This document sketches topics considered by a 1990 conference on student motivation sponsored by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement of the U.S. Department of Education. Educational reforms of the past decade have not produced higher test scores for American students. Rather, American students score lower and study less than…

An expatriate second language teacher working in Japan describes and discusses his use of a reflective dialogue journal, written with a colleague using electronic mail (e-mail) and using a collaborative approach to professional development. Four topic areas discussed in the collaborative journal are examined: features of doing cooperative…

This book surveys new developments in research on family-peer relations and discusses the impact of these developments on current knowledge and future research. The book's 14 chapters are: (1) "Themes and Theories: Perspectives on Processes in Family-Peer Relationships" (G. Ladd); (2) "Family and Peer Relationships in Historical Perspective" (P.…

This document contains 18 papers presented at a conference designed to increase practitioners' understanding of disability issues and peer support strategies, with emphasis on peer support in such practice settings as independent living centers, community-based employment programs, medical programs, and secondary and higher education. The papers…

This paper discusses the development of the professional careers of a group of experienced and expert primary teachers (N=11) in England who share a commitment to informal primary education, a teaching approach that emphasizes first-hand experiences in learning along with integration of content areas of curriculum. During unstructured and…

This literature review summarizes and analyzes the current literature on variables predicting high school dropping out and the relationship between those variables and language minority youth (defined as those who are national origin minorities by birth and who speak, in varying degrees, languages other than English). After the introduction, which…

The report is developed around five priorities which are based on the premise that English as a second language (ESL) students in general, and the reservation bound Indian students specifically, are isolated both educationally and culturally due to conflicts of language and learner based confusion of terms, ideas, and concepts as a result of…

This guide, intended for adults who deal with adolescents, was originally designed as a companion to "No Hang-Ups!," a telephone tape call-in service addressing topics of vital concern to teenagers. The format of the guide consists of a series of brief two-page fact sheets on a wide range of adolescent issues: problems in school, teenage fears,…

This curriculum guide supplements the Alabama "Health Education Course of Study," which offers a comprehensive planned sequential curriculum for grades K-12. The largest section of the guide consists of classroom activities which are tied to specific student outcomes. A list of materials needed to carry out the activities is provided.…

The Academic Skills Center at Black Hills State University provides a peer assistance program comprising both individual tutoring in classes offered in each academic division and credit classes in study skills. The goal of the Center is to respond effectively and quickly to individual educational needs of students and faculty through a…

Elementary and secondary school teachers were asked to rate the sources that influence their decisions on what they teach in their subject areas. Possible influential sources were identified as: (1) district consultants; (2) state or district recommended textbooks; (3) state curriculum guides; (4) commercially prepared materials; (5) teachers' own…

The culture in a female-managed residential college that focused on communication studies was examined. The college, which was opended in 1981, is a unique living unit under the supervision of a head and associate master, in which 107 students live in a collection of suites representing the academic disciplines of journalism,…

Data from the National Longitudinal Study of High School Seniors (1972) were utilized to examine the effects of school personnel on educational and occupational decisions of farm-reared students. Information was gathered on 10 "significant others" grouped into 5 types: (1) ego--influence of self; (2) family--parents and relatives; (3)…

Moral contradictions and cross-purposes in society make formal moral training in the schools difficult. A discussion is presented of the pressure on the schools to provide values education at a time when society itself is unclear about values. The examples provided by parents, television, and other influences in the lives of young people are…

The postsecondary plans and aspirations of twelfth grade students in Manitoba, Canada were surveyed in 1980. In addition to the general post-high school plans (college attendance, employment, and other options), specific information was obtained on their institutional and program choices if further schooling was to be pursued. The influence of…