The ways in which a rating scale developed for problem-based medical curricula provides information that is useful in the area of curriculum reform were demonstrated in a study involving 95 first-year medical students at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec (Canada). The rating scale, based on the theory of problem-based learning of W. H.…

When Zimbabwe was still Rhodesia, the education provided blacks was very different from that provided to whites. As more blacks passed through the school system it became obvious that for many young Zimbabweans the system provided education for unemployment and frustration. In 1966 African secondary schools were divided into F(1) academic and F(2)…

A series of worksheets, evaluation forms, readings, and activities is presented to aid in the review, development, and improvement of the K-12 social studies program. The guide begins with a brief overview on program improvement, followed by methods for reviewing the present social studies program. Checksheets, charts, and outlines are provided…

A study was conducted to determine what oral and written communication courses lawyers both perceive as useful in practice and recommend for prelaw students and to provide data for design and development of these and related courses in continuing education programs for lawyers and legal assistants. A total of 295 lawyers from California responded…

This handbook aids the foreign language teacher in conducting a reappraisal of her/his foreign language program. Section one discusses the formulation of a philosophy of foreign language education and a rationale for including foreign languages in the curriculum. Section two helps the teacher recognize expected student outcomes for particpation in…

This final report provides detailed coverage of the progress of a project to meet the need of preparing vocational teachers and curriculum specialists for delivery of effective vocational education programs to the handicapped. It begins with six quarterly reviews of project activities, the main activities being (1) training of state vocational…

TEACHER, STUDENT, AND CURRICULUM ARE ALL SUBJECT TO EXAMINATION IN THIS REPORT TO DETERMINE EACH ONE'S ROLE IN CREATING THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE UNDERACHIEVER, DEFINED AS A STUDENT WHOSE LANGUAGE GRADES DIFFER MARKEDLY FROM HIS OVERALL GRADE-POINT AVERAGE. THE IDEAL SETTING FOR THE INVESTIGATION WAS KING CITY, PSEUDONYM FOR THE ACTUAL CITY, WHERE…

The basic problem facing school administrators, supportive staff personnel, and school boards is how to successfully implement vocational programs for rural disadvantaged youth. Thus, this document was designed to help school administrators review the key administrative concepts relative to this type of vocational education program. The compact…

Over the past 30 years, high school driver education has grown from a single-purpose experimental course offered in one public school to a multi-faceted program considered part of the regular curriculum in 14,000 public schools. The driver education curriculum is intended to achieve numerous, sometimes diverse goals. In addition to the obvious…

Noting that there exists little systematic and conclusive research on after-school education to guide the development of practices in this emerging field, this book contributes to the definition of after-school education by focusing on three essential aspects of such programming: (1) bridging school to after-school (2) homework, or extended…

This study evaluated student preparation for a course in calculus for business, management, and social sciences as a prerequisite for success in probability theory. The study included a review of the literature, development of an assessment instrument and cut-off scores, and review and validation of the study criteria, the assessment instrument,…

This report summarizes an evaluation of a 4-week sexual health education program in a disadvantaged, urban target school in Scotland, and the investigation of the longer term impact of a previous 10-week program involving sexual health education provided by health workers. In-depth interviews with 5 boys and 5 girls revealed that the 10-week…

Workers in five departments of the J.P. Stevens Plant in Clemson, South Carolina, participated in a workplace literacy project that was designed to increase participants' literacy and job skills and increase the literacy training efforts of textile plants in the Southeast. Major project activities included the following: identification of the…

In an effort to provide consistency in office practice/procedures course titles and content, a study was conducted in Wyoming that found that at least 40 Wyoming high schools (55 percent) offer office practice, office procedures, or a similar class. Wyoming junior/community colleges provided information showing that four junior/community colleges…

These proceedings consist of the papers presented at a conference on vocational education research in the 1980s. The first group of papers deals with various approaches to, and priorities for, vocational education research in the 1980s. Discussed in the next group of papers are national perspectives on research programming. Following this group…