It is known that computer games are motivating for children, but there is limited direct evidence of their effects on classroom learning. The studies that are available tend to be limited in terms of output data reported, or small in scale, or both. The aim of this randomised controlled trial was to upscale a recent study by Miller and Robertson…

Interviews with 27 Japanese children living in Scotland and England explored the notion of cultural dissonance in four areas: talk and silence in class, academic knowledge versus skills, achievement expectations and aspirations, and cultural identity. Current teaching practices apparently do not take cultural differences into account. (SK)

In the early 1990s, the Quality Assurance Unit of Strathclyde (Scotland) Education Department involved parents in the school inspection process by surveying over 34,000 parents of school and preschool students. Survey responses concerning satisfaction with the parent-school relationship and educational quality are analyzed and interpreted in terms…

At the school-leaving age of 16, most Scottish students who continue with their education choose to remain in secondary school rather than switch to a further-education college. A survey suggests that students view colleges as welcoming places where students are treated as adults but are reluctant to leave the security of the known secondary…

A study examined adults' experiences regarding participation, guidance, and progression in various formal educational settings across Scotland. In-depth interviews were conducted with 50 adult returners to the different parts of the education system (higher, further, and community education and local schools). Data from the interviews were…

This study of 2430 pupils, aged 15-16, examined differences between those in favor of raising the school-leaving age and those opposed. Results showed clear social class, academic and attitudinal differences. Using a subsample, an attempt was made to identify specific advantages and disadvantages seen for "staying on." (SJL)

A study evaluated the effectiveness of in-school support systems, Pupil Support Bases, for 45 adolescents with social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties at 11 comprehensive schools in Scotland. Students in focus groups agreed unanimously that the Pupil Support Bases were helpful and sometimes prevented them from being excluded. (Contains…

Statistical evidence, 1980-95, on Scottish secondary students' attainment, achievement, rates of staying on in postcompulsory education, and rates of entering higher education indicates sharp reductions in differences between advantaged and disadvantaged students. Improved access to expanded curricula has been supported by a deeply embedded social…

A questionnaire administered at Edinburgh's Moray House College of Education examined attitudes toward education/schools/teachers, indicated student social and community workers found school less expressively/instrumentally rewarding than did student primary teachers. Concludes that some problems of interprofessional communication between teachers…