A study examined the need for professional development (PD) activities for teachers and administrators providing vocational education for students with disabilities in Florida. Separate teacher and administrator surveys consisting of statements to be rated on a Likert scale were mailed to the administrators responsible for direction of vocational…

This report describes a program for increasing student effort and achievement through the use of motivational strategies. The teaching staff at a high school in an upper-middle class urban area in Illinois noted that many students in a second-year high school Spanish class appeared unmotivated, demonstrated minimal academic effort, and earned poor…

Issues unique to survey research among limited-English-proficient (LEP) populations are discussed, with illustrations drawn from one recent doctoral study. The research in question was on language, culture, and ethnicity in five Chinese-language schools in northern California. Its aim was to investigate the role of the schools in maintaining…

This study examined the relationship between the stress factors affecting low-income African-American mothers' child rearing practices and their children's prosocial behavior and peer status. Thirty at-risk preschool children and their single mothers participated in the study. The Home Observation for the Measurement of the Environment for…

Designed to identify teaching-learning strategies that can be facilitated by the use of technology and to specify factors and configurations that have impact on computer use in the classroom, this second-year study of computer use in Indiana schools focused on the effects of computer use on students and on teachers, the curriculum implications of…

To what degree do teacher participants in one science enhancement institute intend to use the information in the classroom the next fall? What factors assist this extension of learning? What factors detract from teachers applying new knowledge in the classroom? Sixteen second- to eighth-grade science teachers from a physical and life science…

This report is a descriptive summary of preliminary findings from the second year of research in 16 secondary schools in California and Michigan conducted by the Center for Research on the Context of Secondary Teaching (CRC). Further analyses of the data will proceed over the year and will be informed by comments of teachers, administrators, and…

The development and preliminary evaluation of the Computerized Adaptive Testing System (CATSYS), a new testing package for IBM-compatible microcomputers, are described. CATSYS can be used to administer and score operational adaptive tests or to conduct on-line computer simulation studies. The package incorporates several innovative features,…

This study examined the information seeking behavior of gatekeepers in five ethnolinguistic communities: American Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Latino. Personal interviews were conducted with 129 gatekeepers and a conceptual information model was used to generate an analytical framework for presenting and discussing the data. The major…

An attempt was made via an international questionnaire to procure information about the current situation and debate surrounding peace education in different countries. After a presentation of the questionnaire's background and composition, some general characteristic features from the response are shown. Then, a more concrete picture of the…

In problem-based learning, an instrument is needed to measure students' actual learning activities. Mapping the domain of learning activities undertaken by students and improving problems is especially important in a problem-based curriculum because students choose their own learning objectives. Such an instrument, the Topic Evaluation…

A collection of essays and research reports addresses issues in the testing of English as a Second Language (ESL) among foreign students in United States colleges and universities. They include the following: "Overview of ESL Testing" (Ralph Pat Barrett); "English Language Testing: The View from the Admissions Office" (G. James…

Compiled from a 1986 survey of Long Beach City College (LBCC) faculty, this guidebook provides a wide range of information on the underprepared student. Introductory material reviews basic assumptions and common points of agreement concerning underprepared students and stresses the need for sharing approaches to assisting the large numbers of…

As education students are faced with the inevitable arrival of computers in classrooms they experience a number of obstacles preventing success in introductory computer classes. The basis for this study suggests that the overwhelming factor contributing to success in such a class is confidence. One hundred fourteen undergraduate education students…

Information is presented on remedial education activities of California postsecondary institutions. A survey was conducted of 98 percent of the campuses of the University of California, the California State University, and the California community colleges. In addition, site visits were made to 14 campuses and interviews were conducted with over…