Explores extent to which parents and their adolescent children agree with respect to their attributional beliefs. First-born Australian children of Anglo and Italian backgrounds and their parents ranked talent, effort, and teaching according to relative importance in the development of six skill areas. Variations in patterns of attributions…

Cloze-like exercises are effective and integrative tasks that allow students to operate meaningfully on authentic foreign language materials. Examples are presented of several exercises, including: predicting content from fragments, focusing on syntactic (rather than lexical or semantic) issues, and restoring deleted markers of function and…

A study of correlations between analogical reasoning and Logo programming mastery among female high school students related the results of pretests of analogical reasoning to posttests of programming mastery. A significant correlation was found between analogical reasoning and the ability to write subprocedures for use in several different…

Suggests criteria to be used in selecting problem-solving activities and criteria to be considered in choosing media, exercises, and problems for the development of problem-solving skills. Provides perspectives on developing creativity and includes a chart on how thinking and attitude components relate. Also lists related reference materials. (ML)

This article examines a current, explicit, central theory accounting for the observed flexibility in motor performance: the generalized motor program with a multiplicative rate parameter. Reanalysis of data reported in the literature and a study of skilled typewriting show that a generalized motor program generally does not fit observed…

Discusses the role of the English teacher in teaching reading. Concludes that successful instruction is comprised of interaction between students and the teacher, sound methods, and appropriate materials. (FL)

The author explains how one company managed a shutdown while avoiding difficult problems. He describes a five-action plan that focused on all the following areas: severance and benefits, communication, training and development, job opportunities, and retirement planning. This plan is then evaluated and recommendations to improve the plan are…

Discusses: (1) advantages of a computer lab; (2) types of computer programs that can help students develop computational, application, comprehension, and analytical skills; (3) how computers can help students with such affective goals as appreciation and motivation toward mathematics; and (4) content areas where computers can be useful. (JN)

Multiple-choice tests are here to stay. They should do more than test for rote memory. They should simultaneously test for both knowledge of subject matter and for thinking skills applied to that subject matter. Suggestions to help teachers prepare better test questions are made. (RM)

Examines ways of meeting the needs of special education students in technology education. Discusses activity-oriented instruction, adding relevance to the instruction, the development of problem-solving and communication skills, the use of peer tutors, involving a special educator in industrial arts classes, safety concerns, and available…

Discusses the Shelter Parenting Program at the Battered Women Shelter in New Castle County, Delaware. This shelter-based program attempts to break the intergenerational cycle of family violence by combining an instructional group format on parenting skills with a series of individual and/or family sessions that apply these skills. Two case…

Provides a listing of recently published books on problem solving and life skills. Reviews articles and ideas related to the teaching of problem solving. Discusses the instructional implications of research in cognitive psychology. (ML)

Empirical and theoretical evidence is presented to support the conclusion that improvement of learning ability is an important and viable educational goal. The improvement of learning ability necessitates development not only of specific learning skills, but also an executive control mechanism that automatically accesses and combines learning…

This article provides an initial look at the matches and mismatches between expectations held for vocational education programs and empirically observed outcomes. Three types of claims for vocational education were compared with recent research. The article concludes with recommendations for improving the alignment between expectations and…

This article describes 6 of the 17 school computer projects awarded $600,000 in microcomputer equipment and software in the "Wheels for the Mind" program established by Apple Education Affairs. Apple would provide advanced courses for rural schools, set up an intercultural network, develop reasoning skills, train teachers, and create…