A study investigated the use of a mathematical model to predict individuals' total active Hebrew vocabulary from samples of their written and spoken language. The model is based on a generalized inverse Gaussian distribution. The subjects were Israeli junior high school students from both high and low socioeconomic groups. Hebrew language samples…

This report outlines the activities of the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), Iowa State University, for the year ending June 30, 1986. Progress was made in expanding and enhancing the policy research program, which comprises four divisions. The natural resources and conservation program participated with the Soil Conservation…

This model for a competency-based home economics program covers the four areas from the 1984 Colorado Middle/Junior High Curriculum, entitled Basic Skills for Quality Living. They are (1) Developing Self, (2) Being a Family Member, (3) Being a Consumer, and (4) Becoming Employable. A conceptual outline from the Basic Skills for Quality Living…

Utah has missed an opportunity to foster, support, or lead out with exemplary Native American Studies programs within its higher education network. Considering the intertwined religious and political roots of the state establishment, the overall commitment to the American Indians as a whole has not been a major political issue. Brigham Young…

Practicing teachers, especially those in rural settings, are demanding graduate programs which meet their emerging needs and schedules. Since 1979, the Continuing Education through Multi-Optional Renewal Experiences (CE/MORE) program at Oklahoma State University has enabled 60 teachers to complete their Master of Science in Education degrees. The…

This guide is intended to provide persons involved in the transition of handicapped youth from school to work with a systematic means of implementing transition and disseminating information about resources that may assist the process. The guide is organized in six sections. The first section provides an overview of transition, while the second…

Four school boards in Ontario, Canada, were selected for intensive case studies to examine the models, policies, procedures, and practices used to stimulate, support, coordinate, and assess the effectiveness of curriculum changes within their jurisdictions. The data collection consisted of (1) documents such as organizational charts,…

Designed primarily for practicing teachers and for use in pre- and in-service courses in science education, this book focuses on how 10- to 15-year-old children learn science. Findings are analyzed and suggestions are offered for improving the teaching/learning process. Issues are discussed and organized into five major sections. These include:…

This three-part document provides strategies for evaluating the impact of a province-wide testing program in Ontario (Canada) and reviews the literature on the impact of testing. Part One identifies the effects of province-wide examinations for selected high school courses and proposes four studies to monitor these effects: (1) an analysis of data…

People use and extend their knowledge of the physical world constantly. Understanding how this fluency is achieved would be an important milestone in understanding human learning and intelligence, as well as a useful guide for constructing machines that learn. This paper presents a theoretical framework that is being developed in an attempt to…

Legal issues concerning sexual harassment are examined, and advice regarding policies and procedures are offered as an update to a publication released by the College and University Personnel Association (CUPA) in 1981. Training methods and programs and special policy considerations for higher education are also covered. Of major concern is sexual…

This report describes a youth competency model that was developed to help trainers involved in Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs in Kansas to evaluate program participants' competency in four major areas: pre-employment, work maturity, basic education, and job-specific skills. Discussed in the first section, which provides background on…

Recent reading research has identified three reader variables involved in fluent reading: automatic word identification, contextual word identification, and text phrasing. To confirm the validity of these variables in the reading process, to test reading models employing them in an integrated and interactive manner, and to identify developmental…

The stability of Rasch test item difficulty parameters was investigated under varying conditions. Data were taken from a mathematics achievement test administered to over 2,000 Australian students. The experiments included: (1) relative stability of the Rasch, traditional, and z-item difficulty parameters using different sample sizes and designs;…

Communicative behavior conveys two messages: (1) content, and (2) how the recipient of the communication is to behave with regard to the content, or "relational communication." How the recipient responds to relational communication defines what form the relationship will take--either complementary or symmetrical. In a complementary…