Forty-six mildly handicapped junior high school students were paired and assigned to cooperative, competitive, individualistic, and no goal control conditions in a computer-assisted computational setting. Findings indicated students improved rates of correct responding regardless of goal condition. (Author/DB)

Examines participation in science competitions to determine (1) whether gender differences in participation exist, and (2) whether there are gender differences in the subject areas selected (biological versus physical sciences). North Carolina student participation data were used for the years 1987-88. Gender differences in science competitions…

A single-sex group learning project involving 100 seventh graders yielded positive results. Behavior improved without teacher intervention, particularly among the boys. Also, students' attitudes and motivation improved immensely, along with work habits and academic performance. Students reported that they enjoyed working and competing in teams.…

Before jumping on another corporate bandwagon, educators should recall the primary difference between business and education. Workers produce consumer goods, whereas students should be concerned with constructing meaning. The marketplace model, even correctly applied, does not belong in the classroom. Total Quality Management is a content-free,…

Performance assessment can help educators develop ways to reveal individual students' distinctive features and secure information about learning. These opportunities will be wasted unless the public's attitudes and expectations toward schooling are changed. Attitudes cannot change without revising policies inhibiting school children's educational…

Summarizes the recent report on college athletics by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which cites nine unfavorable results of athletic development on college students and examines administration of athletics, its excesses, athletic participation and its relationship to student health, the role of coaches, collegiate…

A British industrialist and educator comments on how a college education should prepare individuals for the world of work and decision making, noting the importance of self-discovery, the relevance of multiple intelligences, the deception of competition, the similarity of learning and working, and the value of reflection. (MSE)

Small colleges are under increasing pressure to spend on upgrading technology to win a real or imagined technology race against other institutions. However, the process of making this decision should be coordinated and focus on return on investment; strategic match of technology and mission; competitive advantage; knowledge of real needs;…

Examines the effects and implications of embedding the element of competition in computer-assisted cooperative learning situations on student cognitive, affective, and social outcomes. Results of statistical analyses of Taiwanese fifth graders show that cooperation without inter-group competition engendered better attitudes and promoted more…

States that the U.S. economy exhibits a voracious demand for information technology (IT) certification programs and, it is claimed, the U.S. system of education isn't producing them. Explains that most IT certification providers operate outside the formal postsecondary education system, do not participate in federal student aid and reporting…

Explores how two high-achieving adolescent girls reacted to a teaching intervention designed to foster collaborative group work focusing on aspects of their cultural practices in interpersonal relationships. They were primarily influenced by a competitive individualized ideology, not appropriate for the project, but not deviant from the school's…

Introduces six articles on interventions, practices, beliefs, and contexts designed to facilitate early adolescents' school achievement and overall development. The articles focus on middle school reform, separate schooling for African American males, ability grouping, teacher roles, interdisciplinary programs, and the role of cooperation and…

A high school vocational education teacher who customarily had students participate in cocurricular competition through the Future Farmers of America examined students' feelings about competition. Students revealed that winning was not the only important factor, though they wanted to feel well-prepared before competing. They appreciated the…

Weary of fighting with other districts for the best teachers, Fairfax (Virginia) County Schools adopted a more cooperative approach. The district is pursuing professional-development school agreements with four area universities. Similar recruitment partnerships are under way in Cleveland, Ohio; Tolleson, Arizona; and Olathe, Kansas. (MLH)

Alfie Kohn, former teacher and current educational theorist and writer, discusses his views on teaching, learning, and parenting. He addresses the problems of reward-based education, the negative effects of competition on learning, and capitalizing on the naturalness of altruistic behavior in humans. He stresses the importance of treating children…