Improving the quality of learning is basic to raising academic standards. Research on postsecondary learning improvement has provided a base of practical knowledge to guide faculty and planners. Successful learning improvement programs share two essential characteristics: they are more comprehensive in the range of students' needs met, and they…

This teacher's manual is one volume of a six volume curriculum for the secondary level, designed to provide a systematic, group-oriented approach to decision-making in areas crucial to adolescent development: work, drug (substance) use and abuse, sexuality and social relationships, juvenile law, and people and government. The manual is divided…

A glossary providing a common set of definitions for thinking and talking about assessment policy in undergraduate education is presented. Terms with more general meaning are defined only in this specific context. This glossary was developed as part of a series of Education Commission of the States case studies of state-based approaches to…

This document is a teacher's guide for using The Sexual Decision-Making Series for Teens, consisting of three interactive fiction books that address the following topics for young people: sexual abstinence ("Too Soon for Sex?"), birth control ("Taking Chances with Sex"), and the prevention of sexually transmitted disease…

Families from non-English speaking backgrounds who migrated to Australia were surveyed on their opinions about Australian schools and the process of making decisions about schooling and careers for young people. Four types of factors were organized into a framework for conducting the study and analyzing the data: (1) student background factors…

A research design, decision support system, and results of a comparative analysis of enrollment and financial strength (of private institutions granting masters and doctoral degrees) are presented. Cluster analysis, discriminant analysis, multiple regression, and an interactive decision support system are used to compare the enrollment and…

A description of the Graduate Management Admission Council's New Matriculants Survey focusing on school selection by Masters of Business Administration students is presented. Four sections are as follows: (1) reasons for applying and enrolling (including student differences in reasons for applying); (2) who applies to more than one school (e.g.,…

This paper suggests methods for collecting and using student information for school improvement by describing how the Richardson Independent School District (RISD), Texas, determines data for effective school management decisionmaking. RISD readily accesses student information via a networked database on line with the central office's IBM…

This board game encourages junior and senior high school student analysis of the German campaign against the USSR and gauges student decision-making skills. The World War II Russo-German Front is simulated in a standard board game format. A key element of the game is its analysis and results form. Using this form compels students to analyze and…

This booklet describes research carried out under sponsorship of the Psychological Sciences Division of the U.S. Office of Naval Research during Fiscal Year 1985. The booklet is divided into three programmatic research areas: (1) Engineering Psychology; (2) Personnel and Training; and (3) Group Psychology. Each program is described by an overview…

A program to serve beginning and transfer students at Western Michigan University who are undecided about their curriculum choice is described. The assessment, referral, and advising services are designed to address students' developmental as well as academic needs. Program activities during 1986-1987 are identified for the following program…

An episodic and activity oriented approach is employed in this unit that illustrates the theme of interdependence of living things. Concepts related to dependence, competition, community, and ecosystems are developed through a case study of a raccoon problem. Various means of solving the raccoon problem are explored within a societal context. Five…

In spring 1987, a study was conducted at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) to ascertain student preferences for courses which fulfilled a set of new degree requirements and to develop a broader understanding of factors affecting class selection decisions. A representative sample of JCCC students attending 32 classes was surveyed in class…

Data from a 1982 state-wide survey of 764 Louisiana farm households were analyzed to assess the relationship between conjugal work-role arrangements and four dimensions of farm family life: socio-demographic characteristics, scale and type of farm operation, farm and household decision-making and allocation of tasks, and subjective aspects of farm…

A review and analysis of a report on school practitioner involvement in improvement of educational practice is presented with additional inferences on the ability of schools of education to foster practitioner involvement. In the first section, research is reviewed in three areas of educational practice in which teachers may be involved: (1)…