This paper examines a systematic method of improving undergraduate education by using a variant of the academic program evaluation questionnaire, and offers a model for understanding program dynamics and choosing ways to improve academic programs. Analysis is based on mean ratings from an academic program evaluation questionnaire used to elicit…

The goal of this practicum, which was achieved through staff development instructional programs and follow up experiences over a three month period, was to improve the knowledge of elementary school teachers in how to use curriculum related video. TV/video systems and educational programs were utilized to stimulate the critical thinking process of…

The purpose of this study was to measure how learning disabled (LD) children perceive reading and libraries. No similar studies were found during the literature search undertaken for this project. Twenty-three fourth and fifth grade students identified as learning disabled by their school system were interviewed to collect information on their…

The effectiveness of two five-point Likert response scales with different verbal anchors was compared. Four anonymous written questionnaires addressing characteristics of effective schools were developed. Each questionnaire was prepared in two formats, one with each response scale. The 4 questionnaires were composed of between 140 and 200 items. A…

A recent change in classroom (K-12) instruction is the rediscovery of writing's relationship to thinking. Teachers' attitudes about writing can affect their students' attitudes. Positive attitudes have a positive influence; however, many teacher education students and inservice teachers have negative attitudes toward writing. Since improved…

The development of the Polish Proficiency Test, a standardized, nationally-normed test of listening and reading comprehension for English-speaking learners of Polish, is reported. An introductory chapter provides background information about the test's development, including discussion of the relationship between the test and Polish language…

This report summarizes a 1989 update of a 1986 survey on the diffusion and utilization of audiovisual media and equipment in Japan. A comparison of the two reveals the advancements in types of audiovisual equipment available to schools and social education facilities in Japan which have developed in only 3 years. An outline of the equipment…

This module is part of a training program for foster parents and foster care workers offered at Colorado State University. The module's learning objectives are for participants to: (1) identify family rules and evaluate their effectiveness; (2) understand the characteristics of effective discipline with children; and (3) learn about ways to handle…

This module is part of a training program for foster parents and foster care workers offered at Colorado State University. The module's learning objectives address: (1) the organization of a social services foster care system; (2) the functioning of human systems and the rules governing their operation; and (3) the difficulties complex systems…

Head Start parents who were poorly trained for the transition of their children from Head Start to the public school were assisted as they went through a structured training program. The parents' children were 3 and 4 years old, and lived in a rural community in the southwestern United States. The population was 5 percent Black, 2 percent American…

This thesis documents an exploratory study of the degree Philosophiae Doctor (Ph.D.). A Ph.D. acquisition model was used as the conceptual framework for the investigation. The model incorporated the three fundamental components of the degree (lengthy study, original research, thesis preparation), which were determined from the historical and…

This report on an internal evaluation, which was conducted for developmental purposes, describes services provided at the Learning Skills Centres (LSC) on three separate campuses of Grant MacEwan Community College, in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). The key questions of the evaluation addressed student and staff awareness of the existence of the LSC;…

This practicum report describes a 13-week intervention that facilitated the participation of parents of 16 preschoolers in the instruction of their children. Objectives of the intervention were that: (1) parents and children would participate in take-home projects and workshops; (2) parents and children would increase the amount of time they spent…

This practicum report addressed the problem of role ambiguity in regard to effective utilization of special education staff within the regular fourth grade classroom and the need for support for the regular teacher working with special education students. The researcher, a special educator, conducted the following activities: (1) presented an…

This study examined the role that sex-related differences in the nature of the grade criterion and in variables associated with academic performance play in the over- and under-prediction of college grades by the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) both when the test is used alone and in conjunction with high school grades. An entire freshman class…