A study compared senior nursing students' perceptions about their baccalaureate nursing education as preparation for a professional nursing career with their feelings six months after graduation and entry in their first position in clinical nursing. (MSE)

A participant in a career transition workshop for 10 former college faculty members gives an account of the sometimes difficult process of changing perspectives, attitudes, and problem-solving techniques from academe to the world of business and of learning practical job search methods. (MSE)

There is increasing awareness that how young people spend their time outside of school has consequences for their development. As part of this awareness, interest in organized activities--extracurricular activities, after-school programs, and youth organizations--has grown markedly. On balance, the bulk of research on organized activities has…

Generations of rural people have relied on resource industries for their livelihoods. This digest examines how modern technologies allow career counselors to serve this population. In distance career counseling, four factors must be considered: (1) community characteristics, such as the informal hiring practices seen in many rural communities; (2)…

Interactive drama, a simplified form of drama, is a vehicle through which children can become involved with literature. When preservice teachers are presented with interactive drama in a college setting, it serves as an introduction to the simple, effective learning experiences available through informal drama activities. In an interactive drama,…

This paper uses teachers' voices to explore transformation processes in teachers as a result of participation in an innovative school-based Master's degree program at the Institute for Educational Transformation. The program is built around a set of beliefs and principles that enunciate a philosophy of teaching and learning emphasizing work within…

The expanding needs of children today demand effective prevention and treatment programs. Some model programs that address these needs are described here. Schools are now being called upon to serve a population with a tremendous multiplicity of physical, social, emotional, and academic problems in an atmosphere of public dissatisfaction with…

Researchers have long been interested in why some children have behavioral and developmental problems while others appear to develop "normally." A substantial body of research supports the notion that a child's early experiences--from birth to school entry--can influence significantly later cognitive, behavioral, educational, and…

Noting that scientific observation of children's dreaming offers unparalleled opportunities to study experience of conscious mental states, this book presents findings from two studies on children's dreaming. Following an argument outlining the problems in equating dreaming with perception, the book explains the use of sleep laboratories and…

Based on extensive research with children and young adults, this book examines adaptive and maladaptive cognitive-motivational patterns and shows how these patterns originate in people's self theories; their consequences for one's achievement, social relationships, and emotional well-being; their consequences for society; and the experiences that…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a personal growth support group on the personal effectiveness (or "self-efficacy") of a small group of returning female community college students. Those who participated in the study were women over the age of 25 who were attending college for the first time or were returning to college…

The linear career path that once kept people working in the same job is not the standard career route for today's workers. Instead, many workers are now pursuing varied career paths that reflect sequential career changes. Although job mobility no longer carries the stigma once associated with job change, it can still be emotionally stressful. Job…

Recreation, leisure, and personal enrichment education and training programs play an important role in the total education and training undertaken in Australia. Depending on the State or Territory, personal enrichment programs are delivered by registered and unregistered community providers; technical and further education (TAFE) and other…

The purpose of this study was to examine and describe the incidental learning activity of students in an asynchronous online course in a higher education setting. This research was conducted with data collected from interviews, journals, observations, email messages, and online conferencing software postings of 22 members of three sections of a…

Liberal education projects supported by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education are described. Many Fund projects are surveyed in order to indicate the range and relevance of their approaches to liberal education. (MLW)