Maintains that the recent introduction of SPSS for Windows allows for data analysis to be employed in substantive courses as well as methods courses. Describes the use of the program in upper-division sociology classes where substantive themes are developed in depth. Presents and discusses several classroom activities using the program. (CFR)

Presents the 1994 children's trade book recommendations of the Joint Committee of the National Council for the Social Studies and the Children's Book Council. Discusses the six criteria for book selection. Includes an annotated bibliography of more than 140 books categorized by primary, intermediate, and advanced grade levels. (CFR)

Outlines methods for teaching social psychology in an interdisciplinary one-semester course. Stresses teaching theoretical perspectives, methods, and concepts. Makes suggestions for classroom application, reviews instructional materials, and suggests students participate in an experiment, survey, or observation study as a basis for discussion.…

Surveys recent government reports addressing problems of teaching English to the school population of England. States responses to these reports have exposed scholarly community conflicts. Notes the present demand for a return to formal grammar and standard English moving away from the 1970s movement towards the linguistic/vocational model. (NL)

Designs and teaches a required course on cultural diversity in U.S. society. Develops effective strategies for counteracting students' intergroup intolerance. Focuses on two common triggers of intolerance and offers strategies for reducing that intolerance. (Author/NL)

Describes the ongoing debate between the student-centered and the discipline-centered approach to curriculum development. Contends that the demand that social studies be made more discipline centered for economic/vocational reasons may result in a loss of the social education skills that employers rate as important. (CFR)

Reviews research on citizenship education related to instructional strategies, instructional resources, and curriculum priorities. Concludes that students who work on student publications such as the school newspaper develop more effective decision-making and other critical-thinking skills. Proposes several action steps to improve citizenship…

Summarizes the results of an International Bioethics Education Survey conducted in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Compares knowledge and teaching of 15 selected topics with particular emphasis on the teaching of social, ethical, and environmental issues of in vitro fertilization, prenatal diagnosis, biotechnology, nuclear power, pesticides,…

Criticizes the concept that secular, rationalist thought is more objective than religious thought. Maintains that all human inquiry and interaction is rife with subjective bias and assumptions. Defends the teaching of religious subjects in public schools on this basis and calls for an "intersubjective" approach (acknowledging rationalist…

Maintains that criticism of the history National Standards (from educators and historians, not the conservative media) has been unspecific and poorly focused. Argues that standards, by their definition, are exclusionary. Questions the attempt to develop critical thinking at an early age. (MJP)

Although the literature on social networks has made a considerable contribution to the sociological imagination in recent years, it has been largely ignored in conventional course materials. Such an omission is curious, considering social networks' intuitive imagery, broad theoretical relevance and extensive empirical application. This article…

We identify the student characteristics most associated with success in an introductory business statistics class, placing special focus on the relationship between student math skills and course performance, as measured by student grade in the course. To determine which math skills are important for student success, we examine (1) whether the…

Non-native speakers of English seeking to undertake university study frequently take English for Academic Purposes courses in order to prepare to meet the language requirements for such study. Of necessity, such courses usually include a strong focus on the development of the writing skill. This paper proposes two conceptual elements as necessary…

There is a large body of well-conducted research that supports the value of freshmen orientation seminars in promoting the success of first-year students at community colleges. Orientation programs have been shown to improve retention, program completion, and the level of academic performance of these students. In addition to improving student…

As part of a federal grant to develop an across-the-curriculum ethics program, ethics instruction was integrated into English classes at Colorado's Community College of Aurora (CCA). In the English classes, students were first asked to read case studies from CCA's ethics handbook detailing specific ethical problems. In subsequent classes, students…