Tested a model of direct and indirect effects of certain school learning variables on the academic achievement of African-American 10th graders using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988. Socioeconomic status, prior learning achievement, and students' perceptions of teachers and teacher quality were found to have…

The National Qualification Framework (NQF) in South Africa attempts to integrate education and training, and to facilitate access and progression through the educational and training system. This paper describes the background of NQF, explores the extent to which NQF addresses the problems of poverty, hunger, and unemployment, and considers the…

Describes a study undertaken to increase the effectiveness of student-placement systems in community colleges. Found that the use of student characteristics, such as gender, ethnicity, prior exposure to course work, and enrollment in a study-skills course, was more useful than the SAT, ACT, and College Placement Test in predicting student…

This longitudinal study examined the relationship between kindergarten word writing and Grade 1 literacy in a large sample of Israeli children. Kindergarten writing significantly predicted variance in all three measures of Grade 1 literacy, even after controlling for intelligence. Also examined the role of alphabetic skills and socioliteracy…

Examines the use of four versions of narrative inquiry with preservice teachers: response to practicum experiences, responses to reading, small and large group discussions, and reflection papers. Each helps students explore narrative assumptions that contribute to their images of teaching, enabling them to explore unexamined parts of their…

Four studies examined developmental differences in the representation of basic-subordinate inclusion relationships in three-, five-, and seven-year olds and undergraduates. Found that even three-year olds showed rudimentary knowledge of the asymmetry of inclusion. There was a marked developmental gap between producing subordinate category names…

By having students use their knowledge of real-world cultural contexts to construct text-world contexts, teachers help them understand how cultural forces within those contexts shape characters' actions. This paper describes the process of linking real- and text-world contexts, offering examples from one college class. Implications for helping…

The effects of performance feedback and social visibility on task performance and on incidental learning of peripheral stimuli were studied with 64 French male students, half high achievers and half low achievers. Both performance and allocation of attention were extremely sensitive to the consistency between students' past and present academic…

Presents two short articles. Discusses implementation of a K-W-E-L framework (What I Know, What I Want to Know, What the School District Expects, and What I Learned) in junior-level high school American literature courses. Presents a teacher's personal literacy history, which he wrote along with his students. Suggests successful teaching and…

This study divided 119 undergraduates into low and high prior knowledge groups and assigned them to three instructional treatments (control, instructor-provided imagery, learner-generated imagery) of the human cardiovascular system. Determined that there was no interaction between student prior knowledge and imaging strategy and that all imagery…

Presents key questions reflecting research in first/second language acquisition and whole language principles: is curriculum organized around "big" questions?; are students involved in authentic reading and writing?; are students given choices?; is content meaningful?; do students work collaboratively?; do students read, write, speak, and listen…

Surveyed preservice teachers at the beginning and at the end of an educational psychology course, targeting prior beliefs to identify prior beliefs about learning and teaching, and how those beliefs changed after taking the course. Most students believed their views had changed. Targeting preservice teachers' prior beliefs in instruction may…

Teacher candidates with mature life experiences offer the strongest potential for connecting with at-risk students, and alternative certification can bring them into the classroom. This paper discusses the following: how mature teachers provide needed supports to at-risk students, who comprises this group of teachers, and how mature teachers can…

Introduces the growing body of research on development of scientific reasoning skills, focusing on reasoning and problem-solving strategies used in experimentation and evidence evaluation. Maintains that current research examines strategy development and use in moderately complex domains to examine conditions under which subjects' theories…

This exploratory study analyzed longitudinal data from 18 institutions to track the literacy development of 1,054 students during the first three years of college. Reading comprehension and attitude toward literacy activities were assessed at the beginning and end of the study. Students responded annually to questionnaires about college…