This study examined whether increased exploratory field experiences affected the perceptions and evaluations of secondary school student teachers at Indiana State University. Studied were 238 student teachers who were simultaneously undergoing two different professional preparation programs: 154 were in a program requiring only one field…

The seven working papers in this collection set out the underlying philosophy and research methods of the Learning in Science Project. The project was established in 1979 to identify, describe, and investigate problems and difficulties in the teaching and learning of forms 1-4 science, and to explore possible solutions. The papers describe the…

A bilingual prediction study was conducted in order to gather information that school districts could use in making decisions about instructional transition for students in transitional bilingual programs. In 1976, 115 third graders were tested in reading, verbal ability, and aural comprehension in both English and Spanish. Attitude toward…

This document presents a strategy for education reform. It focuses on four major issues: (1) the students' future employability; (2) strategies for increasing the nation's investment in education that would increase payoffs for students and society; (3) a program for upgrading the professionalism of teachers and improving the quality of education…

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission's (THEC) use of a performance criterion in funding higher education is discussed, along with the results of evaluating this initiative. Information on program quality and improvement efforts is a factor in determining the budgetary allocation for each state institution. With funding from the Kellogg…

The Minnesota Science Education Task Force initiated a state-wide survey in 1983 to assess the current status of science education in Minnesota schools. This process involved instrument revision, sample design, data collection, file preparation and analysis. Questionnaires were modified to obtain information on the role of science teachers, the…

An organizational control system approach was used to investigate a university's attempt to influence faculty behavior in the areas of teaching effectiveness; quality of research, scholarship, and creative pursuits; and quality of service. These standards were used to establish desired performance levels and to provide benchmarks for comparison.…

Jane Roland Martin's later work, especially as represented in "The Schoolhome: Rethinking Schools for Changing Families," has been attacked as vague, essentialistic, and a formula for the (re)feminization of education. This paper does not attempt to defend Martin against these criticisms because such a defense seems impossible for…

Literature on children's singing development is largely skewed towards findings based on English-speaking children. The present study aims to fill the gap in research through an investigation of the effects of age, gender and language on the singing competency of Cantonese-speaking children. One hundred and twenty children aged 7 and 9 years…

This article presents a study on principal retention in New South Wales, Australia. Factors in job retention included economic security, role enjoyment, and the opportunity to contribute. Disincentives to the principalship included lack of support from the employing authority, inadequate pay, isolation, growing responsibilities, difficult parents,…

The scores of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) have been declining since 1963. While this decline has occurred, scores on achievement tests administered to students in grades 3 to 11 have been stable. An alalysis of the medical and epidemiological literature was conducted to determine whether there could be a health factor that might have caused…

A sharp decline in the number of Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) candidates scoring over 600 (on a scale of 200-800), has been observed from 1969-70 through 1974-75. Several suggested explanations of this phenomenon relating to test-taking patterns are discussed. Specifically examined are the possibilities that fewer students take the SAT more than…

Hypotheses explaining the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) score decline have been advanced in letters to the College Entrance Examination Board and to the Advisory Panel on the Scholastic Aptitude Test Score Decline, in magazine articles, and in newspaper stories. A list of these hypotheses are presented and categorized according to changes in the…

The effects of humorous test questions on test performance of high and low-anxious college students was investigated. It was hypothesized that humor should reduce the anxiety level of high-anxious subjects, and thus improve their performance, while having little effect on low-anxious subjects. Students were assigned to a low or high-anxious group…

To test the hypothesis that self-esteem correlates significantly with both achievement and I.Q. in the same direction, that is, either positively or negatively, 318 eighth grade and 478 fifth grade students were randomly selected. Stanford Achievement Tests and the Otis-Lennon Mental Abilities Test were administered to obtain the respective…