Presents an evaluation instrument for evaluating instructional multimedia programs. Highlights include the need to evaluate; an illustrated example; and instructions for filling out the instrument that includes compatibility for hardware and software; instructional design issues, including content and audience definition; and interface, including…

Examined the reflective writing in English language arts portfolios of 11 young adolescent girls attending an alternative, single-sex school. Found that girls often distorted their literacy accomplishments and disclaimed and devalued their achievements. They tended to silence themselves, use literacy to stay connected to family and friends, and…

Investigated the relationship between the mastery of maladaptive interpersonal patterns (assessed from narratives told during psychotherapy) and outcome of psychotherapy. Transcripts from the psychodynamic psychotherapy of 41 patients were scored using a content analysis mastery scale. Changes in mastery level over the course of therapy were…

Reports on data obtained in Australia on practicing teachers' thinking as they interacted with a professional development interactive multimedia courseware package. Two types of thinking are discussed: (1) cognitive mediating processes related to content; and (2) evaluative thoughts about the instructional design of the courseware, from which a…

Compares the information content in descriptions made by sixth grade students based on messages of text and picture, written and verbal, or written language alone. The semantic framework analyzes the importance of words and ideas in text and relationships between them. Found the written language to be more open to interpretation than verbal and…

Discussion of the development of educational hypermedia systems for the Web builds on theories from instructional design and learning styles to develop a design rationale and guidelines for adaptive Web-based learning systems that use individual differences as a basis of system adaptation. Considers content adaptation and adaptive navigation…

Considers problems encountered by mature Internet users who are information literate with printed materials but not with Internet sources. Topics include a definition of mature Internet users; computer skills; choosing information sources to meet information needs; Internet content; search strategies; and training strategies for individuals and…

Presents a study that reviewed introductory psychology textbooks to examine the perception of extensive similarity. Focuses on six dimensions: (1) chapter topics, organization, and extent of topic coverage; (2) core concepts and key terms; (3) pedagogical aids and data graphs; (4) critical-thinking programs; (5) reference citations; and (6) level…

Compares textual notes taken by seventh-grade students on the 1954 school desegregation case, "Brown v. Board of Education," to those taken by legal professionals. Shows that the students rejected what they saw as violations of conventions of Supreme Court argument, while the winning argument in the actual case plays with conventions by…

Profiles six noteworthy web sites on literacy-related information, including sites that deal with issues addressing literacy and deafness, literacy development, family literacy program development, evaluation of family literacy programs, and encouraging young children with deafness to read. Online addresses of the web sites are provided. (CR)

Currently, there are over 16 million working mothers in the United States. Nonetheless, few children's books portray working mothers. In the books that do, the child is often anxious and lonely, especially when returning from school to an empty house. If children's literature is to be realistic, it must reflect the prevalence and positive aspects…

Explores the evaluation of image and multimedia information-retrieval systems, particularly the effectiveness of several shape measures for content-based retrieval of similar images. Shape feature measures, or vectors, are computed automatically and can either be used for retrieval or stored in the database for future queries. (57 references)…

Describes a study of undergraduates that determined the implications of content organization and cognitive style with regard to the design of hypertext. Highlights include effects of linking structure type and field-dependence and -independence on recall of verbal information, attitudes toward instructional materials, and use of the Group Embedded…

Analyzed content of 16 basal readers to determine if they could be classified as androgynous or traditional in gender role orientation, based on traits from the Bem Sex Role Inventory. Found that female characters were classified as androgynous, and male characters as masculine. Male characters, biographies of males, and illustrations of males…

Investigates the extent to which a global dimension is communicated in classes teaching about the Ancient World. Content analysis of Greek primary textbooks reveals the Ancient World presentation serves to promote an ethnocentric/nationalistic orientation with an absence of references to other ancient civilizations. (GR)