Investigated undergraduate motivation to learn, attempting to incorporate the role of discipline-specific factors in motivation to learn. Found that student academic performance is better explained by within- than by across-discipline indexes of motivation, probably because some types of motivation lead to success in some disciplines but failure…

The activities of a university are constituted through its disciplinary cultures. The individual disciplines mutually provide environments for one another but are largely autonomous in establishing their internal standards. Therefore, the university is only an institutional realization of its disciplinary parts in particular spatial locations.…

Assessed teachers' (N=103) ratings of acceptability of classroom time-out procedure as a function of problem severity (mild versus severe), different interventionists (teacher vs. school psychologist), and reported effectiveness (effective versus no information). Found time-out significantly more acceptable for severe problem behaviors; it…

Argues that communication ethics and free speech are the foundation for understanding the field of speech communication and its proper positioning in the larger array of academic disciplines. Argues that speech communication as a discipline can be traced back to a "practical philosophical" foundation detailed by Aristotle. (KEH)

Gang activities are often part of a complex web of drugs, abuse, and high regard for violent and criminal behavior. This article discusses the spread of street gangs and describes innovative intervention and prevention programs, such as Chicago's counseling/support project using ex-gang members. Experts' tips are also provided. (MLH)

This study analyzed current name trends in higher education physical education, identified the rate of these name changes, sought to determine if a common name is reaching consensus within the profession, and summarized the perceived advantages or disadvantages for changing or retaining current names. (IAH)

By opening up to the possibilities of integrative curriculum, teachers can provide students with the means to connect experiences, to give meaning to unrelated experiences, and to make life more predictable through pattern recognition and creation. An integrative curriculum holds an endless challenge for teacher and student. (JOW)

Argues that rhetorical history serves composition studies in two ways: 1) it provides the field roots and self-definition; and 2) it provides the kind of hard knowledge that puts the field in context. (JAD)

Evaluates the developmental status of communication by studying citation patterns both within the field and between communication and other fields. Examines citation linkages of 10 communication journals using the 1983-1985 data from "Social Sciences Citation Index's Journal Citation Reports." (MM)

Discusses the isolation of the field of communications from other disciplines and the inattention of communications to the increasing convergence on information and communication in other disciplines. Maps the convergence by surveying the authors commonly cited in the fields of cognitive science, humanities, and semiotics. (MS)

A civil engineer describes his first day as a substitute teacher. Despite detailed lesson plans and good intentions, maintaining an orderly class environment is far from a "piece of cake." Recess duty is an ordeal, and lunch in the shabby teacher's lounge is uninspiring. The biggest benefit is appreciation of what constitutes a full-time teacher's…

Graduate students (n=529) in humanities, social sciences, life sciences, and physical sciences were surveyed about their perceived social support, financial problems, academic functioning, and psychological distress. Expected differences between "hard" and "soft" sciences were not supported; however, across fields, financial…

States that the title of an academic journal should identify its subject area, embody the spirit of the discipline, distinguish its orientation in the field, and reflect the current state of the art. Concludes that the scope of the "Journal of Basic Writing" has expanded over the years, and a name change that reflects the changes is…

Describes a four-tiered model of the intellectual structure of the human communication discipline: (1) the structural properties of messages; (2) individual, social, and cultural aspects of message activity; (3) interpersonal, small group, and public levels of message activity; and (4) message activity in recurrent social situations. (SR)

An urban elementary school's transformation from chaos to harmony began when the principal and staff replaced their disciplinary policy of rules and regulations with the "10 commandments" of behavior. The James P. B. Duffy School No. 11 in Rochester (New York) is now honored as a model American school. (MLF)