Describes an approach used to introduce the Australian education system to a group of bilingual trainee teachers. The aim, which was to develop in the students a sympathetic or at least tolerant perspective on aspects of Australian education which they found different or distasteful, was generally not achieved. (EJS)

The issues of selecting an evaluation type, scope, and techniques are discussed in relation to a study that aims to investigate the effects of introducing a multimedia independent learning package into a conventional university environment. This is done by examining one second-level Open University course taught at the University of Essex.…

Details a series of tests conducted by the Research Libraries Group, Inc., to evaluate IBM clones i.e., computers designed to use hardware and software originally intended for IBM microcomputers. The results of evaluations of several personal computers, using the criteria of performance, aesthetics, ergonomics, and documentation, are reported.…

Differences in procedures used by academic institutions and government agencies in administering the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' Oral Proficiency Interview test are examined, and results and implications of two studies of interrater reliability are discussed. (MSE)

Comparison of the English comprehension of 16 non-native speakers on task directions presented by a native English speaker indicated that comprehension was best assisted when the content of directions was repeated and rephrased in interaction. Reduction in linguistic complexity in the premodified input did not significantly affect comprehension.…

Bedside teaching was compared with teaching in small-group sessions with required readings. By creating a curriculum that emphasized reading assignments, the designers expected that student performance on a standardized examination would improve. This did not prove to be the case. (MLW)

Compares the expert, spiral, and reading approaches to instructional strategies for introductory computer programming courses. Based on ACT (Adaptive Control of Thought) theory and relevant research, the differences between declarative and procedural instruction are identified, and six tactics used to design courses and evaluate strategies are…

Term paper bibliographies were independently examined and rated by a librarian and a writing instructor. Students receiving bibliographic instruction in classes that taught a cognitive strategy for using library resources did a better job of accessing and using library resources than those whose instruction emphasized specific tools and resources.…

Deaf children (N=52) were administered a videotaped presentation of a vocabulary test under one of five conditions: Total Communication (TC) with audio; TC without audio; Manual Communication (MC) with no mouth movement; Oral Communication (OC) with audio; and OC without audio. Modes using MC or TC yielded performances significantly superior to OC…

Investigates the effectiveness of videotape recording use in teacher education by comparing the progress of students who were videotaped while practicing classroom skills through microteaching with the progress of students who were not videotaped. The groups which used videotaping made significantly more progress in their mastery of specified…

Evaluates the effect of a comprehensive teacher training program in Instructional Theory into Practice (ITIP) on student achievement. Reports findings of two phases of a four-phase Follow-Through study. Achievement test scores indicate that students in the project made significant gains in reading and mathematics. (DR)

Examines how an economic concept changed when 68 third-grade Italian children underwent different kinds of experiences simulated by means of tutorial and critical training. (HOD)

A British polytechnic's first experiences with having one segment of a major examination be known to students ahead of time is discussed, and an empirical comparison of this and the traditional test type is presented. (MSE)

A study of approximately 600 University of Arkansas remedial algebra students divided into seven control and seven experimental group sections substantially confirms John Saxon's findings that mathematics achievement can be improved by using Saxon's incremental approach to mathematics instruction. (JBM)

Explores the analogy between teaching writing and teaching virtue and concludes that teaching writing with its focus on practical reasoning and prudence is bound up in similar ways with teaching moral goodness. (PD)