To help teachers understand or evaluate young children's play, six features of play are described. These features, derived from research, are: (1) intrinsic motivation; (2) attention to means rather than ends; (3) nonliteral behavior; (4) freedom from external rules; (5) self rather than object; and (6) active engagement. Related documents from…

Rules and guidelines are provided governing the selection of documents and journal articles to be included in the ERIC database. Selection criteria are described under the five headings: (1) Appropriateness of content/subject matter; (2) Suitability of format, medium, document type; (3) Quality of content; (4) Legibility and reproducibility; (5)…

The number of educational software packages on today's market is growing steadily. A large percentage of them are found to be of poor quality in terms of instructional and/or technical design. Arguing that a microcomputer in the classroom is only as effective as the software used with it, the first part of this digest provides an overview of the…

Rules and guidelines are provided governing the selection of documents and journal articles to be included in the ERIC database. Selection criteria are described under the five headings: (1) Appropriateness of content/subject matter; (2) Suitability of format, medium, document type; (3) Quality of content; (4) Legibility and reproducibility; (5)…

This issue reviews publications that provide a starting point for principals looking for a way through the accountability maze. Each publication views accountability differently, but collectively these readings argue that even in an era of state-mandated assessment, principals can pursue proactive strategies that serve students' needs. James A.…

There are 11 behavioral dimensions which parents and preschool teachers can use in assessing the development of preschool children. These dimensions are: (1) sleeping; (2) eating; (3) toilet habits; (4) range of affect or emotion; (5) variations in play; (6) curiosity; (7) acceptance of authority; (8) initiative; (9) interest; (10) spontaneous…

At the same time that it is experiencing rapid growth, the field of adult education is struggling with its own maturation and development as a profession. One of the issues related to the professionalization of the adult education field is that of certification. Those who favor professional certification argue that it is a means to develop the…

Eleven articles and documents selected from the ERIC indexes, "Resources in Education" and "Current Index to Journals in Education" for 1983 are listed in this bibliography. Emphasis is on criteria for selecting and purchasing educational software for microcomputers. Several articles cover software evaluation issues and…

Designed to serve as a framework from which high school debate students, coaches, and judges can evaluate the issues, arguments, and evidence present in sustaining and reforming the U.S. justice system, this booklet provides debaters with guidelines for research on the 1983-84 debate resolutions selected by the National University Continuing…

This digest identifies the issues which must be addressed to make instruments and procedures for assessing school counselor performance efficient, fair, valid, and useful. (BH)

Because of the increase in the number of manuscripts submitted to journals, editors and publishers must either publish more manuscripts or increase the proportion of manuscripts rejected. Rejection decisions are usually informed by informal peer evaluation, editorial processes, and/or citation analysis. Unfortunately, no standard criteria for…

Examines the quality of basal readers and textbooks, discusses some of the forces affecting textbook quality and selection, and offers suggestions for coping with less-than-adequate reading materials. (FL)

Concern about the quality of infant-toddler care programs has grown recently in response to two factors. The first is the need of employed parents for such care, and the second is research emphasizing the importance of brain development in the early years. This Digest introduces some of the many issues related to the quality of infant-toddler…

Concern about the quality of infant-toddler care programs has grown recently in response to two factors. The first is the need of employed parents for such care, and the second is research emphasizing the importance of brain development in the early years. This Spanish-language Digest introduces some of the many issues related to the quality of…

Noting that Web sites are becoming popular educational resources but that not every site makes a good resource, this Digest offers a checklist of criteria for evaluating Web sites. It lists evaluation criteria regarding: (1) technical considerations; (2) purpose of the site; (3) content of the site; (4) site authorship/sponsorship; (5)…