Three studies explored children's adoption of cultural forms of representation. Investigated were (1) children's judgments from students' drawings about the age of the artist; (2) children's preferences for drawings and the extent preferences match teachers'; and (3) differences between drawings children produce for themselves and those they…

Parents of 140 former special education students were interviewed to assess former students' competencies according to the Life-Centered Career Education Curriculum. Subjects with higher competency levels were found to have a significantly more favorable employment status than their peers. (CH)

School performance measures developed by a public management institute have improved learning, confidence, cost effectiveness, teamwork, and accountability among students and teachers in Illinois districts. A model measures learning, parent and teacher satisfaction, and cost. Zion, Lake Forest, and North Chicago districts made substantial gains…

Research is reviewed on (1) ergonomic factors which affect handwriting performance, focusing on the student's grip on the writing implement, pressure on the writing instrument and surface, types of writing instruments, and writing paper; and (2) assessment of the legibility and speed of handwriting. (Author/JDD)

Two variations of a level system as a behavior management tool for behavior-disordered and learning-disabled adolescents (N=19) in a resource setting were evaluated. Four color-coded levels were designed to decrease talkouts and out-of-seat behaviors. During system implementation, disruptive and off-task behaviors decreased, and task completion…

This study investigated critical factors that would constitute reliable performance measures for bibliographic information retrieval systems, and compared the operational effectiveness of the relevance-theoretic and utility-theoretic models. The factors discussed include document and information attributes, judges, and environmental factors. (18…

Investigated the effects of occupational sex-dominance on sex differences in occupational performance expectations. College students indicated their self-expectations and comparison person expectations (those of a "typical" male or female) regarding job performance for six occupations. Women reported lower expectations for themselves except for…

There are discrepancies between the school performance of mainstream students and ethnic minority students. In educational anthropology there have been two explanations, cultural difference and cultural discontinuity. The articles in this special issue explore the relationships between these two schools of thought. (VM)

The development, field testing, and evaluation of a checklist approach to selecting an integrated library automation system are described, and recommendations for using this approach are outlined. The checklist, which is divided into five main sections of catalog features and functions, is appended. (Author/CLB)

Grounded in schema and generative theories, this research suggests a theoretical framework and a task-specific procedure for integrating reading and writing. Fourth grade students were given a text-related generative writing task and reading recall test. Results support the notion of using writing as an orienting task prior to reading. (DST)

The article examines intellectual, educational, social, and personality factors affecting the achievement of the gifted female during the very early years. Influences of differential achievement from parental and teacher behaviors, the media, toys and play are discussed and strategies for nurturing behaviors and attitudes more conducive to adult…

Describes the concept of an integrated environment which allows managers to evaluate and measure the performance of computer based information systems. Both system efficiency evaluation and user interaction evaluation are addressed, and MADAM, a system currently operational at the University of Southwestern Louisiana, is briefly described.…

Telling children when and why listeners have or have not understood what a speaker meant is not a very effective way of advancing children's referential skills. If giving such information also modifies children's speaking and/or listening behavior, it is very effective. If the same modifications are produced by other means, consequences are…

Evaluates effectiveness of resource teacher services in mainstreamed rural classrooms in four districts in Quebec. Finds relationships between distance, staff ratio, interpersonal skills/competence, and rate of service delivery. Verifies Hurder theory that service delivery is influenced by access, disposition, and organization variables. (LFL)

Two matched forms of a 50 item grammar test were developed. Twenty items designed to be humorous were included in one form. Inclusion of humorous items did not affect grammar scores on matched humorous/nonhumorous items, nor on commmon post-treatment items. Inclusion did not affect results of anxiety measures. (Author/DWH)