Discusses an empirical study that examined the relative efficiency of individual differences variables and user-based situational variables as predictors of the actual information/knowledge needed by users to accomplish word processing tasks. Information seeking versus information use is discussed, and results of canonical correlation analyses are…

Presents eight points to emphasize when teaching the concept of place value. Contends that converting numbers from one base to another helps students understand the concept of place value and the importance of context in establishing meaning. Provides a BASIC computer program to make conversions. (MDH)

Effects of passage and item-scrambling on equipercentile and item-response theory equating were investigated using 2 scrambled versions of the American College Testing Program Assessment for approximately 25,000 examinees. Results indicate that using a base-form conversion table with a scrambled form affects the individual examinee level. (SLD)

This study of third graders examined whether qualitatively distinct cooperative computer environments (using LOGO and curriculum-based instruction in writing) engender social experiences that enhance motivation and self-concepts as learners; and the extent to which differences in motivation and self-perception accounted for differences in…

In the past decade, testing of young children has been excessive and inappropriate. Leftover IQ tests have been used to track children into ineffective programs or to deny them school entry. Prereading tests held over from the 1930s have encouraged the teaching of decontextualized skills. Assessment advocates must clearly demonstrate testing's…

Item parameter estimates derived through item response theory methods have been considered relatively robust to changes in item position and context, but the anomaly in reading scores from the 1986 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) illustrates problems with common population equating procedures when there are test form changes.…

To investigate differences in adolescents' action orientations in difference contexts, 42 sophomore and 41 senior high school students (41 males and 42 females) in vocational or college-preparatory tracks were studied. Differences between the career-preparation action orientation of the college-bound students and the adult-preparation orientation…

Gives suggestions to help students generalize skills so that they can use them in a variety of situations inside and outside of the mathematics classroom. Addresses uses of ratio and proportion but suggestions are also applicable to other mathematical topics. (MLN)

Argues that the contexts of teaching are more diverse, embedded, and interactive in their effects on teaching practice than is assumed by prior school effects research. The paper discusses teaching for understanding, student differentiation and tracking, school social organization, bureaucratization of schooling, and implications for policy…

Analyzes and critiques the sociocultural and educational features that comprise the macrocontext for teaching environmental education in Queensland, Australia. Concepts outlined in the analysis include the global context of teaching environmental education; the political, economic, and social context of Queensland; the national party; the…

Discusses the effectiveness of four models of school/agency partnerships as vehicles for professional development and educational reform--models based on level of involvement, interaction, impact, or organization. Across models, common characteristics of effective partnerships include dynamism, mutual goals, parity, and commitment. Partnerships in…

Compares adolescents from East Germany who experienced an educational system offering little choice with adolescents from West Germany who experienced more leeway to investigate career maturity. East German adolescents reported more career maturity. Person-related variables predicted career maturity in both groups; family and peer context were…

Discusses why many girls relative to boys experience difficulties when required to speak in formal, public, or unfamiliar contexts. While girls are recognized as good at using collaborative talk in small groups, the public voice is valorized in the world outside school. Reviews current debate in Britain on underachieving boys in light of the…

Examined television viewing over three years among two cohorts of 2- and 4-year olds. Found that viewing declined with age. With age, time in reading and educational activities increased on weekdays but declined on weekends, and sex differences in time-use patterns increased. Increased time in educational activities, social interaction, and video…

The educational management field has developed along ethnocentric (Anglo-American) lines. The five articles in this issue indicate possible directions for developing a comparative school-based approach to school administration. Key constructs, useful frameworks, and data-collection instruments to facilitate rigorous comparative analysis are…