Evaluation is so paramount in students' lives that researchers have found that, for many students, one's self-worth is intricately tied to one's performance. Self-handicapping is a strategy that may be used to maintain one's self-worth. This anticipatory tactic typically involves the use of procrastination; by procrastinating, one clouds the…

A study examined students' motivations for participating in literacy tasks, especially which motivations prevailed and how these motivations varied in different contexts. Previous literature indicated that contexts in which students perceived that they had autonomy, opportunity for social interaction, and coherence (connections to other learning…

The instructional theory presented in this document provides an explanation and context for making instructional decisions. The theory's purpose is to facilitate continual inquiry in the real world of teaching; to facilitate the decision making role of teachers and researchers; and to enable teachers and scholars more clearly to describe and…

A study was conducted in 1986 which revealed that school-based computer coordinators used a combination of product- and client-centered strategies to facilitate computer use, but saw their role as transitional, predicting elimination of their jobs in 2 to 5 years. The purpose of this current study was to revisit the three schools (Eugene, Oregon)…

This study sought to understand how first year physical education teachers perceived their workplace, how they believed it affected their first year of work, and how they understood the role of that workplace in shaping their induction into the social and organizational context of the school. Interviews were conducted with 12 physical education…

A school is a complex organism with many parts. It is necessary to understand the interrelations of these parts to improve schools. In working to improve education for at-risk students, school context must be considered as a factor. The Southwest Educational Development laboratory studied the factors that influence school leaders successfully to…

This paper describes a study of an alternative, innovative high school designed to serve at-risk students and dropouts returning to public school. The PRIDE (Positive Responsible Individuals Desiring Education) Center, located in San Marcos (Texas) Consolidated Independent School District, opened in September 1989. The center's program includes…

Conceptual encounter methodology has been used to investigate the experience of anger. With this method, investigators have attempted to construct an abstract structure that describes essential features of the experience being investigated. People are interviewed about concrete examples of the experience, given the abstract conceptualization, and…

Two factors which may affect the ratings assigned to an essay test are investigated: (1) context effects; and (2) score level effects. Context effects exist in essay scoring if an essay is rated higher when preceded by poor quality essays than when preceded by high quality essays. A score level effect is defined as a change in the score (value)…

Differing views on how meaning in a literacy event is formed have a large impact upon literacy instruction and language research. Teaching and research are often conducted without considering who is in charge of meanings. Yet the answer to this question establishes an interpretive frame that creates the questions, methods, and findings in language…

Data from a longitudinal study of London women who resumed full-time employment within 9 months of having a first child were used in this paper's examination of the child care histories of the women's children up to the age of 3 years. Contacts were made when children were 4- to 5-months-old (usually before the mother had resumed employment), and…

An exploratory look at Taiwanese preschool children's compliant and noncompliant behaviors, how teachers responded to the behaviors, and the activity settings in which they occurred is offered in this paper. Observations were made in 10 different preschool centers in the city of Taipei; 5 were laboratory schools and 5 were private centers. A total…

During the last decade there has been an awakening interest in considering not only formalised learning situations within institutional settings, but also all the various forms of informal musical learning practices outside schools. Informal musical learning outside institutional settings has been shown to contribute to important knowledge and…

Analyzes primetime commercial television content showing that heroes, villains, and secondary characters are almost always being rewarded or justified when commiting antisocial acts, frequently portrayed as being internally motivated. The context is also portrayed as very antisocial. (SD)

Compares the performance of 38 early childhood educators on real-life moral decisions with their hypothetical moral knowledge. The phenomenon of inconsistency between the two types of moral knowledge is explained. (Author/CI)