A residential ninth-grade program in the Australian bush strives to develop initiative, personal integrity, respect for nature, leadership, self-esteem, and sense of community by combining academic study with a strong outdoor education program, replacing competitive sports with cooperative activities, requiring students to be responsible for…

A study of 479 doctoral students at an urban university examined the relationships between 4 educational strategies (divergent, assimilative, convergent, accommodative) of doctoral programs and subjects' perceptions of their gains in 4 domains of professional competence (thinking, decision making, valuing, and acting). Additional variables…

A participant in a conference on interdisciplinary general education at the college level highlights some of the issues addressed there: institutional limitations and opportunities; interdisciplinarity versus the power of deep disciplinary inquiry; cross-disciplinary linkages versus interdisciplinary inquiry; and the role of student development…

Traces development at Navajo Community College of educational models based on Navajo cultural foundations, most recently the Dine Educational Philosophy based on male/female dualist aspects of knowledge and values traditionally identified with the cardinal directions, and providing students with the means to integrate Navajo and Western knowledge…

The importance of providing option-rich environments that facilitate the growth of individuals with disabilities toward self-determination is emphasized. Of concern is the centrality of self-determination, constraints to self-determination, and strategies to encourage individuals to become self-determined. (Author/SW)

A study analyzed constructs surrounding 45 Nepalese master's students' approaches to and conceptions of learning. Interviews indicated that few students had more than a low level of insight into their learning processes, most used surface learning strategies, and most achieved low-level learning outcomes. Findings cast doubt on the construct…

The teaching of autobiography is recommended as a means of inducing individual and social self-consciousness among college students. This refers to the study of reflective self-presentations of the lives of people especially concerned about social and civic issues, including statesmen, writers, social reformers, public servants, and literary…

Students in a graduate social work course on cultural diversity and societal oppression kept a journal during the course and completed questionnaires one year later. Analysis of journal entries and questionnaire responses focused on student self-image and social identity, the process of attitude change and increasing awareness, and influences on…

A survey of coordinators in 39 undergraduate social work programs located in rural, culturally homogeneous communities revealed that, although all students took a field seminar or course incorporating multicultural content, less than half had practical experience with diverse client populations. Discusses methods used for integrating minority…

The nature of mentoring and the role of faculty in mentoring college students are discussed, and some guiding principles in the mentoring relationship are outlined. These address the quality of communication between mentor and student, the mentor's role as sounding board and knowledgeable reference, understanding one's own limitations, helping…

A high school teacher reflects upon the graduation of her gifted seniors and ponders their future as she reorganizes student record files. (JDD)

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was administered to five classes of students (n=161) at the beginning and end of their dental education to evaluate changes in personality type. The study showed 75.8 percent of students change type during their dental education using one standard, and 11.2 percent showed changes in personality using another…

Discusses the developmental needs of young adolescents (e.g., self-exploration, meaningful participation, positive social interaction, physical activity, competency, achievement, structure, clear limits, appropriate curricula, knowledgeable and understanding educators, and integrated learning). Identifies ways Catholic schools can help meet these…

Examines Piaget's theory of disequilibration as the tension and subsequent growth caused when new information must be assimilated or accommodated to fit one's view of reality. Indicates ways Christian religious educators can use the concept of disequilibration to understand adolescents' emotional and cognitive growth. Suggests implications for…

Describes the planning, implementation, and evaluation of an integrated student soil science project. Reports that the course was designed to develop student-centered approaches to learning and to develop transferable skills and personal qualities at the same time. Explains that the project included fieldwork, laboratory analysis, data…