Self-directed learning has been a high-interest topic within the field of adult education for the last decade. The following are among suggestions writers have made about how adult educators can best facilitate self-directed learning: (1) encourage learners to appreciate that they can act on their world individually or collectively to transform…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a computer assisted remediation program on basic skills mathematics achievement, academic self-concept, and locus of control of students in a dropout retrieval program. A nonrandomized pretest-posttest experimental design was used to compare students from urban settings in two groups.…

While current research is beginning to suggest that it is masculinity that correlates with mental health, results are inconclusive and studies have primarily focused on limited measures of mental health. This study incorporated multiple measures of self-concept in an analysis of the relationship between sex-role orientation and mental health of…

One of the fastest growing social and economic trends in the latter half of this century has been the entry of women into the labor force, especially women with children. How a mother's working outside the home affects her children is far from clear. This study examined the relationship between maternal employment status and sex-role concept,…

Data from a longitudinal sample of 14,721 White (7,193 male, 7,528 female) and 5,197 Black (2,400 male, 2,797 female) respondents tested first between ages 16 and 19 and in two follow-ups were explored in relation to Black-White, male-female differences in self-esteem and causal orientations. On general self-esteem scores, Blacks rated themselves…

Conflicting results have been obtained from studies examining childrearing attitudes, knowledge of child development norms, or perceptions of locus of control, and how these variables relate to parental discipline practices and to parent-child relationships. One way to clarify these inconsistent findings in the literature would be to examine the…

The relationship of gender to the profession of teaching and curricular decision making is explored from a feminist point of view in this paper. The following questions were considered: (1)What are the experiences of those women who are preparing to teach and have an orientation toward teaching which is empowering for themselves and their students…

Following a traditional learned helplessness paradigm, subjects initially tried to terminate random bursts of noise using a button-pressing manipulandum and next tried to solve 20 serially-presented anagrams. The noise was broadcast at either a loud or soft intensity, and the subject's button-pressing was either successful (Escape condition) or…

In the past, many social scientists were content to study teaching from a distance, borrowing concepts mainly from psychology and sociology to explain what teaching was like. Increasingly, students of teaching have come to value the insider's viewpoint and to rely on teachers as informants. This paper brings together research about the meaning of…

This study compared the personality, cognitive style, and descriptive preferences of 79 preservice undergraduate education students who chose independent study instead of traditional teacher-directed study. Self esteem, field articulation, locus of control, cognitive style preference, and need for achievement tests were administered and…

Presented are abstracts and abstractors' analyses of 10 studies related, in some manner, to learning. These studies focus on: (1) problem-solving processes used by experts and novices as they worked five mechanics problems (J. H. Larkin and F. Reif); (2) formal reasoning patterns of Italian high school students (M. L. Aiello-Nicosia, et al.); (3)…

Following a description of the pattern of burnout symptoms, which include attitudinal, emotional, and physical components, measures are discussed for determining individuals' reactions to stress and their tendencies to "burnout." A discussion on strategies to cure or prevent burnout includes consideration of three basic methods: cognitive…

To improve the responsiveness of educational programs to the needs of low achieving, at risk students, Research for Better Schools (RBS) has developed an assessment procedure. This document is the portion of that procedure that addresses the involvement of students in their learning, or how low achieving students cognitively operate on content.…

In Mississippi, the State College Board has increased college entrance requirements in science for four-year universities to include three science courses consisting of biology, chemistry, physics, or advanced courses in these areas. This has had the immediate effect of doubling the science enrollment in some high schools. This study was designed…

A description is presented of a three-year pilot project conducted within the Primary-Junior Program at the Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Canada. The theoretical rationale upon which this alternative approach is based is outlined, and a description is given of the implementation of the approach. A report is also given of some…