How institutional research can improve the quality of institutional performance of colleges and universities in the face of funding constraints is discussed. An example of the use of instructional research to assist in documenting institutional quality in Australia is noted. Institutional research uses data collection, analysis, and interpretation…

Based on the questions of second language teachers concerning classroom practice, generated by survey, research on aspects of second language teaching and learning was reviewed and is summarized here. In each case, a question or questions are posed and a brief discussion follows, in layman's language and based on relevant research, with a brief…

Despite their vital role in open-access, two-year colleges, remedial education efforts have increasingly come under attack by legislators and the public, who view such programs as duplicating the appropriate function of high schools, and who believe that limited state resources should be devoted to more prestigious programs. For a college to…

This paper explores two interrelated dimensions of access--opportunities for progression and educational orientation, and offers various insights into what has been termed the "democratic imperative" in American higher education. It also addressed the responsiveness of institutions and faculty in access and other programs to the needs and…

Historical data is provided on students, programs, and costs at Moraine Valley Community College (MVCC), in Palos Hills, Illinois, in the form of tables and graphs divided into five sections. The first section provides census data and demographic information for the MVCC district, including a map of the district, population trends from 1980 to…

This anthology examines the contemporary status of Latino families, especially their great racial and ethnic diversity. The book focuses on the strengths of Latino/Hispanic groups, structural processes that impede their progress, and cultural and familial processes that enhance their intergenerational adaptation and resiliency. Chapter 1,…

Fourth-grade students (83% of whom were identified as "at risk") in an inner-city school in the southeastern United States participated in a hands-on, interdisciplinary unit about the environment for 2 weeks. Lessons covered a wide range of environmental issues such as pollution, rainforest devastation, recycling, and Earth appreciation.…

Research shows that the labor market payoff to vocational education in high school is quite large when graduates work in the occupation for which they trained. Less than one-third of those who learn occupationally specific skills get training-related jobs. The occupationally specific skills learned are seldom used on a job due to lack of emphasis…

This collection of 11 papers provides a review of the changing environment of major universities in Europe and the United States, with emphasis on changes in public policies, and examines the implications of this new environment on the internal organization of universities. The book is cross-national in scope and in the perspective of each…

Five papers examine the adoption of resource based learning at Charles Sturt University (Australia). "Literature Searches and Distance Education: Whose Problem?" (Stephen Parnell) discusses the question of who should accept responsibility for the intellectual content of literature searches; the library is at the center of a resource…

Teachers are challenged by contradictory demands on curricular time. The social needs children bring to school sometimes collide with basic literacy instruction priorities. This research addressed concerns about television violence via a project that encouraged children to log their television viewing and write in daily journals their perceptions…

A study analyzed electronic-mail requests from college students (n=34 native speakers of English/NSs, 65 non-native speakers/NNSs) to faculty, randomly gathered over the period of a year. The requests were analyzed for the affective response they produced both on the faculty recipient and on a non-recipient faculty member, and for linguistic forms…

Discourse strategies used by status-unequal interlocutors expressing disagreement are discussed. The paper focuses on the influence of role relationships on semantic formulas. A comparative study of discourse strategies used by native speakers of Turkish and North American English in the same speech event is also reported. Data were gathered from…

In 1994 the Carnegie Corporation of New York convened the Carnegie Task Force on Learning in the Primary Grades to examine all the forces that contribute to children's learning and development during the age span from 3 to 10. The 33-member group of business and political leaders, scientists, educators, researchers, and practitioners conducted…

This pamphlet presents the Executive Summary of the Report of the Carnegie Task Force on Learning in the Primary Grades. Results depict a pervasive pattern of underachievement for millions of U.S. children. The document outlines nine principles of effective practice for all institutions key to children's learning, and calls on these institutions…