The National Household Education Survey (NHES) is a data collection system of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which has as its mission the collection and publication of data on the condition of education in the United States by providing information on those issues that are best addressed by contacting households rather than…

This volume documents the data collection of the 1990-91 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). People wishing to determine whether their research needs can be served by SASS data will find a description of the survey's contents and objectives in the Overview. This volume contains the following chapters: (1) "Overview"; (2) "Changes in…

This study investigated differences in the writing styles of African American and European American test takers using a portfolio entry assessment as a means of examining writing style, focusing on language choice, rhetorical style, and organization. The portfolio entry was from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Middle…

A nationally representative sample of eighth-graders were first surveyed in the spring of 1988. A sample of these respondents were then resurveyed through four follow-ups in 1990, 1992, 1994, and 2000. On the questionnaire, students reported on a range of topics including: school, work, and home experiences; educational resources and support; the…

In 2 experiments, 280 college students studied animations depicting a mechanical operation with concurrent oral narration of the process, successive animation and narration, animation alone, narration alone, or no instruction (the control group). Results are consistent with a dual coding model of retention and problem solving. (SLD)

The observational study of effective instructional processes in kindergarten by DeVries and others is critiqued. It is maintained that (1) the study takes a narrow approach to constructivism that does not reflect current thinking; (2) there are flaws in the coding system used; and (3) the understanding of instructional issues involving minority…

Cryptography is the science that renders data unintelligible to prevent its unauthorized disclosure or modification. Presents an application of matrices used in linear transformations to illustrate a cryptographic system. An example is provided. (17 references) (MDH)

Presents media literacy research of eighth-grade students to determine the level of recognizing and understanding visual and nonvisual codes that make up motion-picture stories. Study focused on rhetoric of the film medium: trust, confidence and belief in films among children is very high; if this trust coincides with ignorance of media codes,…

Purpose: To help to clarify the role of XML tools and standards in supporting transition and migration towards a fully XML-based environment for managing access to information. Design/methodology/approach: The Ching Digital Image Library, built on a three-tier architecture, is used as a source of examples to illustrate a number of methods of data…

Encoded Archival Description (EAD) can be seen to have reached maturity as the global data structure standard for the electronic representation of archival finding aids. One factor responsible for this success, flexibility, is now being questioned as it has led to a great deal of divergent practice. This article discusses the attempt to tighten…

This study investigates how different encoding strategies affect retention of Chinese characters (words) as measured by recall of the sound and meaning of the characters. Three types of encoding strategies were investigated during character learning: rote memorisation (shallow processing), student self-generated elaboration, and instructor-guided…

Although the Minspeak[TM] approach is used on communication devices worldwide, little research has been conducted on its applicability within specific cultural contexts. The impact that users' familiarity of symbols and associations can have on learnability necessitates more systematic research. This study was an investigation into the…

This article focuses on the challenge of educators in keeping up with an information environment that has changed dramatically in the past 10 years. Thus, it is crucial that when teaching literacy to students, educators emphasize skills that reflect the information environment of the present, not the past. With the information age comes a whole…

This study investigates the content and coding systems of kindergarten and first grade report cards from 57 Connecticut school districts. Report cards differed among districts in number of items, emphasis on curriculum areas and learning dimensions, and coding systems. Kindergarten report cards were more likely to emphasize discrete skills and…

With today's growth in the use of electronic information systems for e-mail, data development and research, and the relative ease of access to such resources, protecting one's data and correspondence has become a great concern. "Pretty Good Privacy" (PGP), an encryption program developed by Phil Zimmermann, may be the software tool that…