How teachers methodically construct report card comments into organized social features is addressed through an examination of negotiation structures which organize anecdotes. Anecdotal comments are key communication devices which teachers employ for reporting. Four hundred and fifty anecdotal comments teachers wrote about students were collected…

An alternative method of measuring the knowledge of students is to use mental models, and specifically concept maps. Concept maps provide a visual representation of conceptual and relationship knowledge within a particular domain. This study builds on previous studies and attempts to reduce their methodological weaknesses. Students in several…

The Electronic Homework assistant system is composed of two components: the Computer Tutor and the Homework Administrator. The Computer Tutor is an intelligent tutoring system that can provide personal assistance like supplying hints, checking errors, providing remediation and prioritizing problems. The Homework Administrator is a teacher's…

In order to dimensionalize further the construct of self concept through within-network nomological research, nine different self-scales descriptive of academic settings were administered to students in grades 1-12, their peers, and their teachers. The subjects were administered the Affective Perception Inventory (API), which measures nine…

Cultural inclusion is more than equal access to learning. It also involves recognizing and valuing the unique cultural capital that students of diverse ethnicity bring to the learning environment. Native American students in reservation schools have experiences that differ from the mainstream, experiences that are rarely reflected in text material…

This study examined factors that affect student learning and growth in four student populations: seniors who began as freshmen immediately after high school, students who transferred from two-year colleges, students who transferred from four-year colleges, and students who entered Bachelor of Arts programs after military service or work. The data…

The research described in this paper investigates the use of portfolio assessment techniques in middle school science classrooms. It explores how alternative assessment frameworks, such as portfolios, can be used by the classroom teacher and the students as an indicator of students' conceptual understanding and to facilitate changes in science…

This study investigated the relationship between children's ability to conserve on Piagetian tasks and six measures of the openness of classrooms which comprise the Dimensions of Schooling Questionnaire (DISC): (1) individualization of instruction; (2) student independence; (3) environmental flexibility; (4) nongradedness; (5) flexibility of…

The document comprises three papers which focus on humanistic education. The first paper describes a bibliography for use in a college level interpersonal relations course. Objectives of the course are to encourage students to relate to other people and to reflect upon theories of interpersonal phenomena. The second paper examines humanistic…

Educational Assessment is at the cornerstone of education in the 1990s. Advocates for alternative assessment believe that the new tasks should be redesigned to more closely resemble real learning tasks. Portfolio assessment encourages an integration between assessment and instruction and results in several positive educational outcomes. Portfolios…

The Laboratory School in Bielefeld, Germany, is an experimental school that is part of the University of Bielefeld. The Laboratory School is an integrated comprehensive school for children aged 5-16 years. Pupils are not separated by streaming and do not receive letter grades until their 10th year of school. The Laboratory School makes extensive…