This response to Englert's article (EC 602 935) on sociocultural factors in teaching writing to students with learning disabilities addresses the application of social constructivist theory. It notes that the success of the Cognitive Strategy Instruction in Writing program may be not only attributable to its holistic social emphasis but also to…

Reports on 18 months of action research that examined the effectiveness of using the history of science to promote British students' understanding of the nature of science. Both quantitative and interview data offer substantial evidence of a strategic movement away from serendipitous empiricism and toward an appreciation of the interactive nature…

Two male adults with cocaine dependence received a behavioral intervention comprised of contingency management and the community reinforcement approach. Reinforcement was delivered contingent on submitting cocaine-free (and subsequently marijuana-free) urine specimens. The intervention was efficacious in achieving abstinence from cocaine and…

Examined extent to which high-risk students identified school staff as significant others, and whether relationship between students and these staff members had effect on students' decision to remain in or drop out of school. Findings from high school students did not support hypothesis that students who had significant other adult in school would…

Twenty-four gifted girls in grades 4-7 in 3 rural school districts received a mathematics intervention program including problem-solving activities, math-related career options, and self-esteem issues. Pretest and posttest scores indicated that the program effectively changed the girls' attitudes toward mathematics. (Author/JDD)

Compared dyads of mothers and low-birthweight infants who participated in a comprehensive early intervention program during the infant's first three years with dyads who received pediatric follow-up. Intervention group mothers had higher ratings than follow-up mothers on quality of assistance. Intervention children had higher ratings on…

Examined effectiveness of 14-week program to build self-esteem with at-risk ninth-grade students by comparing participants (n=35) to no-treatment controls (n=33). Concluded that program, based on concepts of rational emotive therapy, was effective in improving self-concept, self-management, and academic achievement. (Author/NB)

Assessed effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral school-based primary prevention psychological program designed to improve eighth-grade students' (n=237) distress-coping and prepare them as gatekeepers with regard to self-destructive behavior of peers. Program had positive effect on attitudes, emotions, knowledge, and awareness of distress coping…

Issues raised during a 1990 seminar on effects of programs and policies for foreign students and study abroad are reviewed. Specifically, concerns about national policy and institutional responses in light of changing patterns of foreign student flows and against the background of the new global economic and political setting are examined.…

Presents a Collin County Community College District study assessing the effectiveness of "writing to learn" techniques in four Principles of Accounting classes, two taught in a traditional format with homework, and two using daily student journals. Reports promising results in terms of grades and retention rates. (DMM)

Discusses assessment in education, examining how the current desire to assess outcomes of significance can be incorporated into an outcomes assessment system. Assessment characteristics and how assessment fits into an outcome-based educational system are explored. (SM)

The Future Problem Solving Program develops students' problem-solving and thinking skills as student teams undertake a step-by-step process which involves assessing the teams' existing knowledge of the topic, determining the knowledge they need, gathering information, organizing their knowledge, and using the knowledge to solve specific problems.…

Defines literacy needs of immigrants in Canada, using personal stories to illustrate the destructive effect literacy problems have on people perceived to lack literacy skills. Questions are raised about implications for Canadian society as a whole and about the effectiveness of its English-as-a-Second-Language programs. (LB)

Examines implications of quality assessment for distance education and other forms of materials-based learning. Suggests that materials-based teaching cannot properly be judged in quite the same terms as conventional, face-to-face teaching. Presents and discusses 20 questions for program evaluation. (Author/AEF)

Investigated whether preschoolers had acquired event knowledge schemata, and the impact of an inductive reasoning training program on knowledge transfer in story recall tasks. Found that inductive reasoning training led to knowledge transfer in kindergartners but had only minor influence on prekindergartners. (Author/KB)