Argues that teachers of English as a Second Language should be cautious in using critical thinking pedagogies in the classroom. Notes that critical thinking is a social practice attracting criticism for being exclusive and that skills related to critical thinking are culturally based and do not seem to transfer beyond a narrow instructional…

This journal issue brings together research on perceptions of control of several vulnerable populations, specifically children, lower level employees, the ill, and the aged. This introduction discusses positive outcomes associated with sense of control and identifies common themes found in work in this area. (SLD)

This paper reports a survey of 59 able children (grades 4-8) that found a correlation between student life-skills scores and mothers' involvement in community service, leadership, or other creatively productive activities. The paper then describes development of an extended-day program at a private school, that provided stimulating after-school…

Discusses the nature of support staff work in research libraries, changing authority structures, and the impact of technology on job responsibilities. A study considering work complexity, supervision, evaluation criteria, control and autonomy, and job satisfaction is reported. (17 references) (EA)

The study of 742 older persons (above age 45) with a developmental handicap residing in either community or institutional settings in Alberta, Canada, found those residing in congregate care settings had significantly higher frequencies of health impairments. Persons residing in the community had significantly better independent living skills and…

Presents four articles about children's power struggles: (1) "The Personal Side of Power" (Bonnie Neugebauer); (2) "Learning To Harness Human Power" (Roslyn Duffy); (3) "Power Struggles: Early Experiences Matter" (James Garbarino); and (4) "Personal Power: Creating New Realities" (Janet Gonzalez-Mena). (DLH)

Achievement goal theory (AGT) has shown great promise as a framework for developing motivational climates that positively influence student motivation (Nicholls, 1984, 1989). AGT was developed as researchers began to question how students measure their success in achievement settings such as sport or physical education (PE). The theory proposes…

This study investigated the role of mother-adolescent relationship quality and autonomy in the psychosocial outcomes in a sample of African American adolescents drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The results indicated that positive mother-adolescent relationship quality and greater autonomy were associated with higher…

Two groups of students, one on the Atlantic coast and one on the Pacific coast think about and discuss their own experiences with and perceptions of public education. They were asked to consider the following questions: In your experiences as a student in an education system: What are the things that help students learn? What are the things that…

This curriculum is intended to provide social service agencies, schools, vocational programs, and other groups concerned with persons having developmental disabilities with guidelines and practical techniques for developing training and support services that encourage choice-making. Emphasis is on allowing people with disabilities to take as much…

This paper describes the general features of educational reform in Spain that emphasize increased school autonomy and teacher collaboration and professionalization and have been initiated since 1978 when a new constitution was democratically approved. The first section which offers background to the reforms describes the general impact of the new…

Ten papers from a January 1990 conference in Britain on the meaning and implications of autonomy for school learners of second languages address theoretical and practical issues in independent study, learner-controlled instruction, cooperative learning, teacher-student relationship, learner responsibility, students with learning difficulties, and…

This paper describes the first year of a 5-year study which, when completed, will identify the needs and concerns of disabled consumers from virtually all categories of functional limitations and all walks of life. The participants will include men and women between the ages of 18 and 65 from a variety of socioeconomic and geographical…

The developmental pattern in the relationships among mothers' beliefs about structure, autonomy, control, and intelligence was studied, addressing: (1) how mothers' scaffolding beliefs and conceptions of intelligence are related; (2) the relationship of these maternal beliefs to children's age and achievement; and (3) the relationship between…

Major efforts are underway to identify and define a science of science education which will reverse the relationship between research and program development. This trend is toward using research on how learners grow and develop prior to program development and the organization of instructional techniques. Clear scientific explanations of how…