This qualitative study explores how using Peer Learning Forums (PLF) in an online asynchronous computer programming course can be analyzed to derive information about Student Activity Focus (SAF) for adult Information Technology students. Three instruments are proposed to assist instructors classify questions posted by students on these forums,…

First-year students experience academic, social, and emotional adjustments as they transition to college. First-year experience courses support students in this transitional phase by helping them integrate into the campus environment and by teaching them college-appropriate learning strategies. This study explored the role that participation in a…

This article focuses on how to teach intercultural communicative competence to learners of English as a foreign language enrolled in a university exchange program in Europe, and help them become "intercultural speakers." The intercultural speaker can be defined as an intermediary between his or her own culture and the other's culture.…

This article reports on an application of Kolb's (1981; 1984) experiential learning cycle in the context of international marketing education. Two study tours, in which International Marketing students at a U.S. college visited various cities in Europe, are described, with an emphasis on the ways in which differences in the structure of the tours…

Marking major changes in professional role performance, response to intervention (RTI) is now in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) as a possible method to improve the identification of specific learning disabilities. Moreover, RTI and related concepts and initiatives have fundamentally influenced more general methods of…

In recent years the international development community's concern to redress the apparent failure of half a century of "development" efforts, has given rise to a number of global initiatives aimed at both reducing worldwide poverty and enhancing international security. One outcome of these initiatives has been a refocusing on the…

Community-based educational programs play a significant role in the education and positive development of youth. Over the last decade, the Oregon 4-H Youth Development program has made special efforts to reach and engage Latino youth and families in non-formal educational programs. Latino families most often do not access community-based…

Offering a high-quality education to English language learners (ELLs) is a challenge in schools across the United States. Yet, few studies have been conducted to investigate high school English as a second language (ESL) programs. This study provides insights into how a Kansas urban high school ESL program promotes access to the curriculum for…

Elements of Success 1: Structural Options outlines the range of current children's cabinet and council structures in place and offers tips and warnings for getting the most effective structure in place. This issue brief builds heavily on interviews conducted by the Forum and on the detailed documentation work done by Susan Robison for the National…

One of the successes of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has been to recognize the importance of advice and guidance to adults on courses as well as those wanting to access provision. Information, advice and guidance (IAG) matters: it helps people to overcome barriers to learning. It enables adults to identify what learning is right for them.…

This paper presents the results of interviews with staff from 64 community organizations regarding their experiences with service-learners. One of the themes that emerged from the interviews focused on concerns related to short-term service-learning commitments that last a semester or less. We explore the challenges presented to community groups…

The Quality Child Care Initiative, the federal apprenticeship program applied to the field of early care and education, has been implemented in over 40 states. This federal initiative was designed to reduce turnover, increase wages, provide a more stable environment for children, and lower the concern of parents. Rhode Island received funding in…

The complexity of engineering and its integration into K-12 education have resulted in a variety of issues requiring sustained empirical research (Johnson, Burghardt, & Daugherty, 2008). One particular area of need, given the emphasis on teacher effects on student learning, is to research engineering-oriented teacher professional development. A…

Organizations spend as much as US$200 billion annually on training and development; however, much of this investment appears squandered on ill-conceived or poorly implemented interventions. Scholars have pondered the causes of failed training for decades, focusing on issues such as methods, program design, and trainee characteristics. Recent…

The U.S. Department of Education reports that students who are the first in their families to pursue an undergraduate education comprise a minority of the student population at public four-year educational institutions, and comprise an even smaller percentage at elite, private four-year institutions (Engle, Bermeo, and O'Brien 2006). This…