Examines two sets of classrooms in Mexican preschools over a period of a year to see why one set of classes improved significantly in independent problem solving when compared with children in matching classes. Differences in two sets of data were explored with a method for investigating classroom talk that combines qualitative interpretation with…

A study examined four features of African-American college students' social adjustment to predominantly White campuses: sense of underrepresentedness; direct perceptions of racism; hurdle of approaching faculty; and effects of faculty familiarity. The model described African-Americans' experiences in adjusting to institutional climate and relating…

Examines drug-prevention programs in the United Kingdom and the United States which have included parents within their intervention strategies. Reviews implications for practice, describes a small number of model programs, and identifies critical issues for policy and practice regarding identifying, recruiting, and retaining parents within the…

Focuses on the use of inexplicitness by native speakers (NSs) and nonnative speakers (NNSs) engaged in English conversations, for example impromptu, uninstitutionalized discourses. Shows that a characteristic of NNSs spoken language is the inappropriate level of inexplicitness used and the ways in which inexplicitness is manifested in the…

A study with 62 students compared the effectiveness of face-to-face and World Wide Web-based instruction in the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) segment of an undergraduate health-education course. Results suggest collaborative learning activities were more effective in the Web-based than in the class environment; students perceived the…

Compares English-as-a-Foreign-Language students beliefs about language learning, using responses to the Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) to identify similarities and differences across cultural groups. Examination of individual BALLI responses did not yield clear-cut cultural differences in beliefs. (Author/VWL)

Examined the contributions of academic background, self- beliefs, and other factors toward predicting college withdrawal by late adolescents. Found that academic background and self-beliefs were significant predictors of withdrawal. Found that specific self-beliefs showed significant negative relationships with withdrawal. Noted that relationships…

Examined preschoolers', first-graders', and third-graders' responses to questions in which one authority (mother or teacher) permitted a moral or conventional act to occur across contexts and the other authority prohibited the act from occurring across contexts. Found that children's evaluations were a function of the authorities' status, the…

This study assessed 575 students with mild mental retardation in three educational settings. Their loneliness, depression, and social skills were assessed through student self-reports and peer perception of social status. Among findings were that preadolescent students in self-contained classes in regular schools exhibited more loneliness and…

Evaluated effects of Chicago Child-Parent Center and Expansion Program on 559 low-income, inner-city African American children. Found that program participation for two or three years after preschool and kindergarten was associated with higher reading achievement up to seventh grade and lower cumulative grade retention and special education…

Explains education portals as Web sites that help teachers, students, parents, and librarians work together to learn and to share information. Compares full-service portals and niche portals regarding audience, search engine, grade levels, community tools including email and lesson plans, content, cost, and best features. (LRW)

Reports results of a qualitative study that examined what a group of fifth graders thought about using the "Research Buddy," a World Wide Web site designed to help them do a research project. Findings center on the comparison of student perceptions with observed student behavior. The data collection instruments are appended. (MES)

A national study of university economics faculty (n=343) examined the relationship between self-reported research output and teaching evaluation scores. Findings indicated a very weak relationship between research productivity and classroom performance, but institutional and individual characteristics seemed to explain some differences. Faculty…

Analyzes the interaction during peer response occurring in a writing class. The article identifies four categories of reader stances--authoritative, interpretive, probing, and collaborative--and examines language functions and topics discussed during the response sessions. It is concluded that interactive peer response is beneficial to students.…

A University of Sydney (Australia) study investigated novice and expert college faculty's concepts of teaching effectiveness, self-efficacy regarding teaching, and criteria for self-evaluation as teachers. Differences were found in all of these areas, and implications for achieving excellence in teaching are discussed. (Author/MSE)