This book presents practical solutions for teaching foreign language learners self instruction, ranging from needs analysis to resourcing, strategy training and monitoring tools. Special emphasis is placed on different ways in which learners can be supported by learning how to analyze their own needs and set their own goals, how to choose the most…

Serve-America is a national program that was established under the 1990 National and Community Service Act to involve young people in community service and thereby build their understanding of their communities, sense of social responsibility, and commitment to community involvement. In 1992, a 3-year evaluation of Serve-America was initiated to…

This paper describes a study of the development of professional identity among employees in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) participating in large-scale company-wide training programs. Managers and employees in 175 SMEs in Finland participated. These two research questions were posed: (1) are there differences in the perceptions of…

Researchers examined the management and conduct of assessments at the diploma and advanced diploma levels within training packages across Australia. The principal data collection activities were as follows: (1) a literature review; (2) examination of seven training packages; (3) a survey completed by 28 registered training organizations and 33…

Participation in sport or fitness activities in Great Britain was examined through a survey of more than 6,000 adults throughout Great Britain. As of April 2001, 35% of adults surveyed were currently participating in sport or fitness activities. Those most likely to participate in sport or fitness activities were male, young, in high social…

Multicultural education is an idea, a concept, and a reform movement that should be present at all levels of schooling. This project outlines two multicultural units taught in a high school French IV and V class. Focusing on the multicultural concepts of racism and immigration-migration, students were introduced to global historical and…

The Career Preparation Assessment (CPA) portfolio is an interdisciplinary, performance-based assessment of skills essential for the post-high school world. The CPA's value as an assessment tool was examined in a pilot test that was conducted in 1996-1997 with six California high schools. The following three data collection activities were…

This paper describes a 1994 survey of New England colleges and universities regarding the professional services that faculty were engaging in and the policies and structures that supported such activities. Questionnaires were mailed to deans and chief academic officers at 225 institutions of higher education in New England; 120 institutions…

Three tech prep teachers and one counselor at a Vermont high school examined tech prep's effectiveness in influencing students' career decisions and their intentions to receive postsecondary education. Three methods were used to collect data at the end of the third 9-week quarter of the school year: analyzing students' course selections, grades,…

This paper reports on a needs assessment, conducted in two elementary schools in Quebec, that examined the use that teachers are making of the computer facilities, as well as their skill and confidence levels in this area. The first section provides a general description of the project, details the sources of information, and discusses the reasons…

The provision of vocational education and training (VET) delivered by Australia's adult and community education (ACE) sector was examined to identify the strengths the ACE sector brings to VET provision and challenges faced by the ACE sector in providing VET programs. Data were collected through the following four activities: (1) a literature…

This evaluation of the Ohio SchoolNet Telecommunity program focused on key Telecommunity objectives of technology deployment, teacher professional development, and student impact. Evaluation methods included use of the Scales of Concern Questionnaire in the application of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model, as well as visits to each of the 23…

The purpose of this study was to investigate six preservice teachers' understandings of the theory and practice of teaching and learning foreign languages during their course work and field experiences in a teacher education program. The participants in the study were full-time students in a year-long graduate-level program. This paper focuses on…

The U. S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) commissioned a six-year study that generated information needed to assess the achievements of students with disabilities in their elementary and middle school years in multiple domains. The Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS) is documenting the…

Since the organization of the United States Bureau of Education in 1867 statistics of public libraries have appeared periodically in the annual reports. It has been the purpose to gather such statistics every five years, but it has not been possible to carry out the plan with perfect regularity. For forty years every annual report of the bureau…