With student evaluations of instructor effectiveness playing an increasingly important role in the determination of merit pay, promotion, and tenure, there is a growing interest in what these evaluations actually measure. Faculty members frequently voice doubts about using student evaluations, because it is not clear to what extent they measure…

This paper reports on a field test of a system for monitoring the achievement of selected educational governance/management goals. The study entailed (1) collection of enrollment, revenue, expenditure, and teacher assignment data from a stratified random sample of Minnesota districts for a seven-year period, 1969-70 through 1975-76; (2) reduction…

The Competency-Based Degree Program (CBDP) at Oklahoma City University is an effort by a traditional university to serve a new and expanded group of students while maintaining a high level of quality in the services it provides. The CBDP is unique in that it is truly a nontraditional program operating within a traditional university with well…

This study was designed to examine the effects of auditory memory, visual memory, and vocabulary knowledge on intramodal and intermodal delayed matching-to-sample tasks. A secondary objective was to assess the value of task performance and trait measures in predicting reading achievement. A total of 52 first graders were randomly selected as…

The relationship of nonintellectual factors to academic achievement in 58 Scottish high schools is examined. The main purpose of the study was to identify those features of student backgrounds which have a bearing on academic achievement. Factors studied include socioeconomic class, pupil and parental aspirations and attitudes, staffing and type…

The School Based Teacher Educators Project (SBTE) had as one of its major goals the development of a set of competency specifications for the role of school based teacher educators. This paper describes the process that was used to identify the competencies. A number of different approaches have been advocated by various educators for identifying…

This manual for research in motor learning was written for scientifically based physical educators, experimental psychologists, and others interested in the investigation of learning and performance phenomena associated with skill acquisition. Laboratory and field experiments are presented that can be run with or without the presence of a formal…

Results of a survey of nursing, dental, and medical students at a Brazilian university concerning the teacher behaviors and attributes they perceived and valued are reported and analyzed. Salient factors are grouped as foci for staff development activities. (MSE)

This study evaluated the Computer Aided Grading Exercises (CAGE) authoring system on ease of creating programs, popularity of such programs, ease of progression through created exercises, and transfer of learning. Subjects were 12-year-olds with moderate learning difficulties. It was found that the system produced popular exercises and engendered…

Reports on a study of the effectiveness of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in the acquisition of English as a second language by Arabic- and Spanish-speaking students in an intensive program. Examines two student variables--time spent using CALL lessons and attitude toward them--as well as four cognitive/affective characteristics.…

The impact of school quality on students is most evident in less developed nations where it affects students' cognitive and behavioral outcomes. The study concludes that improvement in the quality of schooling would be more beneficial than expanded access to poorer quality education in less developed nations. (MD)

A tenured college professor offering a course entitled "Human Knowledge: An In-Depth Survey" is forced to cancel the course and go into early retirement when students rebel against such "outdated" course requirements as compulsory attendance, written examinations, and grades. (JBM)

Geographers were studied as they made the transition from graduate student to full-time academic appointments. Information is presented about factors that affected their performance and personal satisfaction: type of contract, status of dissertation, size of initial teaching load, identification with the institution, companionship with colleagues,…

Decentralization and an increased emphasis on community and parent participation represent significant education reform trends over the past decade. These reforms take place in the context of increased emphasis within Education for All (EFA) on improving education quality and outcomes and on strengthening accountability for results. They require…

The goal of the Pathways to College Network is to advance college access and success for underserved students, including those who are the first in their families to go to college, low-income students, underrepresented minorities, and students with disabilities. All of the Pathways work is grounded in data and research. Through a synthesis of…