This paper reports on a project to develop and implement an interdisciplinary, thematic high school curriculum combining instruction in Spanish language and four arts disciplines. Additional targeted skills included: accessing and using new information effectively; thinking critically about art; development of global responsibility and…

The accessibility of the World Wide Web and its flexibility for conveying digital information in various forms makes it a convenient mode of communication for education. With the help of a distance learning application called "Easy Ed," this paper demonstrates how these properties of the Web along with a data model can be used to provide…

This book presents performance-based projects as a systematic way to provide middle school and high school students both the structure and the freedom to become actively engaged in their own learning. The approach is based on the concept of authentic learning, which advocates a relevant, real world experience to personally engage students in…

This document contains five refereed research papers on connecting education with careers through business education. "The Different Skill Levels Students Possess When Entering Computer Software Applications College Courses" (Michael McDonald) reports on a 1998 survey examining the perceived skill level differences of college students…

This paper explores the concept that the experience of growth may be structurally similar to the emotional experience of religion and hope. It develops this view by focusing on two studies that involve a series of coping and outcome variables, together with analysis of Park, Cohen, and Murch's (1997) instrument on stress related to personal…

This article discusses three issues concerning the field of psychology: modern psychology and its definition of mental health; Japanese ideology and its definition of mental health; and applicability of Western methods of psychotherapy to other cultures. There are at least two different definitions of good mental health and most psychotherapies in…

Middle Tennessee State University recently developed a satellite-linked, interactive distance learning system with six rural K-12 schools. Faculty were then invited to make a single presentation over this system. The social work department, recognizing both the opportunities and the limitations presented by this new system, elected to be one of…

This research explored the thesis that mental model construction can be an effective instructional strategy for mental models learning by constructing a prototype that embodies this approach. The mental model to be learned was the Internet, including the components of the Internet, their functions, and their relationships to one another. To do…

This study is grounded in a reform calculus movement funded by grants from the National Science Foundation to find ways to improve student learning in mathematics, specifically in calculus. The study examines reasons why faculty accept or reject reform calculus teaching techniques, and what they consider to be the challenges and outcomes of these…

A study was conducted to determine predictors of student satisfaction in a graduate nursing program taught via fully interactive, multipoint real-time video teleconferencing and World Wide Web/Internet. A correlational research design was used to examine relationships among five learner attributes, three instructional variables, and student…

This progress report delineates processes and procedures in assessing changes in teacher attitudes and behaviors as they utilize the Internet for the first time in curriculum development and delivery. The setting is a north Texas rural district serving 1,320 students. The sample included 66 teachers in the middle school and high school.…

Expectancy models of behavior such as the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) offer guidelines that aid efforts to facilitate use of new technology. These models remind us that both acceptance of and resistance to technology use are grounded in beliefs and norms regarding the technology. Although TAM is widely…

This monograph identifies key policy areas that support the concept of teaching for understanding. Part 1, "Teaching for Understanding," explores the mission and practices associated with teaching for understanding, presenting this practice from the viewpoint of the student, teacher, and school system. Part 2, "Policy Areas,"…

The tech prep work-based learning program for child care management occupations at Carlyle (Illinois) High School had nine goals: (1) market the program to students, parents, employers, and the community; (2) increase the number of students enrolled in Tech Prep Youth Apprenticeship (TPYA); (3) increase the number of employers providing work-based…

In the new environment of increased international trade and investment flows, human resources represent the key competitive edge of this interconnected global economy. The share the United States has of worldwide output is shrinking. This issue explores data that provide a snapshot of how globalization is affecting the economy and changing its…