Discussion of the use of CD-ROM databases for end-user searching versus online database searching in academic libraries focuses on a comparison of two databases, "Psychological Abstracts" and "Sociological Abstracts," that were searched in both formats. Factors of response time, coverage, content, and cost were investigated for…

Describes results of a survey of student teachers in the United Kingdom who described their experiences with information technology (IT) during their final primary teaching practice. Data are related to an earlier survey of the same students during their first teaching practice to explore changes in their practices and beliefs about IT. (14…

Parent-reported problems and competencies for national samples of 2,600 children and youth assessed at intake into mental health services were compared with 2,600 demographically matched nonreferred children assessed in a home interview study. Age, gender, regional, ethnic, and socioeconomic comparisons drawn from a new questionnaire are…

Discussion of teaching complex knowledge domains through exploration highlights two experiments that investigated the educational value of a Dutch computer simulation program which models the relationship between erosion and agriculture in a developing country as part of the secondary school geography curriculum. Learning by doing versus learning…

Presents a comparison of environmental education in South Africa and recommendations from the 1977 Tbilisi and 1987 Moscow international environmental education conference proceedings. Lists international strategies for environmental education and training proposed at the conferences and discusses their relevance to South Africa. (24 references)…

A study of 42,407 college students' ratings of teachers in 5 departments and at 4 instructional levels (first-year through graduate study) revealed that perceptions of improvements needed in teaching skills varied significantly according to instructional level, class size, and discipline. Implications for college administration and instructional…

Followup to a 1971 study investigated the effects of college tuition on early career educational, occupational, and economic achievement for 3,099 African-American and white former students. Results suggest that attending a relatively high-tuition college had a net positive effect on educational attainment, occupational status, income, and women's…

Ten states participated in a cross-state scoring workshop in 1991, evaluating writing from elementary school, middle school, and high school students. Correlation of scores assigned by readers from one state with those from readers from another state were generally quite high. Implications for defining common standards are discussed. (SLD)

Effects of ability grouping on cognitive achievement in mathematics and science were studied for middle school students from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth, with a seventh grade sample of 1,900 students. Ability grouping helped the advanced, harmed the slower students, and had a negligible overall effect. (SLD)

Family functioning of 30 nonhandicapped and 30 learning-handicapped adolescents and their parents was examined through perspectives on adaptability, cohesion, and communication. Cluster analysis found five profiles of family functioning. Results emphasize the importance of considering adolescent and parent perspectives differently. (SLD)

Discussion of the cost effectiveness of searching online versus searching on CD-ROM highlights an example that compares costs for searching the ERIC database. Fixed costs and variable costs are described, labor costs are examined, implications for management are considered, and the effect of the number of databases and workstations is discussed.…

Compares English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and foreign-language instruction in terms of the context of learning and course goals. Considers the differences in the backgrounds, attitudes, motivations, sociocultural characteristics, personality factors, and learning styles of ESL and foreign-language students. (GFW)

Compares two groups of high school social studies teachers to determine how their attitudes and beliefs about instruction inform their practice in promoting higher order thinking among students. Measures teacher performance across 10 dimensions of classroom thoughtfulness based on Fred Newmann's work. Finds an important link between teachers'…

Argues educational ideology is geographically and historically specific by comparing London and Tyneside activist teachers' views concerning antiracist ideology. Identifies contradictions within contemporary teaching practices and contends that dominant liberal-educationalism has co-opted antiracism. In contrast to predominantly White Tyneside,…

Reports on a controlled experiment that tested the effectiveness of a multimedia method of instruction using a hypermedia-based program and interactive video against two alternative methods--traditional instruction and regular computer-assisted instruction--in a political science course at Northwestern University. Evaluation of the experiment and…