Fourth grade students participated in mental arithmetic activities for eight weeks. Posttests revealed that the experimental group performed significantly higher than the control group on arithmetic problem solving and arithmetic computation. Females appeared to benefit more from the instructional program than males. (KS)

A longitudinal cohort of 1,209 elementary students who had high exposure to the Know Your Body program had significantly lower cholesterol and blood pressure. A posttest-only cohort (n=3,066) with high exposure also had lower intake of meat and desserts and higher health knowledge and intake of healthy foods. (SK)

A two-step procedure is developed for the analysis of pretest-posttest data. Nonlinear canonical correlation analysis is followed by covariance analysis of optimally scaled pretest and posttest measures. The procedure is available in the computer program CANALS. Advantages of the two-step procedure are discussed. (SLD)

Customized skills assessments can perform a number of functions: help training departments demonstrate their effectiveness; provide a foundation for career development programs; reinforce company values; add feedback from the bottom up for performance evaluation; provide a concentrated focus for customer service improvement; and serve as a…

Effectiveness of a new 72-hour delivery system (USXPRESS) for pharmaceuticals purchased by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from VA depots was evaluated by comparing 33 test sites with 11 matched sites using a pretest posttest quasiexperimental design. The USXPRESS system reduced inventory, decreased space needs, and satisfied service…

Describes the development of virtual lectures that were digitally recorded and discusses an analysis of their use by undergraduate students. Results of log-file analysis and pre-course and post-course questionnaires indicate that mode of delivery, student usage, and prior computer experience have no impact on overall exam performance. (Author/LRW)

Describes a residential training course sponsored by the NASA Classroom of the Future to help teachers learn to use computer-based educational tools and explore constructivist instructional approaches. Hypothesized that creating a living-and-learning environment for the training would foster rapid changes in teachers' epistemological beliefs.…

Examined effectiveness of an 8-week "Wheel of Choice" intervention to discuss positive forms of conflict resolution among first graders. Found that students developed more positive strategies for solving conflicts. Physical and verbal aggression decreased from the first to the eighth week. Students used the "Wheel of Choice"…

Investigated effects of two instructional interventions on 5- to 9-year-olds who could perform a balance beam task but either could not explain the principle or had naive theories. Found that more students who had observed the experimenter model and were then encouraged to explain what they saw improved performance over the pretest than students…

Whether strategy training in the use of rime spelling units was an effective intervention for children with reading disabilities was studied with 36 disabled readers and 20 comparisons. Training in the use of rime spelling units produced generalized achievement gains and transfer to other materials. The superior posttreatment performance of the…

Studied the pretest and posttest attitudes of teacher education students who were required to write a literature review with empirical references about the pros and cons of corporal punishment in the classroom. Results for 59 students in 2 treatment groups and 55 students in 2 control groups at southern universities (where previous research has…

An English grammar course for preservice teachers in Britain, focusing on speech, morphology, and syntax was analyzed using pre/posttest data. All students improved knowledge and expressed satisfaction, but one-third failed to reach the required standard. (SK)

Describes a study that determined how different types of dynamic visuals facilitated the achievement of educational objectives, whether the use of dynamic visualization influenced the amount of time needed to process the information, and whether there was an interaction between the amount of time learners view the animation and levels of dynamic…

Types of learning with a strong emphasis on the responsibility of the learner (such as discovery learning) are gaining popularity over traditional forms of (expository) instruction. Discovery learning distinguishes itself by the central role of learning processes such as hypothesis generation (induction), experiment design, and data…

The present study sought to extend a recent study by Savage, Carless and Stuart, by looking at the pre-test phonological skills that predicted improvements in letter-sound knowledge and nonword reading. Results showed overall that phoneme manipulation predicted improvements in nonword reading and letter-sound knowledge even when pre-test scores on…