The effectiveness of problem-solving instruction in promoting high school students' acquisition, retention, and structuring of economics knowledge was studied through six economics classes. The problem-solving instruction model was developed based on problem-based learning in medical education, following similar work by H. S. Barrows and R. M.…

This publication contains materials used in the three phases of the reading and mathematics components of work-specific classes. Each section begins with an overview of developments in that phase. Section 1 focuses on Phase 1 during which math and reading were taught as separate components. It contains a math placement appraisal, worksheets and…

Teachers, districts, and states working with the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory have been using a six-trait analytical scoring assessment model for student writing. The six traits are: (1) ideas; (2) organization; (3) voice; (4) word choice; (5) sentence fluency; and (6) conventions. For the last 4 years, the Northwest Regional Education…

The effects of persistence on students' ability to interact and learn in cooperative learning groups was studied, and the effect of collaboration on students' attitudes toward their partners was assessed. Participants were 138 sixth graders in a midwestern public school. A computer-based lesson and posttest dealt with the advertising concepts of…

Maps or graphical browsers of structural knowledge allow the user of a hypertext system to navigate from node to node through the structure as they portray the links between concepts spatially. This study examined the results of using two different graphical browsers that provide different amounts of information about the structure of the…

Teachers agree that utilizing a laboratory method of teaching is both expensive and time consuming. In addition to the cost of materials, one must consider the provision of laboratory facilities and the amount of teacher and laboratory assistant time needed for preparation, facilitation, and clean-up. The need to maximize learning while minimizing…

This report presents an examination of the analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation of an instructional unit designed to help high risk sixth grade students become better problem solvers through the teaching of the decision-making process. The systems approach outlined in the Instructional Systems Design (ISD) Model was used to formulate…

Developed for teachers of grades 4-8, this unit of study is intended to further students' ability to draw conclusions or predict outcomes using inferential comprehension. Student pages are given which correspond to Levels 9 through 13 in the 1976 reading series of Ginn and Company. Information is given to assist the teacher in explaining…

The relationship of leadership to culture is explored in this study. The study was designed to determine if significant relationships existed between specific leadership practices and different cultural profiles. The treatment for this correlational study consisted of 15 teams with an assigned formal leader for each team. Significant relationships…

This study was performed to determine if a first-year experience course with a service-learning component could help students achieve teaching dispositions and make freshmen more satisfied with their college experience. "Teaching dispositions" are the set of desirable habits and ways of thinking and acting necessary for successful…

The Writing-Aid and Author's Helper (WANDAH) computer writing system, funded by the Utah State Office of Education Productivity Program, was used successfully in the Logan High School in the 1984-85 school year. Seven additional project were funded to replicate the Logan project throughout Utah during 1985-86. The main objective of the projects…

This report evaluates the reading and mathematics lab programs for elementary and secondary students in the Des Moines (Iowa) Independent Community School District. The reading program served 510 students in 13 schools and mathematics program served 240 students in 7 schools. A variety of assessment instruments were used to pinpoint students'…

This practicum describes a computer assisted instructional (CAI) program written in the computer language BASIC. This computer program was designed to help 11th and 12th grade algebra students (n=15) better understand the concept of linear equations. The program has three sections: the first is a tutorial, the second section gives the student the…

This report details the overall results for the Pupils With Compensatory Education Needs (PCEN) program, results by superintendency for 1988-89, and school-by-school summary statistics in math and attendance. The PCEN funded Math Skills Program provides remediation in mathematics to eligible high school students. Students enrolled in the Math…

Correlations between the California Critical Thinking Skills Test--College Level (CCTST) and student-related factors regarded as indicators of academic ability and success were studied in a series of four experiments investigating whether the CCTST measures improvement in critical thinking (CT) skills. During 1989-90, data were collected on 1,196…