A discussion of the use of movies for teaching English as a Second Language looks at some basic principles in using movies as instructional materials and discusses a number of issues in selecting materials and developing classroom instruction. It is argued that film communication offers links between classrooms and society, contains a wide range…

This paper reports the effects of thematically integrated mathematics instruction on achievement, attitudes, and motivation in mathematics among middle school students of Mexican descent. A school-university collaborative effort led to the development and testing of a thematic approach undertaken as a means of contextualizing instruction for…

In 1991, the Task Force on Cooperative Education undertook a study regarding improvement of the cooperative education (CE) system in the United States. The first stage of the project entailed a mail survey of approximately 1,300 selected cooperative and professional educators, cooperative employees, and university state councils to determine…

With the growing interest in leadership in teachers and in the debate over whether teacher education programs should foster leadership qualities, this study assessed how senior students enrolled in the College of Education at Marshall University (West Virginia) perceived their own leadership skills. Participants were a random sample of 170…

This monograph gives an account of three associated studies of the professional craft knowledge of teachers as articulated by 20 teachers in 4 secondary schools in Victoria, Queensland, and New South Wales, Australia. Participants were chosen on the basis of: (1) student identification of their best teachers and (2) equal representation from three…

This document consists of a selection of the best articles previously published in the "Harvard Education Letter." It contains the following articles (without citing the issue in which they originally appeared): (1) "School-Parent Relationships that Work: An Interview with James Comer"; (2) "Unpopular Children"; (3)…

This document, which was developed on the basis of recent research and testimony of small business owners, managers and employees, and training providers, is a basic practical manual for those owners and managers of British small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who want to initiate or improve staff training and development activities. The…

The report summarizes the proceedings of a conference on less commonly taught languages (LCTLs). An introductory chapter describes the origins and organization of the conference, and notes the sponsoring organizations, languages represented by participants, institutions represented, and professional associations to which participants belonged.…

The materials presented here are visual aids used in a presentation on citizenship instruction for older and physically challenged adults. They consist of a series of "screens" containing information on: demographic information on samples of citizenship students in 1995 and 1997, illustrating changes in the population; motivations of and barriers…

This paper describes the development, validation, and research application of the Computer-Delivered Instruction Configuration Matrix (CDICM), an instrument for evaluating the implementation of Integrated Learning Systems (ILS). The CDICM consists of a 15-item checklist, describing the major components of implementation of ILS technology, to be…

Based on interviews and classroom observation, this book presents the "collected wisdom" of 60 teachers of American Indian students in all parts of the United States, as well as teachers of indigenous students in Australia and Costa Rica. Chapter 1, "Introduction: The Teacher as Learner" presents the authors' backgrounds, the study's emerging…

This book, which is intended for individuals involved in the education of adults and museum education, explores the potential role of museums in creation of a learning society, possibilities for collaboration between museums and adult education providers, access to museum resources by adult learners, and training and staff development. The…

Females are underrepresented in courses in mathematics, science, and computer and other high technology applications. Research in the last decade has identified a variety of factors that contribute to females' lack of participation in math, science, and technology. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following: stereotypic images…

Classroom boredom in the secondary mathematics classroom is a problem that can be addressed from knowledge of the intrinsic motivational variable of "interestingness." The lack of a theoretical model of interest is an obstacle in research that investigates this variable. This paper describes the three stages in the development of a model…

How students perceive standardized tests and routine classroom tests on subject matter units was studied by surveying 61 fifth-grade and 65 eighth-grade students in public schools in Michigan. It was hypothesized that older students would more often distinguish between the types of test and would be more cynical and less motivated than would…