Many of the precepts that characterize the conceptual and practical work of early childhood education have emerged from "inquiry" that focused on interpretive and qualitative features of the lives of teachers, children, and parents. This paper examines the continuing development of a wide range of "inquiry" approaches in early childhood education…

This publication offers a state-by-state summary of the school-to-work and/or school-to-careers activities funded by the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 in the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico as of the summer 1997. Arranged alphabetically by state name, the profiles provide some or all of this information, as appropriate,…

This paper outlines the development of a quantitative instrument designed to measure students' multiple achievement goals and key aspects of their cognitive engagement in Australian educational settings. The paper demonstrates the use of congeneric measurement models in assessing and improving the validity of the scales comprising the Goal…

This report focuses on the implementation of applied baccalaureate degrees at two-year colleges and includes a sample agreement from an alliance of five State University of New York (SUNY) Colleges of Technology. The report provides the following information: (1) a discussion of the objectives of implementing baccalaureate degrees at two-year…

Differences among students can yield rich benefits as well as pose difficult problems during collaborative learning. Students can draw on diverse individual experiences to exchange information, to understand different expressions of shared commonalities, and to construct new possibilities jointly. However, they also face the potential pitfalls of…

This book articulates and defends the "theory theory" of cognitive and semantic development: the idea that very young children just beginning to talk are engaged in profound restructurings of several domains of their knowledge. These restructurings are analogous to theory changes. The children's early semantic development is closely tied…

Summaries are presented of papers from a symposium entitled "The Evaluation of Complex Programs Using Participatory Evaluation" that focused on a comprehensive school service program in a south Texas alternative high school. "Theoretical Framework and Objectives" explores the problems of evaluating such programs. Problems…

Critical reflection refers to an adaptation of civic literacy theory by educators seeking to promote the development of learning communities, taking an analytical approach to educational institutions. Critical reflection is being combined with the praxis approach, which stresses investigating issues, acting based on findings, subjecting outcomes…

Evolution is often equated with natural selection and is taught from a primarily functional perspective while comparative and historical approaches, which are critical for developing an appreciation of the power of evolutionary theory, are often neglected. This report describes a study of expert problem-solving in phylogenetic tree construction.…

This document describes a project conducted in Pennsylvania to develop a model for exemplary cross-training among various community agencies and service providers in order to serve educationally disadvantaged adult students. Training was provided to adult educators in five areas: social issues, families and legal issues, education issues, health…

Until 1993, the discussion of teacher education reform in the literature was limited to individual authors' suggestions for a vocational education response to reform initiatives and comments on the problems posed by pressures for reform. Debate on how to pursue excellence in vocational teacher education programs focused on vocational education's…

The increasing emphasis on teacher-directed processing of adventure experiences may be devaluing both the learning experience and the promotion of self-reliance among students. The problem with "overprocessing" is that the teacher, not the student, decides what was learned and its relative value. In addition, this approach emphasizes…

This publication reports on an evaluation commissioned by the Greater Glasgow (Scotland) Health Board of a school sexual health education program. The program emphasized providing accurate and relevant sexual health information; promoting pupils' ownership of their own sexual health issues; developing pupils' informed decision-making abilities…

Inplant training has begun to be used as a strategy to improve access and the relevance of training by the Human Employment and Resource Training (HEART) Trust/National Training Agency (NTA) in Jamaica. Inplant training is presented as a viable, efficient, and relevant method of providing induction and upgrading training for industry. In this…

This report, based on a study of 60 gifted students from a vocational-technical high school, tested the influence of a gifted program on the career aspirations and career development of gifted vocational technical students. The program was based on Holland's theory of career development and Gottfredson's developmental theory of career aspirations.…