Ninth-grade students in Norway responded to a questionnaire concerning aspects of their teacher's murder. Female students reported talking more with their friends and family about the incident and had higher stress reactions than males. Males did not seem as willing to confront the trauma and pain, suggesting gender differences in the ability to…

Reports on a study of how seven fifth-grade teachers organized their social studies curriculum following the adoption of a new textbook. Finds that teaching styles were more varied than might be expected given the similarity of materials. Discusses three observed teaching styles. (CFR)

Considers major reforms in the criminal justice system in response to domestic violence incidents: more frequent arrest, reduced control of victims in domestic court cases, more widespread use of restraining orders, and court-mandated treatment for batterers. Concludes that these do not work well across a variety of situations to reduce future…

This paper reviews graphophonic factors underlying the development of reading competence and their relationship to functional aspects of reading. The paper suggests that attention be paid to aspects of visual form, such as the use of typographic and linguistic cues, to improve the operational effectiveness and motivational appeal of materials for…

Effects of an applicant's information management strategy while responding to a job application item requesting illegal candidate information and moderating effects of applicant sex and position were studied for 12 hypothetical school job applicants with 108 graduate student raters. The interactions of strategy, sex, and position have important…

Examined the written responses of 13 teachers, who were making the transition toward using a process approach to writing instruction in their classes, to drafts composed by fourth graders. Findings provided information about how the teachers used language and what in the student drafts they focused on in their responses. (BB)

One Massachusetts elementary school, desegregated and rebuilt with a complete system of state-of-the-art technology and infrastructure, has shown how technology can influence school restructuring and student achievement. School's technology is integrated into the whole curriculum. Garfield School's experience shows that computers can benefit both…

Emphasizes, and illustrates with examples, the importance of taking classroom time to rectify incorrect student thinking by immediately undoing, or unraveling, students' misconceptions, errors, or misapplications. When this process is cultivated without a judgmental attitude on the part of the teacher, students' confidence is inspired and…

The need for scale linking in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is discussed, and the specific procedures used to carry out the linking in the context of the major analyses of the 1990 NAEP mathematics assessment are described. Issues remaining to be addressed are outlined. (SLD)

Alternatives to multiple-choice tests for teacher licensing examinations are described, and their advantages are cited. Concerns are expressed in the areas of cost and practicality, reliability, corruptibility, and validity. A suggestion for reducing costs using multiple-choice responses calibrated to constructed-response tasks is proposed. (SLD)

A nonparametric multicategorical model for multiple-choice data is proposed as an extension of the binary spline model of J. O. Ramsay and M. Abrahamowicz (1989). Results of two Monte Carlo studies illustrate the model, which approximates probability functions by rational splines. (SLD)

A method for analyzing test-item responses is proposed to examine differential item functioning (DIF) in multiple-choice items within the latent class framework. Different models for detection of DIF are formulated, defining the subgroup as a latent variable. An efficient estimation method is described and illustrated. (SLD)

Presents conflicting views of New Zealand's schooling from teachers' perspectives and examines some of the reforms and reflections of New Zealand's educators. Discusses some of the implications for U.S. schooling. (BB)

Effects of passage and item-scrambling on equipercentile and item-response theory equating were investigated using 2 scrambled versions of the American College Testing Program Assessment for approximately 25,000 examinees. Results indicate that using a base-form conversion table with a scrambled form affects the individual examinee level. (SLD)

Argues that knowing the temperamental differences of young children can assist classroom teachers in being more responsive to children's various needs and in providing developmentally appropriate classrooms. Recommends ways to adapt the classroom environment for many interaction and learning styles. (MM)