Essays written by 14-year-old pupils about a chemistry topic were analyzed for structure and process using ideal paradigms defined mathematically. The students' actual behaviors were then compared with the behavior expected had they used either a serial or a parallel processing strategy based on either a constructive or a reproductive memory.…

Examines the limitations of standardized test scores as predictors of success in college writing courses. Supports the selective use of writing samples as an additional placement tool. (MM)

To make psychology course content more relevant to college students, popular television presentations can be used to illustrate psychological concepts. Students in a theories of personality course wrote brief essays explaining the behavior of their favorite TV characters. (RM)

The standard organizational features of an essay (title, introduction, main body, and conclusion), together with their specific functions, constitute an established but neglected convention that enables students to write conventional essays and to appreciate the uses of variation in essay form. (HOD)

Reviews Maslow's hierarchy of needs in the light of the Jonestown tragedy. Maintains that members of the People's Temple felt frustrated in attaining the lower levels in the world of reality, and so moved outside the pyramid in search of the top, self-actualization. In the process, their primary needs were met. Journal availability: see SO 507…

Examines some attempts to define and implement Utopia, considering reasons why a literature on Utopia has developed and the utility of the concept within the context of a geography curriculum. Journal available from Faculty of Education, 3700 McTavish Street, Montreal, H3A 1Y2 Quebec, Canada. (Author/CK)

Examines the relative effects on holistic scores given to college students' expository essays of three types of variables--essay, reader, and environment. (HOD)

Flaws in the New Communities program that are discussed in this essay include: (1) defective financial arrangements; (2) a lack of strategic aims and/or a special constituency; (3) inadequate backing by State and local governments; (4) poor leadership; (5) insufficient provisions for dealing with a poor national economy; and (6) private developer…

This paper presents recommendations concerning the reduction of child abuse and neglect. Some recommendations concern research toward further understanding the problem, while other recommendations concern policies that may help reduce the problem. (Author/EB)

Describes a learning procedure for the purpose of improving competence in the field of essay writing. The procedure is grounded in systematic linguistics: making the student aware of the structural possibilities of English and using the substitution technique. The procedure has been tried out in language courses at the University of Trier.…

Ratings of student performance for two essay questions rendered by professors of English and by professors in other disciplines were compared for reliability and concurrent validity. It was concluded that the reliability and validity of the ratings of the two groups were nearly comparable. (Author/BW)

The role of the courts in school discipline policy is discussed, with particular focus on the constitutionality of corporal punishment. (RLV)

A respectable reliability of scoring twelfth-grade essays can be achieved through the use of essay models in the two Alberta Essay Scales (style-content and mechanics). The scales can assist classroom teachers in the day-to-day scoring of essays by providing a constant standard. (Author/SB)

Membership in deaf communities in a metropolitan area is neither granted to nor sought by all who are deaf. Rather, it is achieved through indentification with the deaf world, shared experiences of being hearing impaired, and involvement with other members. (Author/EB)