This paper reviews the research on the social dimensions of literacy acquisition and use, and applies conclusions to the provision of improved literacy training for adults and young people with hearing impairments. Discussion of the social context of literacy considers the ethnography of communication, literacy as cultural practice, and literacy…

The present study attempts to expand current question categorization schemes to identify question types that discriminate good learners from their peers in collaborative problem-solving groups. The study also explores the effects of person and task variables on students' question-asking behaviors in an effort to identify those that facilitate…

This study contributes to a growing body of research on the development of elementary teacher's content knowledge of mathematics. Individual clinical interviews were conducted with preservice elementary teachers (N=21) enrolled in a professional development course called "Foundations of Mathematics for Teachers." An instrument that…

The purpose of this study was to examine the nature and degree of differences in expert versus novice knowledge structures, both before and after training, when judging the similarity of multiple-choice test items within a statistics and test theory (STT) domain. Subjects were employees of the Testing Division of the New York State Department of…

This practicum was implemented to assist teachers who were investigating the possibility of participation in school-based management shared decision-making initiatives at a local school level. The particular focus was to assist the teachers to make decisions based on knowledge and to supply information about the appropriate manipulation of time…

The paper describes an inservice training program designed to bring together special education teachers, elementary teachers, and administrators to address the following issues: (1) attitudes toward integration of handicapped students into regular classrooms; (2) communication between regular and special educators; (3) specific skills for regular…

The Educational Sign Skills Evaluation (ESSE) was developed to provide a means of identifying the dominant signing style of an individual and to provide feedback on areas of strength and areas in need of improvement. It provides an overall expressive skills rating as well as information on the type, level, and degree of understanding demonstrated…

The use of value-added assessment to improve undergraduate education at Rhode Island College is described, with attention to how the process evolved, problems encountered, and future plans. Value-added assessment is used in the development of student educational plans, curriculum evaluation and revision, and assessment of the interaction of work…

The report is designed as a guideline for preservice and inservice teacher education programs and the New York local education agencies providing preschool services to handicapped children. A set of competencies was reviewed, rated and discussed by professionals in the field at two workshops and in consultation with preschool program…

A global awareness survey of Japanese education majors was carried out to assess the level of knowledge of freshmen and senior teacher trainees, the level of their attitudinal awareness of key global issues, and their level of competence in their most proficient second language. A stratified sample was drawn from the total population of Japanese…

Ways to define the outcomes of college experiences are discussed, along with the use of assessment information to improve curricula, instruction, and management. The analysis is based on the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems/Kellogg Student Outcomes Project. It is proposed that institutions achieve educational excellence by…

Trends in emphases in the study of clinical reasoning are examined, with attention to three major branches of research: problem-solving, knowledge engineering, and propositional analysis. There has been a general progression from a focus on the generic form of clinical reasoning to an emphasis on medical content that supports the reasoning…

Information about student achievement outcomes is presented, and tests for each outcome area are described. The tests are categorized according to knowledge objectives, skill objectives, and intellectual disposition. Knowledge objectives include comprehension of facts and principles within a particular discipline (specialized knowledge) or a broad…

The use of national and campus tests/measures to assess student academic achievement is discussed, along with measurement of student attitudes and behavior, with attention to specific tests and testing programs. It is important for faculty to develop goals for student achievement and to determine whether a test fits a given college program or…

Test scores were compared for two types of objective achievement tests--multiple choice tests and the recently developed Multi-Digit Test (MDT) procedure. MDT is an approximation of the fill-in-the-blank technique. Students select their answers from long lists of alphabetized terms, with each answer corresponding to a number from 001 to 999. The…