The complex problems affecting the transition from secondary to postsecondary education are reviewed by an educator who works with black students from a small, Catholic high school. The following adjustments that students face in college are discussed: a change in the way a student is taught and learns, new levels of responsibility and…

Research studies in science education have revealed that wait-time, the duration of teacher and student pauses in questioning dialogue, is an important variable in teaching. In this study, discussion materials were gathered, from 4 groups of 10 teachers, each week for a semester. The groups were defined as: (1) comparison group; (2) instruction in…

How to write, and the relationship between images and writing, has been changing within the academy. Some indication of this can be seen in the new composition texts that emphasize reading visuals or teaching students in our largely visual culture (e.g. Faigley, George, Selfe, & Palchik , 2004; Alfano & O'Brien, 2005; Ruszkiewicz,…

The study evaluated the comparability of two versions of a teacher certification test: a paper-and-pencil test (PPT) and computer-based test (CBT). Standardized mean difference (SMD) and differential item functioning (DIF) analyses were used as measures of comparability at the test and item levels, respectively. Results indicated that effect sizes…

This article discusses what EFL instructors and their students like and dislike about error correction and paper marking and discusses what this means for classroom teaching. The article lists the benefits and drawbacks of error correction for students' writing and argues for the need to look at preferred methods for both teachers and students. It…

The protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Young Goodman Brown" misinterprets experiences that befall him because he cannot escape what Jean Piaget calls "egocentrism"--lack of awareness of anything outside one's immediate experience. Today's college students, reading Hawthorne, misinterpret the story, since they too…

This study, based on the Rasch model, used R. M. Smith's (1986) classification of measurement disturbances to assess the Rasch model approach to error control and statistical prediction. Partitioning the error component into a person component, an item-person interaction component, and a random unexplained error component has the net effect of…

This brief summarizes what is presently known about violence in schools and provides recommendations for preventing the violence. The following findings are presented concerning the prevalence of school violence: (1) both teachers and students are in greater danger of losing their property through theft than of being assaulted or robbed; (2) both…

This document describes a practicum designed to address the needs of the parents of children who have experienced extrafamilial sexual abuse. It notes that, in cases of extrafamilial child sexual abuse, services are directed toward the child and that the neglect of the parents may exacerbate the child's stress. The practicum is aimed at: (1)…

Focusing on recent composition theory, this paper offers suggestions for writing teachers in applying concepts of dialogic discourse directly to the pedagogy of the college writing course. The first section of the paper addresses the influence of the social constructionist work on interpretation theory by Richard Rorty, Clifford Geertz, and…

A previous study of the perceived social realism of television series featuring families was both replicated and extended with a sample of 1692 second, sixth, and tenth graders in 42 schools in southern California. The "Viewing Frequency" instrument and the "Realism" instrument took children 10-15 minutes to complete. Content…

This collection of research papers considers extensions of the Rasch model. In Chapter 1, K. C. Cheung explains how measurement and testing in the classroom can be made more meaningful, particularly through the use of Rasch family item response models. In Chapter 2, K. W. Koon and K. C. Cheung apply the Rasch model in constructing a part-whole…

Data banks with items calibrated under an item response model can be used for the construction of tests. Mathematical programming models like the Maximin Model are formulated for computerized item selection from a bank. In this paper, mathematical programming models based on the Maximin Model are proposed for the construction of weakly parallel…

A questionnaire survey was used at Southern California University, Berkeley in which 140 faculty members gave their opinions about the problems and pleasures in teaching large lecture classes (minimum 100 students). Faculty members were also queried about their practices in dealing successfully with problems and their recommendations for…

This paper is the final report of a multi-year project sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in 1987 through 1990. The main objectives of the research summarized were to: investigate the non-parametric approach to the estimation of the operating characteristics of discrete item responses; revise and strengthen the package computer…