to which students are bused, the time…

A follow-up study examined the life and educational histories of selected adult basic education (ABE) students and the perceived impact of such experiences on their personal growth. Interviewed survey participants were asked about the effect of ABE on the following areas of their lives: self-image, attitudes towards life, self-direction, ability…

Escalante (Utah) High School's outdoor unified studies field trip is a learning experience to be remembered. The four-day camping experience begins with pre-trip plans, pretests, and lecture/introductions to the Anasazi culture and to geologic formations to be visited. Horses (and equipment-carrying trucks) take the students into the desert to set…

This curriculum guide, one of nine sequential manuals for elementary and secondary teachers and administrators, is designed to prevent drug misuse and abuse through activities for developing students' cognitive and affective skills. The materials emphasize the involvement of parents and community members and resources in implementing drug abuse…

Articles include: (1) "L'elaboration du materiel pedagogique pour des publics adultes" (The Elaboration of Teaching Materials for the Adult Public) by G. Painchaud-Leblanc, (2) "L'elaboration d'un programme d'etudes en francais langue seconde a partir des donnees recentes en didactique des langues" (The Elaboration of a Program…

Presented is a descriptive account of guided design, an educational strategy in which students work together in small groups to solve open-ended problems designed to provide experience in applying the subject matter content of a course. The essential elements of this instructional strategy are described, and the instructor's role clarified as…

Factors influencing migrant students in decisions to drop out or graduate from high school were determined in interviews with 24 dropouts and potential dropouts and 22 students who had graduated. Profiles were compiled on each group. Data were collected from twelfth grade migrant students in northern California. The main appeal of school to the…

A two-year study was conducted at Ohio Wesleyan University to analyze the faculty rewards structure as it relates to teaching; develop better diagnostic procedures for improving teaching; better coordinate teaching support services; and analyze student and faculty perceptions of effective teaching and learning. During the first study year, faculty…

Selected results from an aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) study illustrate the importance of including class analyses in ATI research. The interactive effects of motivational aptitude (including locus of control, academic self confidence, and interests) and cognitive aptitude (as measured by a learning task and the Lorge-Thorndike verbal and…

Overall and specific tasks involved in learning a foreign language and the factors that promote or retard learning are considered. To apply theories of learning and teaching, behavioral objectives for the learner must be considered. A macro-level learning theory is useful in conceptualizing reasons for student success and failure and in…

In order to determine the characteristics of continuing education instructors at St. Petersburg Junior College, as well as their professional development interests and attitudes toward the college, a survey was administered to the 125 instructors and yielded an 82% response rate. The study showed: (1) the most typical instructor was a white…

The Council of the European Economic Community (EEC) developed a plan to increase student mobility in higher education across national borders. The plan is characterized by efforts at common policy in such matters as admission, credit transfer and equivalence, a student handbook on opportunities, and a plan for grants for short study visits in…