Discusses the role of visual aids in second language teaching, focusing on their ability to represent sounds or structures; portray cultural features; provide situational awareness; and elicit verbal output, both controlled and free. (39 references) (MDM)

Ninety-three elementary school children were interviewed about fairness of selected practices for influencing motivation to learn. Responses reflected their purposes for learning and their definitions of learning. Children held diverse views and valued different rewards, suggesting that teachers should treat students as thoughtful moral agents…

Two studies had parents describe the characteristics of the most prosocial two- and five-year olds they knew and rate the relative importance of each attribute in defining a child as prosocial. Results indicated more similarities than differences between the two age groups and suggested that research has underrepresented the rich repertoire of…

Comparison of 19 national data collection programs found significant variability in the disability categories used. Discussion focuses on issues related to improving disability identification in large-scale data collection programs and the effects of these issues on reporting policy-relevant information. (Author/DB)

Reports on a study of the frequency of occurrence of moving image versions, the types of differences that can occur in intellectual and artistic content from one version to another, and the visible indicators, such as mention in reference sources, appearance, and length of production associated with these differences. A list of films in sample is…

Describes a dedicated method for the design of multimedia courseware, called PROFIL, which integrates instructional design with software engineering techniques and incorporates media selection in the design methodology. The phases of development are outlined: preliminary investigation, definition, script, technical realization, implementation, and…

Critically reviews research on lay peoples' definition of sexual harassment, what behaviors are considered harassing, the effects of harasser status on perceptions of harassment, and gender differences in sexual harassment definitions. Results suggest more lay awareness of what constitutes harassing behavior, but less consistency in the effects of…

Discusses and contrasts varying definitions of empowerment from social work and feminist literature. Describes what is problematic in the definitions of empowerment practice with older women and suggests reasons for broadening the definition and concept of empowerment so that social welfare professionals can meet the needs of this growing…

This introduction to a special section provides the basic definitions and presents the measurement approaches and data analytic techniques that are collectively referred to as chaos theory. The conceptualization and assessment of unstable behavioral disorders can be strengthened by incorporating elements of chaos theory. (SLD)

This paper proposes a definition of clinically significant change in communication ability and suggests three evaluation criteria, including determining whether the change resulted from treatment rather than uncontrolled factors, whether the change was real rather than random, and whether the change was important rather than trivial. (Author/JDD)

This commentary points out the need for a working definition of "appropriate education" so that parents of children with disabilities have realistic expectations and educators know what is expected of them in providing services. Educators must ensure that court actions do not make "regular education" children second-rate citizens. (JDD)

Discusses the advances made in understanding the brain structures responsible for language. Presents findings made using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomographic (PET) scans to study brain activity. These findings map the structures in the brain that manipulate concepts and those that turn concepts into words. (MCO)

Presents research findings relating to the major disorders of the mind and brain. Discusses the anatomic, biochemical and hereditary bases of schizophrenia and manic-depressive illness. Vignettes provide additional information and diagrams of the brain stress system, medicines for mental disorders, and a graph of generational trends. (MCO)

Ecological economics addresses the dangers of excluding nature from economic decisions. Discusses how traditional economic frameworks separate economic interests from environmental interests. Introduces some alternative ideas wherein environmental interests are incorporated into economic planning. (MCO)

This article reviews use of the term "best practice" in special education and suggests that the term is misleading unless measurable criteria have been systematically applied. A proposed definition focuses on the theoretical basis for a procedure, integrity of the research design and extent of replication, consensus with literature, process and…