Methods, their rationale, and exercises for Open University tutors are presented. The book is divided into two parts, the first concerning practical issues of how to actually teach students to learn and the second dealing with theoretical issues and the rationale for the teaching methods described in Part I. Part I, "A Student-Centered…

The papers presented in this volume are the team research reports of the Joint Hampton-Michigan Program conducted in 1979-1980 for junior faculty members of the Hampton Institute (Virginia) and graduate students and faculty members of the University of Michigan. The titles of the papers are: (1) Social and Economic Implications of Teacher Training…

Psychologists have long been interested in the causes of student success or failure in college. In the late 1950's, investigators began to examine behaviors beyond the cognitive realm as crucial elements in the student's adaptation to college life. Research on adolescents' transition from high school to college identified several components of…

Blacks and other minorities have a more difficult time choosing and pursuing a career at mid-life than nonminorities. Lack of access to a wide range of career options is one problem. Minorities at mid-life may have a narrow view of the range of available jobs. A limited educational background is another problem. Most minorities interested in…

The two issues of this journal include the following articles (Titles are translated into English): "General Panorama of Research on Intercultural Education in Europe" (Margarita Bartolome Pina); "Incidence of Some Educational, Social, and Affective Factors in Alcohol Consumption by Teenagers" (Elvira Repetto Talavera, Ma.…

Recent policy initiatives promoting high-stakes testing for graduation present a significant challenge to practitioners charged with educating students with high-incidence disabilities. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of test-taking strategy instruction on the test performance of secondary students with high-incidence…

This study analyzed the effects of online formative and summative assessment materials on undergraduates' experiences with attention to learners' testing behaviors (e.g., performance, study habits) and beliefs (e.g., test anxiety, perceived test threat). The results revealed no detriment to students' perceptions of tests or performances on tests…

To explore the suggestion that subjects modulate their reading strategies in accordance with how they expect to be tested, several test expectancies (multiple-choice, true/false, essay, and cloze) were implemented in addition to a non-specific test expectancy as a control. Subjects were 124 students at Purdue University (Indiana). After reading…

Several factors are related to adult students' completion or noncompletion of reading assignments before class--lack of study time, their motivation for taking college classes, their need to feel involved in the learning process, and their expectations for success in the classroom. One of the biggest fears of adults returning to a school…

The effects of humorous test questions on test performance of high and low-anxious college students was investigated. It was hypothesized that humor should reduce the anxiety level of high-anxious subjects, and thus improve their performance, while having little effect on low-anxious subjects. Students were assigned to a low or high-anxious group…

Examines contextual differences in student motivation and self-regulated learning in seventh- and eighth-grade mathematics, social studies, and English. Results revealed differences by subject area and gender in motivation and cognitive strategy use variables, but not in regulatory strategy use or academic performance; relations among these…

Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) has become increasingly common in large-scale testing programs. This paper considers relevant practical issues that are likely to be faced by the developers and managers of a CAT program. The first cluster of issues is that of item pool development and maintenance. It includes such considerations as item pool…

A middle school teacher asked her students how they felt they learned best and how they felt a teacher could assess what they learned. Students perceived a large gap between their learning and what tests reflected they had learned. They provided suggestions for a more effective tool for measuring learning. (SM)

Suggestions for students, parents, and teachers on how to prepare students to take standardized tests are presented. The value of deliberate efforts to teach students test-taking skills is supported by research. Activities to prepare students include the following: (1) teachers should develop some of their tests and worksheets in formats similar…

While research on the composing process has revealed great variation among writers and among types of writers, research has largely ignored fluctuation in the writing behaviors of a single writer. A study contrasted both texts and behaviors of six graduate and undergraduate students of English as a Second Language (ESL) as they wrote a practice…