This study examined the effect of cooperative learning on two female sixth-grade students' attitudes toward mathematics. The students (one Caucasian, one African-American) were individually interviewed to obtain background information relevant to the study. An initial survey was also given to 17 sixth-graders to obtain general attitudes of…

This report presents detailed summaries of the responses of seven exemplary elementary teachers to a series of open-ended questions about effective social studies curriculum and instruction. The questions addressed the teachers' opinions about elementary social studies purposes and goals, content selection, and representation modes; forms and…

There has been increasing concern about the accountability of federal programs in complying with laws and regulations and in achieving desired results. At the request of Congress, the Government Accounting Office examined how the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ensures Head Start accountability. Data were collected by means of…

This document contains four papers from a symposium on research issues in human resource development (HRD). "Data for HRD Research and the 1997 Human Performance Practices Survey" (Laurie J. Bassi, George S. Benson), describes two research projects undertaken by American Society for Training and Development (ASTD): publication of the…

A research study conducted at Sam Houston State University (Texas) compared the final grades of students who chose the lecture method of instruction with the final grades of students who chose the self-paced method of instruction in introductory algebra classes. All students were required to take seven tests plus a comprehensive final examination.…

This paper reports on a study of the foundation and application of two procedures used to specify appropriate weights to be applied to components in determining the overall quality of a school. These procedures are multiattribute utility technology (MAUT) and policy capturing, and the paper presents the results of applying them, using key…

A study investigated the effect of explicit instruction in notetaking on sixth-grade students' notetaking skills and comprehension of lecture information, as well as on students' attitudes towards notetaking. Subjects, 41 students enrolled in two academically gifted and 47 students in two average ability language arts classes from a middle school…

This study identifies, estimates, and compares the cost of copy and original cataloging of print and non-print materials with four major online database vendors--the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), the Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN), the Western Library Network (WLN), and the University of Toronto Library Automation Systems…

This study assessed the possibility of providing valid and reliable comparisons of the quality of higher education across national lines. The study compared college economics programs in Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom in a two stage process. First descriptive information about systems and study programs was gathered and analyzed.…

This curriculum project was designed to familiarize high school students with their own constitutional roots while gaining a better understanding of governmental systems developed by other nations. The project uses the U.S. Constitution as a baseline for analyzing the constitutions of other nations, and is intended to supplement courses in such…

This paper describes a systematic method of obtaining evaluative feedback based on the perceptions of various campus constituencies of a small private liberal arts college's administrative offices. A study was performed, involving two surveys conducted three years apart and using similar forms and procedures. The survey instrument assessed three…

As part of a study of teacher evaluation of student replies to open-ended questions, a second question--the best method of determining interrater reliability--was examined. The standard method, the Pearson Product-Moment correlation, overestimated the degree of match between researchers' and teachers' scoring of tests. The simpler percent…

Three installments of "Writing Assignment of the Month," a regular feature of the National Council of Teachers of English publication, "Notes Plus," are presented in this compilation. The articles describe writing exercises which have proven to be successful in the classroom. The first article gives suggestions for introducing…

Noah Webster and William Holmes McGuffey, who made important contributions to reading and education, present an interesting study in comparison and contrast. Although Webster is remembered most as a lexicographer, his speller contributed greatly to the early teaching of reading in the United States. His literary activities as a patriot, a…

Reassessment of conventional development conceptions and practice has raised questions about relevance of education to expanded theories of economic development. Previously accepted concepts of development have focused on increased economic productivity, and have assumed a causal connection between the existence of schools and the pace of…