Describes a study which was conducted to test the ability of four motivators to explain adult use of the public library: (1) home and family life; (2) vocational growth; (3) religion; and (4) politics. Other general user characteristics were examined as supplements to the four motivators in predicting library use. (16 references) (LRW)

Emphasizes the importance of developing an Aboriginal form of education by Aboriginal teachers. Expresses concern that the western bureaucratic educational system will not permit a suitable Aboriginal system to develop. Describes the Deakin-Batchelor Teacher Education Program as an example of action research in Aboriginal teacher education.…

Used longitudinal data from a sample of African-American children of teenaged mothers in the Baltimore, Maryland, area to examine determinants of functional literacy in adulthood. Found that preschool cognitive and behavioral functioning predicted literacy in young adulthood. Family environmental factors that predicted literacy in young adulthood…

Increasing the learning of economics among 76 public high school seniors from lower socioeconomic levels by teaching them to use generative comprehension procedures in cooperative learning groups was attempted. Comparison with 66 controls indicated facilitative effects of generative teaching in increasing confidence in correctness of answers and…

Influences of religion, gender, and social class on attitudes toward school and specific subjects were studied for 1,925 male and 1,837 female 11-year-old primary school students in England. Compared to others, children from higher socioeconomic backgrounds report more favorable attitudes toward school in general but not toward individual…

The reliability and validity of the Self-Esteem Inventory developed by S. C. Coopersmith (1975) were evaluated via item-total correlation, discriminant analysis, factor analysis, and analysis of variance of data for 352 Australian adults. The instrument had high internal consistency and discriminated well between subjects with high and low…

Reports on study of economic and social data from 400 counties in cotton-growing areas of southern United States between 1890 and 1929. Finds economic and political competition between white and African-American cotton growers led to racial discrimination and legal executions of African Americans. Asserts legal executions declined when political…

This study examined the cognitive development of students enrolled in three levels of freshman chemistry courses and focused on changes in spatial ability over time. Results indicate that performance on general Piagetian-type tasks, including spatial visualization, can be refined through educational intervention. Concludes that students appear…

Examines the distribution of student Internet use across 152 schools in the National School Network, schools that were among the first to provide direct Internet access for networked computers. Discusses socioeconomic status differences, student ability, teacher differences, school population ethnicity, the Internet as innovation, and a vision for…

Classroom experiential-learning activities help college students understand the social-justice issues implicit in their service-learning projects and become culturally dexterous leaders. Classroom exercises described cover trust building, communication, consciousness of power and class issues, differentiating between social service and social…

Examines data on students at York University (Ontario) and seven other Canadian universities concerning who goes to university, parents' income, student diversity, where students live, why students go to university, how particular universities are chosen, the importance of a degree, and students' future academic plans. (SV)

Explores assumptions teachers make when planning parent involvement strategies and barriers to family involvement that result from these assumptions. Presents two tools designed to help teachers plan and carry out successful activities by identifying family-related factors that could limit or prevent family participation and making modifications…

Used meta-analytic and narrative procedures to integrate results of 93 evaluations of summer school. Found that summer programs focusing on remedial or accelerated learning or other goals impacted positively on participants' knowledge and skills. Middle class students showed larger positive effects than disadvantaged students. Remedial programs…

This study of Third International Mathematics and Science Study results addresses the issue of resource availability in rural and urban Australian schools, considering student attitudes toward math and science and career aspirations. Rural schools are more adequately resourced than urban ones. Students' attitudes and aspirations positively affect…

Efforts to desegregate schools since the 1954 "Brown" decision have only partly succeeded. Racial and economic segregation still limits minority and poor children's educational opportunities. A new educational civil rights movement must replace authoritarian, antidemocratic standards and tests with diverse schools, staff, pedagogies,…