A study investigated whether English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) students' understanding of culturally-loaded words (those that are similar in primary meaning but different in connotation between the two languages) approximates that of native speakers of English, and how much English proficiency level may account for the extent of this…

The question of how agricultural education students and faculty define and hope to foster student success was studied at a large southeastern land-grant university with a college of agriculture that included 1,497 students and 193 faculty. The study questions were explored in 2 focus groups containing a total of 7 faculty members and 8 focus…

This report summarizes a study of the continuing training system for workers in Germany. It describes the instruments that have been developed in Germany for the organization and provision of continuing training, the groups of people concerned, and the costs involved. After defining continuing training and explaining its place within the overall…

During the 1980s, the United States experienced a resurgence of interest in adult literacy that is likely to continue through the 1990s. The factors that have led to renewed concern about adult literacy include the following: a changing workplace requiring increased literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills; a recognition that new entrants to…

Historically, policies and funding guidelines for most federal educational programs have not adequately recognized the diverse nature of rural schools. A dichotomy of rural and urban, or, even a tripartite classification (urban, suburban, and rural) would mask the internal diversity of rural schools. Current efforts to understand the condition of…

This addendum describes the nature, rationale, and results of the second cleaning and revision of the National Longitudinal Study of 1972 (NLS-72) Postsecondary Education Transcript Files (PETS). This project, conducted for nearly 3 years, followed an initial cleaning and reduction in 1987, which came about as a reaction to the idiosyncratic…

This digest provides basic information and resources on visual impairments. Legal and educational definitions are given for "legally blind,""partially sighted,""visually handicapped,""blind," and "low vision". Typical characteristics of individuals with visual impairments in the areas of cognitive…

Meta-analysis is a collection of systematic techniques for resolving apparent contradictions in research findings. Meta-analysts translate results from different studies to a common metric and statistically explore the relations between study characteristics and findings. Since G. Glass first used the term "meta-analysis" in 1976, it has…

This book offers practical suggestions to college faculty for making the sabbatical experience more productive, satisfying, enriching, and enjoyable. Part 1 serves as an introduction, examining the origins and definitions of sabbatical leave and common institutional practices in regard to granting sabbaticals. Part 2 looks at the five stages of…

This report reflects the results of an evaluation of the coverage in the annual Public Library Statistics program, a joint federal-state information collection project. It is the first phase of a broader project of the Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to evaluate the overall statistics available from the annual…

This handbook addresses the complex and expanding vocabulary of performance assessment and measurement by providing a glossary of related terms and lists of resources for the student, practitioner, and policymaker. Performance assessment includes all forms of such assessment from multiple choice and paper-and-pencil tests to alternative…

Drawing on the writings of Jean Piaget, Paulo Freire, Yoneji Masuda, John Naisbitt, and others, this paper examines the purposes of education and posits a model for developing strong sense critical thinking (SSCT) skills among elementary school students. Part I examines the purpose of education, while Part II discusses SSCT, defined as the ability…

This practicum sought to develop a consensus definition of what an after-school enrichment program should be, utilizing the Delphi Research Technique, which is designed to collect and synthesize group opinion in an anonymous, interactive, self-repeating, and self-adjusting manner. Three rounds of questionnaires were sent to 31 teachers, school…

This fact sheet summarizes issues involved in the reauthorization of the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act of 1988, Title IV-B, Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This Act provides grants for research and demonstration projects and training activities to meet the needs of gifted and talented students. The Javits…

This paper examines the nature of dictionaries and encyclopedias, focusing on some of the preparation that has gone into the construction of a dictionary of language testing at the University of Melbourne (Australia). It discusses the purpose of such dictionaries, the nature and size of dictionary/encyclopedia entries, and the readability of…