A study examined whether the basic skills performances of children in the primary grades were responsive to their inferencing abilities. It was hypothesized that the three components (informational, causal, and evaluative) of the second and third grade inferencing abilities tests would constitute a hierarchy of inferencing and that the impact of…

A study identified competencies high school industrial arts courses can develop that would be valuable to students who enroll in postsecondary programs. Its purpose was to develop a basis for recruiting students for high school industrial arts courses. Data were collected through a national survey of directors of one- and two-year postsecondary…

Teaching English composition and interpersonal communication concurrently enhances students' opportunities to learn and apply communication skills. Since many of these skills are common to both courses of study, not only is learning reinforced, but the skills can be presented and practiced in a variety of ways. More important, English composition…

This document consists of an interim report and a final report which describe the second and third phases of a project designed to determine the utility and utilization of sophisticated hardware and software capabilities known as advanced instructional features (AIFs). Used with an aircrew training device (ATD), AIFs permit a simulator instructor…

Recognizing that toy-making activities have tremendous potential for developing good parent-child interactions, this paper examines (1) the why, where, when, how, and who of making toys at home; (2) the use of toys in play; and (3) the value of toys as tools for learning. The snags and obstacles of toy making as well as the challenges and benefits…

Patterns of drug use among teenagers indicate they are highly influenced by peers. To examine the influence of Say It Straight, an alcohol/drug abuse prevention program aimed at teaching adolescents to deal with peer pressure, sixth, seventh and eighth graders (N=509) created and role played situations in which they wanted to say "no" to…

Based upon evidence that peer rejection is a marker variable asociated with maladaptive social-emotional development and the risk of later maladjustment, psychologists have focused both on understanding the factors contributing to peer rejection and on preventive interventions designed to remediate social adjustment problems evident in grade…

Selected research studies that explore the assumption that college science students operate at a formal cognitive level are presented in this information digest. Studies are reviewed that relate to the areas of: (1) formal thought (examining the relationship between measured formal thought and that required to understand formal college physical…

This manual describes the Job Seekers' Workshop and its component activities. It is intended as a guide to workshop leaders and discusses technical considerations such as materials, equipment, and recruitment of clients. The introduction states that the workshop is designed to improve job-seeking skills, especially behavior in a job interview, and…

Although the quality of educational software is increasing dramatically, the need for good instructional software far surpasses the supply. There are at present relatively few authors with the array of knowledge and skills necessary to produce high quality interactive instruction. In the absence of trained authors, much of the available software…

The role of the syllabus in second language teaching is described, distinguishing six major types of syllabi and how they might be implemented in various teaching situations. The foreign language teaching syllabus involves both the integration of subject matter (what to talk about) and linguistic matter (how to talk about it). Choices of syllabi…

Reinforcing the concept that study skills instruction needs to be part of the curriculum at every grade level and needs to be taught through a developmental approach, this resource book provides suggested student competencies, teaching approaches, and sample activities. This guide contains a section for each of seven study skills--locating…

Addressing two recurrent concerns in educational debate--how a discipline can contribute to students' analytical and critical thinking, and how to improve students' ability to express themselves orally and in writing--the Language of Critical Thinking course is designed to strengthen critical thinking skills by using a legal case study approach.…

The study explored the effectiveness of social skills training and cross-age tutoring on the acquisition and use of social skills among 20 mainstreamed learning disabled boys (ages 9-12). All subjects received direct instruction in such communication skills as greeting, listening, asking questions, answering questions, and complimenting. Seven of…

A reading and study skills course for college students, based on concepts of metacognition and schema, was organized around a management system and an instructional process to ensure that students would make use of their self-knowledge, their learned study reading skills, and their understanding of things, people, language, etc. to make sense from…