Describes, from one teacher's experiences, the difficulties of teaching Shakespeare in a Chelsea (Massachusetts) high school and how these problems were eventually overcome. The narrative presents students' reactions. (GR)

Examines the profession of physical education and what it could become if it embraced somatic work, explaining the basic concepts and processes of somatic education. Somatic education focuses on the interactions of posture, movement, emotion, thought, self-concept, and cultural values. A case study details somatic education in practice. (SM)

Describes the illness and death of a young boy enrolled in an early childhood program. Discusses how maintaining open communication, sharing genuine reactions, talking with parents and a clinical psychologist, sharing carefully chosen books, and supporting the child and his family throughout the experience were helpful in coping with this event.…

Examines how police officers in 24 departments have responded to mandatory arrest statutes in 861 cases of domestic violence. Arrests of offenders, especially those violating restraining orders, increased. Arrest was affected by victim injury, use of a weapon, use of alcohol, and presence of a witness. Police training was crucial to implementation…

Examines problem of domestic violence in Great Britain, which has a stronger feminist movement and a much lower level of stranger-to-stranger violence than does the United States. The prevalence rate of domestic violence is quite similar to that of the United States and the British system has been less progressive in its response. (LKS)

Reports research on teachers' beliefs about children's development. Discusses (1) teachers' estimates of ages at which children succeed on tasks, (2) teachers' ability to engage in task analysis, (3) their view of children's error, and (4) their view of developmental accounts. Concludes that good teachers' beliefs provide an inadequate basis for…

Effects of altering test difficulty on examinee ability measures and test length in a computer adaptive test were studied for 225 medical technology students in 3 test difficulty conditions. Results suggest that, with an item pool of sufficient depth and breadth, acceptable targeting to test difficulty is possible. (SLD)

In Texas, which has minimal child care standards, extensive alternative care arrangements were associated with pervasive negative effects in third graders. Children with the alternative care background received more negative ratings from parents and teachers, poorer grades, lower standardized test scores, and more negative sociometric nominations…

Effectiveness of the Mantel-Haenszel statistic in detecting differentially functioning test items was studied when the internal criterion was varied, using a dataset from a life skills examination taken by 1,000 Anglo-American and 1,000 Native American high school students. Choice of criterion variable has a substantial effect on detection. (SLD)

This investigation of 360 tests administered in English, mathematics, science, and social studies classes in grades 7 and 10 found that the most frequent question type was multiple choice, which poses particular problems for students with mild handicaps. The majority of questions were at the knowledge level, either recognition or production.…

Four ideas for French language instruction are described, including an exercise in summarizing or retelling something told to one; an exercise in descriptive and expressive language; an exploration of the different uses of the word "cadre"; and activities related to coffee in different cultures. (MSE)

Examined the connection between adolescents' expressions of negative affect and their attempts to meet the developmental task of establishing autonomy and relatedness in interactions with their parents. Longitudinal observational data and interviews of 96 adolescents and their parents revealed that difficulties establishing autonomy and…

Examines how three different feedback methods and drawing approaches influenced peer interaction among fifth grade students and their communication with the teacher. Suggests that the frequency of different types of talk was influenced by the form of teacher feedback, the drawing approaches used in the lesson, and other contextual factors. (KM)

Quantitative research on feedback that college teachers receive from student ratings is methodologically critiqued. The critique is based on a recently completed review and statistical study of 28 related studies by R. L'Hommedieu, R. J. Menges, and K. T. Brinko. Feedback effects may be stronger than research indicates. (SLD)

Describes one teacher's experiences with helping seventh graders become lifelong readers. Discusses the importance of reading aloud to students and how reading, listening, and discussing can help improve writing through the use of reading journals. (MG)