A study interviewed 6 grade-6 students after participation in 21 lessons on basic concepts of fractions and decimals to determine how different children construct rational number concepts. Discussed the formation of the key concept of equivalent fractions based on student responses to interview questions. (MDH)

Presents (1) characteristics of the totalitarian educational system in Poland which influence the current educational situation; (2) expectations for institutions connected with early childhood education in the new democratic political and social situations in Poland; and (3) an image of early childhood settings as institutions supporting parent…

Examination of school-improvement efforts at small-town New England high school shows limits of effective leadership, site-based management, and curricular innovations as improvement agents. Efforts are doomed without community consensus about reform goals and best ways to measure progress. Communities must synthesize information about academic,…

Argues that social studies teacher educators verbally promote the concept of social studies as education for democratic citizenship but do not practice democracy in their classrooms. Contends that social studies teacher education programs should be considered as an apprenticeship in democracy. Acknowledges that this approach is not easy to…

Reports a study of the different sources of influence on educational beliefs and values of teacher candidates during initial professional socialization experiences. Surveys and interviews with teacher candidates and educators in 29 teacher training institutions indicated student teaching and cooperating teachers were the most important influences.…

Examines developmentally appropriate versus inappropriate practices in terms of curriculum studies. Discusses problems with the justification of child-centered practices based on developmental theory; philosophical, historical, and political dimensions of a curriculum based on appropriate practices; and an alternative model based on early…

Investigates the religious beliefs, practices, and moral judgment of sixth-form students attending Protestant schools in Northern Ireland through three studies carried out-in 1968, 1978, and 1988. Finds girls significantly more religious than boys. Identifies a significant trend toward more orthodox beliefs, and simultaneous rejection of some…

The information presented draws on data from the annual American Council on Education-UCLA Cooperative Research Institutional Program survey of college freshmen. Data cover grades and self-assessments, majors and careers, degree aspirations, reasons for attending college, political and social attitudes, and life goals and values. (Author/MLW)

Describes the administration of Dialogues about Families, a set of 3 developmentally sensitive instruments designed to probe children's perceptions of their families and themselves through interactive dialogues, to several hundred 6 to 12 year olds. Suggests that the instruments be used to augment findings derived from parental reports and…

Qualitative-interpretive research methods were used to examine the board-president relationship in three British Columbia (Canada) community colleges. Five major reasons for which the relationship is important emerged: board and administrator influence in both the campus and external communities; value compatibility; self-images; and reflection of…

This historical review of the civil rights movement from the 1950s to the present suggests that a strong tie exists between the civil rights movement and multicultural education. Multicultural education is teaching and learning about the equal human worth of distinctive groups of people in ordinary social life. (SLD)

Liberals and conservatives agree that it is best if teenagers delay reproduction, but they disagree over how. Comparisons with Sweden and Great Britain suggest that America's difficulties with teen childbearing and abortion can be traced partly to combined cultural ambivalence about chastity, childbearing, and working. (SLD)

Asserts that the process of democratization in Russia requires restructuring all spheres of society, including public education. Describes efforts to bring democratic practices to school administration and encourage individual autonomy to primary-level teachers through inservice education. (CFR)

Argues that the primary grades play a crucial role in the development of student attitudes toward the natural environment. Describes content and activities used in the primary grades to develop ecological and aesthetic values. Discusses using problems associated with nature study as topics for moral development activities. (CFR)

States that the importance of higher education on Great Britain's economic and social fortunes is appreciated by academics but not by the general public. Reviews public relations efforts by universities in France, Germany, and the United States and recommends more effective public relations efforts by British universities. (CFR)