Prior to their first curriculum unit (on history and the work of historians) in an American history course, three classes of fifth graders stated what they knew (or thought was true) about history and what they wanted to learn about it. After the unit, they reported what they had learned. In addition, a stratified sample of 10 students was…

Supplemental or peripheral responses by test takers are seldom used by examiners, but in this study a program introduced by Thomas Edison State College (New Jersey) to allow the examined student to provide feedback to the testers and graders was studied. Student comment forms were designed to enable the student to identify problems with the test…

A study examined the impact of students' researching their own literacy histories upon their views of literacy and literacy learning but shifted to investigate sources of students resistance to the assignment. In the seven sections of a senior-level reading course, taught between 1988 and 1991, data were collected and analyzed to address the…

If properly administered, peer-group critiques in college writing classes can be an effective means of sharpening students' skills of critical reading while increasing their awareness of audience. If not properly administered, however, they can be unpleasant and nerve-racking for all involved. Finding that both she and her students dreaded peer…

The critique circle is a pedagogical technique for involving students in the process of oral evaluative criticism of performance work. After the performance of scenes, students gather in a circle. Any student may begin the critique and responses proceed around the circle in a clockwise fashion, with the rules requiring each student to evaluate or…

Lifelong learning cries out for a philosophy adequate to its potential as a social force. (Editor)

Sherwood Junior High School, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has developed a successful career education program with the aid of the community, teacher workshops, and other career-oriented activities to meet student needs and interests. (MW)

This publication focuses on the need for school environments conducive to teaching and learning, for parents who give positive support, and for students who are motivated to learn. The publication is based upon contemporary research into the relationship of students' interest in learning and achieving to their academic success. It presents ideas…

Elementary school students from kindergarten through eighth grade (N=202) used a Student Perceptions instrument to rate the behaviors of the novice and master teachers with whom they worked routinely. Assessments occurred at the beginning of the school year, in October, and near the end of the school year, in May. A 1989 study using primary grades…

This digest reviews earlier court decisions which led up to the Supreme Court's 1988 "Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier" decision and also discusses the "Hazelwood" case's implications for freedom of student expression. The digest cites various documents in the ERIC database which deal with student journalism, censorship,…

The two-fold purpose of the conference reported in this document was to provide educators with assistance in introducing multicultural literature into their courses and programs, and to provide inspiration for continued efforts to internationalize the curriculum. The document contains the keynote speeches of David Abalos ("Multicultural…

This study focuses on student response to computer-assisted instruction (CAI) after it was introduced into a college level physical geography course, "Introduction to Weather and Climate." PLATO, a University of Illinois mainframe network developed in the 1960s, was selected for its user friendliness, its large supply of courseware, its…

Project aims were to learn what college freshmen knew of the late 19th and 20th century presidents and to determine the students' writing level. During the first class of each of five semesters, students enrolled in an American History Since 1865 course were asked to write one paragraph about any president in the time period 1865-1981. Due to time…

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' perceptions of the direct and indirect influences that testing has on students. Subjects consisted of 12 male and 127 female kindergarten through grade 12 teachers in North Carolina--a state that mandates standardized testing. Districts may use only those test required by the state or they may use…

Student brinkmanship in residence halls, resident assistant (RA) leadership, and residence social climate are discussed. In "brinking" the system, students challenge authority in ways that provide scant grounds for the institution to apply punishment. The study looks at relationships between: the RA's leadership behavior and student…