A five-year, four-wave, longitudinal study of 2,788 youth from seven public and parochial, urban and suburban school systems in the southern tier of New York provided data, through survey questionnaires, for a comparative analysis of students entering two-year and four-year colleges, and students who terminated their formal education with a high…

Four field tests of Canadian software show that computerized interactive fiction teaches both history and independent reading/study skills. (ARH)

Discusses the benefits of five short science courses offered to middle school age children and their parents. Reports on the participants' reactions, two to three years after taking the courses, to the course experiences, the influence of the courses on learning behavior, and the relationship between the parents and their children. (TW)

Reports on a study designed to compare student attitudes concerning their science teachers at the third, seventh, and eleventh grades where students participated in exemplary science programs. Results indicated significantly more positive attitudes of these students in a variety of ways. Included is the questionnaire used with the students. (TW)

Five statistical techniques were used to analyze the data collected in a previous article (TM 511 223) on student achievement, attention, and motivation in secondary school mathematics and science: ordinary least squares regression, canonical correlation, factorial modeling, partial least squares path analysis, and linear structural relations…

Researchers have theorized that programs to promote positive citizenship should begin with an opportunity for adolescents to participate in civic activities, such as community service or political volunteering. In this report, the authors expand this theoretical perspective by arguing that programs to promote positive citizenship may need to begin…

The Saint Paul Foundation contracted with the Wilder Research Center to conduct an evaluation of their Two Feathers Scholarship Program. The Two Feathers Scholarship Program is funded through the Two Feathers Endowment, which is one part of the Foundation's SpectrumTrust. SpectrumTrust is a unique partnership between communities of color and The…

In most ways the island nations of Iceland and Singapore could not be more different from each other: Iceland is sparsely populated, located near the Arctic Circle, and a very free and individualistic democratic society; Singapore is densely populated, located near the equator, and a very regulated and collectivist meritocracy. But both nations…

Some students, who complete a preparatory or pre-vocational course in the vocational education and training (VET) sector, re-enroll in the same "enabling" course or at the same level of qualification in following years. Since one of the primary aims of enabling courses is to provide students with remedial education or preparatory…

This collection of papers includes the following: "Second Language Acquisition Research in Japan: Theoretical Issues" (Peter Robinson, Mark Sawyer, and Steven Ross); (2) "Focus on Form: Implicit and Explicit Form Focused Instruction Incorporated into a Communicative Task" (Hitoshi Muranoi); (3) "A Task that Works for…

Most teachers today are faced with increasing pressure to teach to higher academic standards. This focus on academic achievement has led many teachers, against their better judgment, to reduce their attention to students' social and ethical growth and to building relationships with and among their students. The result of a collaboration between an…

This collection of papers includes the following: "Learner Characteristics of Early Starters and Late Starters of English Language Learning: Anxiety, Aptitude, and Motivation" (Tomoko Takada); "Uncovering First Year Students' Language Learning Experiences, Their Attitudes, and Motivations in a Context of Change at the Tertiary Level…

A qualitative case study approach with individual and focus group interviews identified senior enlisted Army soldiers' primary motivations and perceived barriers to postsecondary education participation. The 92 interviewees shared these common characteristics: they were enlisted soldiers, were older, attended college part time, worked full time,…

To become one of the world's most innovative countries, Canada requires a national innovation strategy for the 21st century. It is progressing toward a more innovative economy, but lags behind many developed countries in terms of overall innovation performance. A national innovation strategy to meet Canada's innovation challenge proposes goals,…

A number of factors have come together to generate a renewed interest in adult learning in Organization for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD) countries, including emphasis on demand shifts associated with technology and globalization; large size of skills needs; and aging population. Major gaps in knowledge about adult learning still hinder…