The material in this unit is designed to introduce students to the origin and role of ideas in history, especially their role in the lives of ordinary people, in the rapidly industrializing United States of the 19th century. These lessons concern Americans in the great age of industrialization, from 1850 to 1900. Unit objectives include: (1)…

In an effort to inform program assessment efforts and provide more accurate indicators of student outcomes, Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC), in Pennsylvania, conducted a study of student educational objectives. Responses to questions related to goals on the college registration form were analyzed for 9,927 students enrolling in spring…

This volume contains descriptions of programs for student success and retention at 68 state colleges and universities in the United States. Each institution is a participant in the National Retention Project, a research-based project working within broader campus cultures that are committed to providing access and success to students traditionally…

This document contains four papers from a symposium on management development. "The Effect of Supervisor/Subordinate Relationship on Subordinate Performance, Role Ambiguity and Conflict, and Job Satisfaction" (Michael J. Nocera, Judith A. Kolb) finds that a strong perceived relationship with supervisors was negatively correlated with…

The determinants and labor market consequences for immigrants of proficiency in speaking the dominant language (English in the United States and English of French in Canada) are explored, with focus on adult men using self-reported data from the 1980 and 1981 censuses of the United States and Canada, respectively. It is shown that the determinants…

Factors associated with an unusually high rate of failure on the July 1991 National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) were analyzed for nursing students at Angelo State University in San Angelo (Texas). Of the 111 nursing degree recipients who took the examination for the first time in July 1991, 18 (16.2%) failed.…

A 2-year national study by Aguirre International identified effective and innovative instructional approaches, methods, and technologies used to provide literacy instruction for adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy students. Adult ESL literacy learners were found to be varied in terms of literacy backgrounds and experience. Adults who…

In the Ganado Public School District (K-12, 1,650 students), in the northeast corner of the Navajo Reservation, an administrative retreat structure has been used for 4 years to promote the team management concept and maintain the District's formal direction. Building from a comprehensive needs assessment by and for the District's Navajo…

This paper reports on a study which investigated socioeconomic, academic, and psychosocial factors that might affect enrollment and persistence rates of black women in science and health careers. An overview is presented of women in science, black women's status in science, role models and support groups, other factors affecting persistence, and…

This annotated bibliography of 12 publications on student self-esteem includes six research studies that indicate the following: (1) it is the actual ability of students, not their self-concepts of ability, that make the difference in academic success; (2) students who feel strong parental pressure generally have lower self-esteem; (3) self-esteem…

This technical paper is one of three produced by a large-scale effort aimed at implementing a new approach to measuring productivity, and using that approach to assess the impact of feedback, goal setting, and incentives on productivity. The productivity measurement system was developed for five units in the maintenance and supply areas at an Air…

The causes and types of student underachievement and suggestions for remedying the problem are discussed. Because the reasons for underachievement are numerous, different for individuals, and often overlapping, solutions must consider the unique context. Recommendations include increasing students' self-esteem; increasing community involvement;…

This research explored cognitive-motivational patterns of learning-disabled and nondisabled adolescents by employing the theoretical model of C. S. Dweck, which posits that a "learning goal" orients students toward the development of competence, whereas a "performance goal" orients students toward the documentation of competence, and that these…

Evaluation of a 3-year transition education program at the Pingelly School in Western Australia used data from 29 students and staff interviews, direct observation, and document analysis to compare 4 projects established to improve the employability of students (in particular, Aboriginal students and girls who were at highest risk of being early…

Part I of this paper reviews research on effects of vocational course work on dropout rates, probabilities of employment, earnings, productivity, and basic skills. The review is organized around 10 questions. Answers to these questions include: (1) vocational education lowers dropout rates; (2) economic benefits are substantial; (3) economic…