Presents study results comparing attitudes of elementary school students who did or did not attend an in-school opera performance. Explains that students completed questionnaires measuring attitudes toward opera. Reports that fifth- and sixth-grade students experienced a positive effect from attending the opera. Suggests that fourth grade may be a…

Examines gender differences among 27 female and 14 male Caucasian college students in reaction to receiving unsolicited help from a similar peer on an educational task. Implications of the results for the threat to self-esteem model and suggestions for future research are discussed. (SLD)

Discusses using Donna Haraway's concept of affinity and affinity politics as a foundation for structuring collaborative pedagogy and feminist syllabi. Outlines the goals and assumptions of affinity-based pedagogy, and relates classroom experiences that illustrate its functioning. Notes the lessons that both students and teachers have taken away…

Observed performance change in 10 choral music concepts after sequential, structured task presentation across a series of choral rehearsals. Finds general performance improvement, with varied performance improvement for specific concepts; feedback improved student attitudes; and feedback decreased student attention spans. Notes research problems…

Examines musical responsiveness in children in grades 2, 5, 8 and 11-12, and trainable mentally handicapped students to different performance media. Finds that lower and higher grades rated all performances more positively than did middle grades, and instrumental music was preferred across all grades; no results were obtainable for handicapped…

Describes an investigation into the accuracy of high school science students' confidence in their answers on classroom tests, how that accuracy varied between different types of questions, and whether having to judge their confidence in test items resulted in an improvement in accuracy over the school year. Contains 33 references. (Author/WRM)

Discusses student participation in campus focus groups to identify what did and did not work in the transfer process, and what should be improved. Distinguishes course transfer, inter-and intra-institutional communications, and advising as major points of concern in transferring. (VWC)

Explores how the Learning Together form of cooperative learning influenced opportunities for acquiring academic English by second-language learners in a sixth-grade social studies classroom. Findings suggest that program developers must provide for context effect and teachers require a broad understanding of academic language. (59 references)…

Discusses the effect of extreme trauma on the ability of students to learn and ways for teachers to effectively help survivors. The article suggests some practical strategies and insights, using principles of effective language acquisition to inform a range of teaching and learning styles. (22 references) (Author/CK)

Offers insights from a 2-year study that may enable schools to identify key issues, policies, and practices for a successful approach to comprehensive inclusion. Discusses the necessary conditions for inclusive practice that would serve the needs of both special needs and mainstream students, and utilize the talents of special education teachers,…

Reports on a study where subjects were asked to evaluate the level of musical intensity expressed in various music excerpts. Defines musical intensity as that which conveys strong, ardent, or concentrated emotion. Compares subjects' ongoing evaluation (continuous) with a single concluding (summative) evaluation. Includes a list of orchestral…

Although President Bush favors continuous testing, headlines reflect an intense, growing antitesting sentiment. One standard does not fit all, current systems are malfunctioning, and kids are short-changed. A recent report says abstinence-only sex education is ineffective; high teen birth rates underline the need for comprehensive approaches. (MLH)

This study examined how high school seniors construct decision-making strategies for choosing a college to attend. To comprehend their decision-making strategies, we chose to examine this process through the theoretical lens of bounded rationality, which brings to light the complexity in constructing a college choice decision-making strategy…

The primary goal of this study was to assess the ability of maltreated school-age children and adolescents to understand the thoughts, feelings, and points of view of others. Level of egocentrism and social perspective-taking coordination were assessed in a group of 49 maltreated and 49 demographically matched nonmaltreated children. Twenty-six…

Phase one of the IEA Civic Study was designed for fourteen-year-old students. In Denmark this included students from the eighth and ninth grades although civics is not part of the required curriculum until grade nine. Students' answers to questions concerning civic knowledge were collected together with information related to student attitudes,…