This paper reports the effects of thematically integrated mathematics instruction on achievement, attitudes, and motivation in mathematics among middle school students of Mexican descent. A school-university collaborative effort led to the development and testing of a thematic approach undertaken as a means of contextualizing instruction for…

The 1992-93 school year was the third complete year under the mandates of the Oklahoma school reform act initiated in 1989, which established the Oklahoma Educational Indicators Program. This report identifies progress or change that has occurred in a variety of educational areas since the inception of reforms in every school district in Oklahoma.…

It is hypothesized that the educational, cultural, and historical context in which education takes place, especially in a developing country, will result in a particular view of teaching effectiveness. This study, conducted at the University of Botswana, sought to identify classes of teacher characteristics that were considered to be contributors…

National evaluations of quality aspects of vocational training programs (VTPs) in five European countries--Belgium, Germany, France, Greece, and Portugal--were reviewed to determine how VTP quality is currently being evaluated and identify a more coherent approach to evaluating VTPs. Special attention was paid to how existing evaluation studies…

Classroom boredom in the secondary mathematics classroom is a problem that can be addressed from knowledge of the intrinsic motivational variable of "interestingness." The lack of a theoretical model of interest is an obstacle in research that investigates this variable. This paper describes the three stages in the development of a model…

The social environment of today has necessitated revision in educators' beliefs about what students are considered to be at risk of failing to complete their education with adequate levels of skills. This book addresses this issue in the areas of mathematics and science and is intended as a curriculum and teacher training accompaniment that can…

Alternative assessments, also called authentic or performance assessments, have first the common notion of a meaningful performance or product. The use of such alternatives with students belonging to nondominant language and cultural groups is of interest because of the hope that this type of assessment can show what these students can really do…

A research study of the implementation of "good ideas" in 14 schools came to the conclusion that differences in school organization and climate cause differences in the success of school improvement. Specific aspects of organization and climate in these schools, called factors of school context, are the following: resources, incentives,…

This paper analyzes the process and impact of a pre-service teacher education course assignment that engaged teacher candidates in developing and delivering an ESL professional development night for faculty colleagues and teachers from the field. The night involved a reader's theatre performance and follow-up discussion of Tara Goldstein's (2003)…

Inter-firm cooperation has emerged as a key element of competitive business strategy. Firms improve mutual understanding of their complementary competencies and combine them in better ways; improve access to new markets and advanced technologies; and learn more fully and quickly from each other. Challenges of work force development (WFD) can be…

This brief discusses how the Research Institute on Secondary Education Reform (RISER) for Youth with Disabilities model, Schools of Authentic Inclusive Learning (SAIL), and career development constructs and processes intersect. The brief provides an overview of SAIL, of authentic and inclusive learning, and of career development theory, while…

This book describes an ethnographic study of cultural routines involved in enculturating children into Kpelle society in West Africa. The study focused on: (1) playforms such as pretend play; and (2) adult-guided activities such as apprenticeship. Chapter 1 of the book, "Studying Child Development in Kpelle Society," introduces the…

This document, the first of three volumes, reports on the 15th annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME) held in Italy 1991. Plenary addresses and speakers are: "Social Interaction and Mathematical Knowledge" (B. M. Bartolini); "Meaning: Image Schemata and Protocols" (W.…

Research reports from the annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education include: "La construcion algorithmique: niveaux ou stades?" (Mesquita); "For Establishing the Generality of Conjectures" (Miyazaki); "Teachers' Attitudes Towards Mathematics and Mathematics Teaching:…

The purpose of this study is to investigate how ten advanced Taiwanese English as a Foreign Language college students comprehend and interpret two English short stories--"The Discus Thrower" and "A Passage to India." Two types of data were gathered for this study: verbal self-reporting and post-reading responses. Oral…