This monograph provides educational researchers, policymakers, and practitioners with an overview of existing knowledge regarding factors that influence success among racial and ethnic minority students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) circuit. To accomplish this task, the authors reviewed more than four hundred…

Discusses the use of French language newspapers in the second language classroom. Gives a model for analyzing the articles' content and examines some of the advantages and drawbacks in using newspaper articles as teaching materials. (EKN)

A study undertaken to find a satisfactory system of classifying and organizing materials for college or university learning assistance centers discovered that little information had been published. Further investigation revealed that the two major systems used in libraries, the Library of Congress (LC) and Dewey Decimal Systems, were found to be…

Describes an exercise in the content analysis of political ideologies. Advantages of the exercise include that it teaches students to employ content analysis as a method of research and that it introduces them to the ideological statements of America's leading social critics. (DB)

Asserts that international trade, as compared with international finance or even international economics, is primarily an applied microeconomics field. Discusses decomposition analysis in relation to international trade and tariffs. Reports on an evaluation of the treatment of this topic in eight college-level economics textbooks. (CFR)

Summarizes results of analysis of 209 reviews of fiction books for children and adolescents appearing in six major selection aids in 1979, and discusses classification of statements in reviews--descriptive (objective statements); analytical (literary elements); and sociological (nonliterary considerations). The Classification of Book Reviews form…

This paper proposes a framework for evaluating the doctoral curriculum. Noting that much previous research and evaluation in doctoral education have focused on the outputs of the degree or the supervisory process, the paper identifies the content of the training students receive in particular fields of study, the doctoral curriculum, as in need of…

The sociological context of magazine advertisements, particularly gender role descriptions, can be used to develop students' visual literacy. The techniques described are usually employed as an initial exercise in sensitizing undergraduate or graduate students to some of the issues involved in the content analysis of visual media. (Author/RM)

Described are features of a theoretical model for fluid pressure. Analyzes six introductory physics textbooks based on an introduction and meaning of the pressure concept; characteristics of pressure; and liquid as a pressure transmitter. Presents three models of pupils' conceptions. (YP)

Provides step-by-step procedures for developing an index which uses the Gunning Fog technique to evaluate the level of reading difficulty of textbooks. Cites examples, illustrations, and several warnings in the discussion. (RT)

The origins of inquiry activities are discussed in this historical review and assessment of science textbooks. Approximately 80 texts (dated from 1822 to 1910) were analyzed specifically for inquiry teaching strategies. No significant patterns were detected, either by subject or time, which could support an identifiable birth of inquiry. After…

Describes a final assignment in an introductory sociology course that helps students apply their sociological knowledge. Students choose a book or movie, provide a plot summary, analyze it using a minimum number of sociological terms gathered from different chapters or topic areas, and provide a brief conclusion. (MJP)

Considers the ubiquitous use of textbooks in social studies classrooms and recommends constructing critical-thinking exercises revealing textual bias. Suggested exercises concern issues of emotional or ambiguous language, geographic and cultural inclusion/exclusion, and accuracy of data. Includes several examples of critical-thinking activities.…

Discovers that Carson McCullers and August Strindberg both made extensive use of musical structure in their literature. Specifically discusses the use of the coda, a last section of music that creates a sense of finality by reiterating the principal theme. Briefly discusses literary uses of the ballad and sonata. (MJP)

Describes a college psychology course activity designed to help students define the parameters of cognitive psychology. Students selected a feature film and a journal article that represented some aspect of cognitive psychology. They then wrote a paper discussing the theoretical and empirical connections between the sources and the topic. (MJP)