One possible approach students can cope with abstract algebra concepts is reducing abstraction. This notion occurs when learners are unable to adopt mental strategies as they deal with abstraction level of a given task. To make these concepts mentally accessible for themselves, learners unconsciously reduce the level of the abstraction of the…

DESCRIPTIONS OF 18 DIFFERENT HIGH SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHICH ARE PLANNING OR HAD IN OPERATION PROGRAMS FOR SUPERIOR AND TALENTED STUDENTS AS OF JULY 1960 ARE INCLUDED. THE STATES INVOLVED ARE CALIFORNIA, CONNECTICUT, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, IDAHO, KENTUCKY, MASSACHUSETTS, OREGON, SOUTH CAROLINA, VERMONT, AND WASHINGTON. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE…

The preparatory steps for an evaluation of the honors program at Portland State University, Oregon and the selection of the gifted participants are described. Seventy-nine entering freshmen were selected in the proposed honors program on the basis of high College Entrance Exam verbal and mathematics scores. Sixty students were selected and formed…

A series of evaluative studies were conducted of the honors program of the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of South Carolina (USC) by the university's Counseling Bureau. In order to compare USC's honors program, which began in 1965, with those of other institutions, a questionnaire was mailed to 315 public and private colleges and…

Because many of the students selected for participation in the University of South Carolina's College of Arts and Science Honors Program failed to attain the minimal grade point level required to remain in the program, the Counseling Bureau undertook an evaluative study to improve selection methods. The project aimed to find answers to 3…

The quality of an honors seminar reflects more than the course content and the instructor's preferred style. It is largely a function of the extent to which the instructor attends to small-group processes, and group dynamics research offers leadership ideas. (MSE)

This paper examines the development and role of honors programs and colleges at U.S. institutions of higher education. The creation of honors programs may be in response to increased competition between colleges for high-achieving students and heightened concerns in some states about brain drain. Little is known about the rate of growth of honors…

A description and discussion of the structure of honors chemistry curricula between 1950 and 1970 is presented with emphasis on format rather than content and citing comparative data on the structure of chemistry programs from other countries. (DF)

Honors program consisting of a special two-year premedical curriculum and 4 years of medical school leads to an M.D. six years after high school graduation. (IR)

While grade point averages and class rank are firmly entrenched in our educational system, they are not particularly reliable or valid indicators of student achievement. Introducing weighted grades creates additional problems. If schools were to eliminate this system, some motivation for grades and easy coursework would disappear. Includes four…

Discusses the value of travel and study abroad in opening up students to three major areas: the host culture itself, new perspectives on their own culture, and self-learning. Focuses on how the "culture shock" experience can be used for student growth. Provides the example of a short- term honors study abroad program at the University of…

This article provides information to parents with kids considering an honors program or college. Suggestions include getting a guide book to look at the overall institution; finding the child's comfort level in terms of what size institution would be ideal; checking out the institution's Web site; and keeping affordability in mind.

In earlier work the Student Assessment and Classification Working Group (SACWG) found that up to 15% of honours classifications in UK higher education might be different if the results had been fed through another institution's award algorithm. In this article a more sensitive analysis has been applied to two blocks of institutional results that…